Captain America in the building!
HenryJonesJr Member
- Last Seen: 3 yrs ago
- Joined: 12 yrs ago
- Posts: 1456 (0.32 / day)
- VMs: 2
-
Username history
- HenryJonesJr 12 yrs ago
-
Latest 10 profile visitors:
-
Most recent →
Captain Uni,
Eddie Brock,
Master Bruce,
Sep,
Cyberlad
Status
User has no status, yet
Bio
User has no bio, yet
Most Recent Posts
CAPTAIN AMERICA
24 ♦ Stephanie Carter ♦ Chaotic Good
“I know who I am. I rescue the helpless. I raise up the hopeless. I don't measure people's lives... I save them.”
[ ߜ ] O R I G I N
Project Reclamation
World War II had been won by the Allies, HYDRA had been stopped by Captain America, and yet his allies were somber. The loss of the world’s first true superhero shocked the OSS, and many believed without his guidance in the new era of superpowers the world could once again fall into chaos. In response to this fear, the OSS got to work on Project Reclamation. The project, led by Nazi defector Arnim Zola, was designed to recreate Erskine’s supersoldier serum at any cost. Highly secretive and heavily funded, the team toiled endlessly on the genetic samples that had been taken from Rogers before his untimely passing. There was little hope that the project would garner a success, but the top brass thought it was worth the expense.
The years passed, and Project Reclamation experienced failure after failure. Eventually the remnants of the OSS transformed into SHIELD, and Zola traveled with the project to the new hierarchy. By the time SHIELD was formed, Zola was the last one working on the project. He had an obsessive zeal to see it completed, and few understood why. Many chalked it up to an aging scientist yearning for one last discovery, but some feared he desired to create a supersoldier in secret for the reborn HYDRA. While he worked, he was kept under constant supervision, though few truly understood what he was doing. But Zola toiled endlessly, sure he would crack the code eventually.
A New Generation
As the world rapidly started to move towards a new direction, an elderly Doctor Zola came to the SHIELD leaders and told them he had finally cracked the code. They would be able to produce another super soldier, though the means would be very different. Using the Captain’s genetic material, Zola had devised a way to impregnate a surrogate and ensure the majority of Rogers’s abilities were passed on. SHIELD, wary of the time it would take to activate such an asset, agreed as they saw no other choice. With the advent of the burgeoning mutant and metahuman populations, they knew they would need powered agents in the field to combat any possible threats.
After a search, Sharon Carter, the great-niece of Rogers’ former flame Peggy, volunteered to carry and raise the child. After she was impregnated, Zola disappeared, which struck a deep fear into her heart. She worried about what kind of child she was now carrying, and whether or not it would end up being a weapon for HYDRA.
Sharon was relieved when, on February 22, 1992, she gave birth to a beautiful, and completely normal, baby girl. She was named Stephanie, after her father, and the new family settled down in Keystone City, MS. There, Stephanie grew to be an outstanding young girl. Sharon was proud that the best attributes of her father seemed to shine through the girl. She was kind, brave, and ferociously defended the weak around her.
While that was a good sign, as Steph’s powers began to materialize around puberty, Sharon had a hard time keeping her daughter’s lineage a secret. The girl was terrified she was a mutant, and that the people who attacked them would come for her. Sharon comforted the girl, and began teaching her how to control her strength, speed, and agility so that she could pass off for a normal human. Steph was sure she’d be able to reach adulthood as a normal person and live a normal life.
She never got the chance.
Activation
On her 20th birthday Stephanie Carter’s normal life came to an end. In the wake of SHIELD monitoring the growth in superhuman populations across the world, not to mention the appearance of the Superman, the decision was made to activate the asset they had in Stephanie. SHIELD believed they needed a SHIELD agent and former Howling Commando Nick Fury was sent to tell the girl of her true origin.
Steph was initially furious with her mother for keeping her origin a secret, but the two reconciled when Stephanie saw all the good she could do in protecting the people of the world. Deciding to honor her father’s legacy and ideals, Stephanie agreed to train to become the new Captain America.
Her and her mother left their home in Keystone to travel to Washington DC and SHIELD headquarters. There, Fury would teach her how to be a hero, as well as tell her what her father was really like. Fury treated her like the daughter he never had, and the two bonded quickly. He was amazed at how quickly their pupil learned thanks to her enhanced mental capabilities. Within a year, Stephanie was deemed ready to begin training with her father’s shield, the only thing that had ever been found from his supposed final resting place.
All-Star Squadron
As her training progressed, Stephanie was introduced to two men who would make up her team. Veteran agent Brock Rumlow and fellow rookie Sam Wilson were introduced to her training, and the three began running exercises as a team.
Before long they were running well enough that the powers that be decided it was time to test them out in the field. While Fury believed Stephanie needed more time to hone her instincts and leadership skills, SHIELD leadership was anxious to get her into the field.
The squad’s first mission was to extract a defector from the notorious Red Room. The three of them extracted Natasha Romanoff, who became the fourth member of their team. They were then rounded out by the ninja known as Snake Eyes, a mute who hated HYDRA more than anyone.
Betrayal and Fugitives
On a mission to Madripoor to stop the terrorist organization known as AIM from deploying a technologically born virus on the city. However, once the mission was completed as a success, Rumlow betrayed the team, revealing himself to be a HYDRA mole. He nearly killed the rest of the team, and let Stephanie know that he wasn’t the only mole in the operation.
When the Squad returned to SHIELD headquarters, Cap warned the powers that be that they had been infiltrated by HYDRA. They, however, insisted that Rumlow was the only traitor.
The enraged Captain America was then contacted by a hacker known only as “The Question”, who knew of HYDRA operations across the globe. Question told her he could help her bring down the organization, but she needed to leave SHIELD to do so.
So Stephanie left, disobeying direct orders and becoming a fugitive from SHIELD. The organization sent the rest of the squad after her, but Stephanie was able to convince them that going rogue was the only way to be sure they were fighting with people they could trust.
Hunting HYDRA
The team, on the run from SHIELD, began following the Question’s leads, uncovering a vast HYDRA plot. They came in conflict with the villainous Serpent Society, Snake Eyes’ archenemy Storm Shadow, and a fellow Red Room assassin known as The Baroness. While they seemed to make progress in weeding out HYDRA across the globe, they could not find or identify the organization’s leader, known only as “The Commander”.
While they searched for the Commander, HYDRA’s chief scientist, the villain known as Destro, had changed the technological virus from AIM to be used against SHIELD. Using another SHIELD mole, the virus was released on one of the agency’s helicarriers. It took over the minds of the crew, forcing them into a kamikaze mission to destroy the united nations.
After a daring rescue by the squad, SHIELD was forced to admit that there were more internal problems than they cared to admit, and Cap and her team were welcomed back with open arms.
Protege
While Stephanie grew by leaps and bounds in her leadership skills during the Squad’s time as fugitives, she was still a relatively young hero compared to most of the superhuman community. Still, she was acclimating herself well, and Wildcat was sure her father would have been proud of her. The nation, and world, at large now knew about her after the Helicarrier Incident, and most were behind her as well. Some held the belief that her strictly patriotic visage was outdated in the modern world, but Cap insisted that she wanted to represent America as it should be, an inspiration to everyone and anyone.
Little did she realize, she’d become not only an inspiration but a mentor to a young hero sooner rather than later. She was sent to protect SHIELD scientist Pat Dugan, the grandson of Dum Dum Dugan. Steph was joined by Starman, a legacy hero from the days of the JSA. HYDRA, clearly keen to gaining Dugan’s knowledge, sent the Serpent Society as well as a mysterious assassin, known only as The Winter Soldier, to deal with the heroes. A great fight erupted. In the end, Starman laid dead, felled by the Winter Soldier, and Dugan and his wife were abducted. Stephanie only survived thanks to the intervention of Dugan’s stepdaughter Courtney Whitmore, who took up Starman’s staff after he fell and helped Captain America fight off the attackers.
With nowhere else to go, Courtney asked to join the Squadron. While Stephanie was apprehensive, she saw no other option for the girl. Whitmore took on the name Stargirl, and became Captain America’s protege.
Like her father before her, Stephanie now had a teenage sidekick of her own.
Invasion
The All-Star Squadron participated in the fight against the Kryptonian invasion, tasked with destroying one of the alien “World Engines”. Working together with the rest of Earth’s heroes, the planet is saved, but in the process paranoia begins to ripple through its populace. Stephanie and the Squad now struggle to show that they fight for good, while also hunting for the commander of HYDRA.
On top of that, Stephanie mulls over an invitation to join Earth’s Mightiest Heroes...
World War II had been won by the Allies, HYDRA had been stopped by Captain America, and yet his allies were somber. The loss of the world’s first true superhero shocked the OSS, and many believed without his guidance in the new era of superpowers the world could once again fall into chaos. In response to this fear, the OSS got to work on Project Reclamation. The project, led by Nazi defector Arnim Zola, was designed to recreate Erskine’s supersoldier serum at any cost. Highly secretive and heavily funded, the team toiled endlessly on the genetic samples that had been taken from Rogers before his untimely passing. There was little hope that the project would garner a success, but the top brass thought it was worth the expense.
The years passed, and Project Reclamation experienced failure after failure. Eventually the remnants of the OSS transformed into SHIELD, and Zola traveled with the project to the new hierarchy. By the time SHIELD was formed, Zola was the last one working on the project. He had an obsessive zeal to see it completed, and few understood why. Many chalked it up to an aging scientist yearning for one last discovery, but some feared he desired to create a supersoldier in secret for the reborn HYDRA. While he worked, he was kept under constant supervision, though few truly understood what he was doing. But Zola toiled endlessly, sure he would crack the code eventually.
A New Generation
As the world rapidly started to move towards a new direction, an elderly Doctor Zola came to the SHIELD leaders and told them he had finally cracked the code. They would be able to produce another super soldier, though the means would be very different. Using the Captain’s genetic material, Zola had devised a way to impregnate a surrogate and ensure the majority of Rogers’s abilities were passed on. SHIELD, wary of the time it would take to activate such an asset, agreed as they saw no other choice. With the advent of the burgeoning mutant and metahuman populations, they knew they would need powered agents in the field to combat any possible threats.
After a search, Sharon Carter, the great-niece of Rogers’ former flame Peggy, volunteered to carry and raise the child. After she was impregnated, Zola disappeared, which struck a deep fear into her heart. She worried about what kind of child she was now carrying, and whether or not it would end up being a weapon for HYDRA.
Sharon was relieved when, on February 22, 1992, she gave birth to a beautiful, and completely normal, baby girl. She was named Stephanie, after her father, and the new family settled down in Keystone City, MS. There, Stephanie grew to be an outstanding young girl. Sharon was proud that the best attributes of her father seemed to shine through the girl. She was kind, brave, and ferociously defended the weak around her.
While that was a good sign, as Steph’s powers began to materialize around puberty, Sharon had a hard time keeping her daughter’s lineage a secret. The girl was terrified she was a mutant, and that the people who attacked them would come for her. Sharon comforted the girl, and began teaching her how to control her strength, speed, and agility so that she could pass off for a normal human. Steph was sure she’d be able to reach adulthood as a normal person and live a normal life.
She never got the chance.
Activation
On her 20th birthday Stephanie Carter’s normal life came to an end. In the wake of SHIELD monitoring the growth in superhuman populations across the world, not to mention the appearance of the Superman, the decision was made to activate the asset they had in Stephanie. SHIELD believed they needed a SHIELD agent and former Howling Commando Nick Fury was sent to tell the girl of her true origin.
Steph was initially furious with her mother for keeping her origin a secret, but the two reconciled when Stephanie saw all the good she could do in protecting the people of the world. Deciding to honor her father’s legacy and ideals, Stephanie agreed to train to become the new Captain America.
Her and her mother left their home in Keystone to travel to Washington DC and SHIELD headquarters. There, Fury would teach her how to be a hero, as well as tell her what her father was really like. Fury treated her like the daughter he never had, and the two bonded quickly. He was amazed at how quickly their pupil learned thanks to her enhanced mental capabilities. Within a year, Stephanie was deemed ready to begin training with her father’s shield, the only thing that had ever been found from his supposed final resting place.
All-Star Squadron
As her training progressed, Stephanie was introduced to two men who would make up her team. Veteran agent Brock Rumlow and fellow rookie Sam Wilson were introduced to her training, and the three began running exercises as a team.
Before long they were running well enough that the powers that be decided it was time to test them out in the field. While Fury believed Stephanie needed more time to hone her instincts and leadership skills, SHIELD leadership was anxious to get her into the field.
The squad’s first mission was to extract a defector from the notorious Red Room. The three of them extracted Natasha Romanoff, who became the fourth member of their team. They were then rounded out by the ninja known as Snake Eyes, a mute who hated HYDRA more than anyone.
Betrayal and Fugitives
On a mission to Madripoor to stop the terrorist organization known as AIM from deploying a technologically born virus on the city. However, once the mission was completed as a success, Rumlow betrayed the team, revealing himself to be a HYDRA mole. He nearly killed the rest of the team, and let Stephanie know that he wasn’t the only mole in the operation.
When the Squad returned to SHIELD headquarters, Cap warned the powers that be that they had been infiltrated by HYDRA. They, however, insisted that Rumlow was the only traitor.
The enraged Captain America was then contacted by a hacker known only as “The Question”, who knew of HYDRA operations across the globe. Question told her he could help her bring down the organization, but she needed to leave SHIELD to do so.
So Stephanie left, disobeying direct orders and becoming a fugitive from SHIELD. The organization sent the rest of the squad after her, but Stephanie was able to convince them that going rogue was the only way to be sure they were fighting with people they could trust.
Hunting HYDRA
The team, on the run from SHIELD, began following the Question’s leads, uncovering a vast HYDRA plot. They came in conflict with the villainous Serpent Society, Snake Eyes’ archenemy Storm Shadow, and a fellow Red Room assassin known as The Baroness. While they seemed to make progress in weeding out HYDRA across the globe, they could not find or identify the organization’s leader, known only as “The Commander”.
While they searched for the Commander, HYDRA’s chief scientist, the villain known as Destro, had changed the technological virus from AIM to be used against SHIELD. Using another SHIELD mole, the virus was released on one of the agency’s helicarriers. It took over the minds of the crew, forcing them into a kamikaze mission to destroy the united nations.
After a daring rescue by the squad, SHIELD was forced to admit that there were more internal problems than they cared to admit, and Cap and her team were welcomed back with open arms.
Protege
While Stephanie grew by leaps and bounds in her leadership skills during the Squad’s time as fugitives, she was still a relatively young hero compared to most of the superhuman community. Still, she was acclimating herself well, and Wildcat was sure her father would have been proud of her. The nation, and world, at large now knew about her after the Helicarrier Incident, and most were behind her as well. Some held the belief that her strictly patriotic visage was outdated in the modern world, but Cap insisted that she wanted to represent America as it should be, an inspiration to everyone and anyone.
Little did she realize, she’d become not only an inspiration but a mentor to a young hero sooner rather than later. She was sent to protect SHIELD scientist Pat Dugan, the grandson of Dum Dum Dugan. Steph was joined by Starman, a legacy hero from the days of the JSA. HYDRA, clearly keen to gaining Dugan’s knowledge, sent the Serpent Society as well as a mysterious assassin, known only as The Winter Soldier, to deal with the heroes. A great fight erupted. In the end, Starman laid dead, felled by the Winter Soldier, and Dugan and his wife were abducted. Stephanie only survived thanks to the intervention of Dugan’s stepdaughter Courtney Whitmore, who took up Starman’s staff after he fell and helped Captain America fight off the attackers.
With nowhere else to go, Courtney asked to join the Squadron. While Stephanie was apprehensive, she saw no other option for the girl. Whitmore took on the name Stargirl, and became Captain America’s protege.
Like her father before her, Stephanie now had a teenage sidekick of her own.
Invasion
The All-Star Squadron participated in the fight against the Kryptonian invasion, tasked with destroying one of the alien “World Engines”. Working together with the rest of Earth’s heroes, the planet is saved, but in the process paranoia begins to ripple through its populace. Stephanie and the Squad now struggle to show that they fight for good, while also hunting for the commander of HYDRA.
On top of that, Stephanie mulls over an invitation to join Earth’s Mightiest Heroes...
[ ߜ ] A L L I E S
All-Star Squadron
Nick Fury
The former Howling Commando, Fury is Carter’s mentor, trainer, and de facto father-figure. Granted unnaturally long life through the mysterious Infinity Formula, the world-weary Fury now advises Cap on her missions. He is one of the few left that knew her father personally.
Sam Wilson/The Falcon
A fellow former agent of SHIELD, Sam Wilson was sent to bring Stephanie back after she stole her father’s shield and went rogue. The two, having trained together for nearly their entire adult lives, came to an understanding. Sam decided to join her quest.
Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow
A former Russian assassin turned double agent, Romanoff is one of the world’s deadliest people. She was betrayed by fellow SHIELD agent and saboteur Brock Rumlow and left for dead, only to be saved by Stephanie and Falcon.
The Question
A vigilante from Hub City and a noted conspiracy theorist, Question is the team’s wildcard. Question was the first ally Cap had after her escape from SHIELD.
Snake Eyes
A mute ninja who has a blood feud with Storm Shadow.
Courtney Whitmore/Stargirl
A teenage hero saved by the Squad after her mentor Starman was killed by HYDRA and her inventor stepfather and mother abducted. Courtney is now part of the Squad.
SHIELD
While Cap and her team were once fugitives from the defense agency, they now liaise with them in order to combat HYDRA at optimum efficiency.
Civilians
Sharon Carter
Stephanie’s mother and former SHIELD Agent 13.
Nick Fury
The former Howling Commando, Fury is Carter’s mentor, trainer, and de facto father-figure. Granted unnaturally long life through the mysterious Infinity Formula, the world-weary Fury now advises Cap on her missions. He is one of the few left that knew her father personally.
Sam Wilson/The Falcon
A fellow former agent of SHIELD, Sam Wilson was sent to bring Stephanie back after she stole her father’s shield and went rogue. The two, having trained together for nearly their entire adult lives, came to an understanding. Sam decided to join her quest.
Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow
A former Russian assassin turned double agent, Romanoff is one of the world’s deadliest people. She was betrayed by fellow SHIELD agent and saboteur Brock Rumlow and left for dead, only to be saved by Stephanie and Falcon.
The Question
A vigilante from Hub City and a noted conspiracy theorist, Question is the team’s wildcard. Question was the first ally Cap had after her escape from SHIELD.
Snake Eyes
A mute ninja who has a blood feud with Storm Shadow.
Courtney Whitmore/Stargirl
A teenage hero saved by the Squad after her mentor Starman was killed by HYDRA and her inventor stepfather and mother abducted. Courtney is now part of the Squad.
SHIELD
While Cap and her team were once fugitives from the defense agency, they now liaise with them in order to combat HYDRA at optimum efficiency.
Civilians
Sharon Carter
Stephanie’s mother and former SHIELD Agent 13.
[ ߜ ] E N E M I E S
HYDRA
The Commander
The Commander is the enigmatic leader of the terrorist organization known as HYDRA. He constantly wears a helmet that obscures his identity. He leads the command in an effort to bring down the world’s governments through subterfuge and terrorism.
Brock Rumlow/Crossbones
A former SHIELD agent and HYDRA infiltrator, Rumlow betrayed his teammates on a mission in Madripoor. Now one of Cobra’s main figures, his fighting prowess and history of leaving mass casualties in his wake makes him incredibly dangerous.
Baroness
Like the Widow, Baroness is a former trainee of the infamous Red Room assassin factory. She is as deadly as she is beautiful.
Destro
HYDRA’s chief scientist, and secretly the CEO of the Military Armaments Research Syndicate, a powerful weapons manufacturer.
The Serpent Society
HYDRA’s elite death squad featuring a snake motif.
The Winter Soldier
A new player in the field. HYDRA’s most deadly asset.
Storm Shadow
The Commander’s personal bodyguard and sworn enemy of Snake Eyes.
Advanced Idea Mechanics
A terrorist organization bent on using technology to overthrow civilization
The Commander
The Commander is the enigmatic leader of the terrorist organization known as HYDRA. He constantly wears a helmet that obscures his identity. He leads the command in an effort to bring down the world’s governments through subterfuge and terrorism.
Brock Rumlow/Crossbones
A former SHIELD agent and HYDRA infiltrator, Rumlow betrayed his teammates on a mission in Madripoor. Now one of Cobra’s main figures, his fighting prowess and history of leaving mass casualties in his wake makes him incredibly dangerous.
Baroness
Like the Widow, Baroness is a former trainee of the infamous Red Room assassin factory. She is as deadly as she is beautiful.
Destro
HYDRA’s chief scientist, and secretly the CEO of the Military Armaments Research Syndicate, a powerful weapons manufacturer.
The Serpent Society
HYDRA’s elite death squad featuring a snake motif.
The Winter Soldier
A new player in the field. HYDRA’s most deadly asset.
Storm Shadow
The Commander’s personal bodyguard and sworn enemy of Snake Eyes.
Advanced Idea Mechanics
A terrorist organization bent on using technology to overthrow civilization
*Cough* Frank Castle Captain America *Cough cough*
I'd sooner gargle with shards of glass. haha
<Snipped quote by HenryJonesJr>
Absolutely nothing has been done with Captain America outside of establishing Steve’s disappearance at the end of WW2. It’s pretty much open game for whatever you want to do. So far the only thing done on the Avengers front has been in Ruby’s CS for Carol Danvers and GG’s CS for Tony Stark, I believe.
Cool. I'll work on a CS
Y'all need a Cap?
Hey all. Sorry I've been MIA. Life's been crazy. Hoping to have something up this week
The frogs quickly made their way out of sight from the IDRG Pyramid. They had gotten out, sure, but the scientists and guards would be quick to start sweeping the area for them. The frogs were the research facility’s prize success. They weren’t going to allow them to get away easily. Considering the virtual stranglehold they had on the city, their personal army would be patrolling the streets within the hour.
The problem was they had nowhere to go.
They had spent so long planning on how to get out, they had spent little time on anything else. The idea had always been to make for the sewers, but was that a viable option? The scientists and guards would certainly look there first. Was it worth the risk? The four of them were huddled around a
“We don’t have any other choice,” the female frog pleaded with her brothers. “Yes, they’ll look down there. Yes, they may even find us. But down there we’ll have the upperhand. We were made to fight. We just showed we could. So why be afraid?”
“She has a point,” the bullfrog croaked.
“Because we caught them off guard,” the leader responded. “They have too many resources at their disposal for us to assume it will always be that easy. Nine times out of ten, with preparation, they’re going to take us down.”
“He’s got a point,” the young one shrugged.
The leader knew his sister was confident, overly so. It made her a great teammate, but it also could lead her astray. She was the smartest of them, but that also led to her acting superior. The four of them evened one another out, but he more often than not had to be the voice of reason, even if he didn’t want to be.
“I know we want to pay them back. All of us,” he looked into his siblings’ eyes. “They put us through hell for all our lives. For that, they deserve to pay. And they will. We’ll bring them down, and lay waste to their sick sciences. But we have to be ready. To be ready we have to survive. To survive we have to get out of here and hide. For now.”
The other three looked at one another and considered his words. They all seemed to nod in agreement, but before any of them could say anything, a voice comes from behind them, “That was the coolest thing I’ve ever seen.”
The frogs turned to find the girl that they had saved from the IDRG guards. She was astride her bike, smiling broadly at them. Her olive skin and dark hair were illuminated faintly by the single, dim lightbulb that gave the alley what little light it had. Her dark brown eyes looked at them not with fear, but with wonder.
“You are not afraid?” his sister asked her.
“No way,” she shook her head. “We’ve seen way scarier things than you in the last few years. But you helped me. That’s enough to tell I shouldn’t be afraid.”
“I like her. She’s cool,” the young one smiled.
The eldest frog looked at her, amazed at the bravery she had already shown tonight. There was no hint of fear, or of revulsion. There was a deep seated curiosity behind her expressive eyes. This was one that wanted to know how the world worked. One who searched for knowledge. It was a good trait to have.
“So, instead of trying to hide in the sewer,” she smiled mischievously, “ why not come hang out at my place?”
IDRG Pyramid
Director Dyer sat stoically behind his desk, looking over the security footage of the subjects’ escape for what felt like the millionth time. This was an unparalleled disaster, and something he honestly never thought would happen. They had trained their security to be the best in the business, and applicants already had to have the highest recommendations to even be admitted to their staff. They had every failsafe in place.
Yet the test subjects had still managed to escape.
In a way, their prowess in battle was a testament to the years of work he had put into this project, but it meant nothing if they could not replicate the successes. So far, even with plenty of samples of the creatures’ DNA, they had been unable to do so. There had been some near successes, but nothing on their level.
He needed them back, and he needed them back as quickly as possible. Time was of the essence.
“Director,” a voice drew his attention to the doorway. There stood Dr. Morris Dyson, one of his most brilliant engineers. The thin, black man wore a baggy lab coat over slacks and a button-up shirt. Thick-rimmed glasses hung on his nose. Dyson had been poached from one of the biggest defense contractors in the world. Dyer considered it a personal triumph that he managed to get him to switch sides. “You wanted to see me?”
“I did,” the director responded haughtily. “Is the Searcher project ready?”
Dyson shifted uncomfortably on his heels, “We have six prototypes. They’ve passed all the trials, but I’m hesitant to let them out into the cit-”
“I don’t very much care what you hesitate to do,” Dyer responded cooly. “I want my animals back, Doctor. I’ll take any chance to do so. The mayor and the people of this city are mine. They will deal with any...complications along the way. These creatures are everything to me. Without them this was all for naught.”
“I…,” Dyson hesitated. “Understood, sir. I’ll have them ready in the morning.”
“See that you do, Doctor,” the Director smiled. It was a nearly-robotic gesture, not one that Dyer displayed often. After the engineer turned and left, the look was wiped off of Dyer’s face and he went back to watching the security footage another time.
The lights sprung to life on the inside of Angel Akilah’s apartment, and she came to the window to allow the frogs egress. They had climbed the side of the building up to her floor using their sticky finger pads.
Once inside, the four of them were taken aback. While the space wasn’t abnormally big, the sights, smells, and colors of the place overwhelmed them. It seemed, to the lifelong prisoners, to be a representation of pure life. They walked around, inspecting everything while Angel closed all the drapes.
The leader was slightly startled when a cat hopped off a set of drawers and landed in front of him. He knelt down and held out his hand, which the cat happily accepted in a pet. The frog smiled as the human girl came up behind him, “That’s Thebes. He likes you.”
“I like him,” the frog responded. “You and him are the first two beings that have not looked at us like science projects.”
She took a seat next to him and also began petting the cat, “What...are you guys, if you don’t mind me asking?”
The other three took a seat on the comfortable chairs that lined the main room. While they were amazed at how soft they were, they needed to focus on telling their story.
“The first thing we all remember is a horrible, blinding pain,” their sister started. “It was the transformation from our natural frog forms to what you see now. Our bodies and minds went from infant to adolescent in a matter of days. The stimuli would have driven most insane.”
“It did drive the rest insane, sis,” the young one pointed out. “We were the first successful tests they had.”
“Then, daily they’d hook us up to computers that taught us everything,” the bullfrog continued. “Combat, battle strategy, human history, and anything else IDRG thought was useful.”
“This all sounds awful,” Angel gasped.
“It certainly wasn’t a cakewalk,” the youngest chuckled.
“But why?” she asked in horror.
The four of them looked at one another. They had talked about this between each other, but knew it was not part of their training.
“The computers never told us,” the leader started. “Neither did we ever overhear it from the scientists. But...but when we were asleep, when we dreamed, we all dreamed of the same thing.”
“What were the dreams?”
“Darkness,” the sister said.
“Decay,” the bullfrog croaked.
“Disease,” the youngest added.
“And an army of unspeakable horror,” the leader finished. “We don’t know where it came from, but it always felt like a warning of what was coming. We never asked to be made. For all we know the scientists don’t know about the Darkness. But we know we were brought here to stop it, and that’s what we’re going to do.”
Before Angel could respond, her cell phone rang, erupting in familiar music. She scrambled to pick it up, “Hello? Oh, hey. What’s up? You will be? Okay great. Yea, I’ll clean some while you’re away. Have a good time.”
The frogs, still jarred by the music, must have looked awkward. She squinted at them, “That was my roommate. She’s with her boyfriend this week at his cabin. So you guys can stay here as long as you want. Why do you look like you saw a ghost?”
“That music is familiar,” the leader answered. “They played it before we slept.”
“It’s Mozart,” she chuckled. “I have a thing for classical music.”
“Mozart,” the leader smiled as he said the name. “Yes, I recall from our learning.”
“You...don’t have names, do you?” the girl asked.
“No,” the female responded. “They never gave us that luxury.”
“Bastards,” the bullfrog clenched his massive fists.
“Could...I name you?” Angel asked sheepishly. “You’re free now. You deserve your own names.”
“Sounds like a plan to me!” the youngest one hopped up excitedly.
Angel smiled and patted him on the shoulder, “Since you all seem to like classical music, let’s go with a motif. You’ll be Bach.”
“Rad,” the newly minted Bach grinned.
Angel walked up to the biggest frog, “You can be Ludwig. A good, strong name for a good, strong frog.”
“Ludwig?” he nodded. “I like it.”
“And you, my fellow fighter with girl power, will be Clara,” she smiled.
“It certainly has a ring to it,” the newly minted Clara nodded.
“And the one who saved me tonight...you’ll be Mozart.”
Mozart. The maker of that wonderful music. The frog didn’t think he was worthy of such a title, but if Angel believed it was so, he had no reason to doubt her. He looked at his brothers and sister, and saw that having names, and a home, however temporary, had transformed them. They had always talked about how they were family, but tonight it was solidified.
“Yes...Mozart,” the frog said graciously. “Thank you, Angel. For everything.”
“Don’t thank me yet,” she replied with spunk. “We still need to figure out what this darkness is and stop it. Then we’ll have some thanks.”
The problem was they had nowhere to go.
They had spent so long planning on how to get out, they had spent little time on anything else. The idea had always been to make for the sewers, but was that a viable option? The scientists and guards would certainly look there first. Was it worth the risk? The four of them were huddled around a
“We don’t have any other choice,” the female frog pleaded with her brothers. “Yes, they’ll look down there. Yes, they may even find us. But down there we’ll have the upperhand. We were made to fight. We just showed we could. So why be afraid?”
“She has a point,” the bullfrog croaked.
“Because we caught them off guard,” the leader responded. “They have too many resources at their disposal for us to assume it will always be that easy. Nine times out of ten, with preparation, they’re going to take us down.”
“He’s got a point,” the young one shrugged.
The leader knew his sister was confident, overly so. It made her a great teammate, but it also could lead her astray. She was the smartest of them, but that also led to her acting superior. The four of them evened one another out, but he more often than not had to be the voice of reason, even if he didn’t want to be.
“I know we want to pay them back. All of us,” he looked into his siblings’ eyes. “They put us through hell for all our lives. For that, they deserve to pay. And they will. We’ll bring them down, and lay waste to their sick sciences. But we have to be ready. To be ready we have to survive. To survive we have to get out of here and hide. For now.”
The other three looked at one another and considered his words. They all seemed to nod in agreement, but before any of them could say anything, a voice comes from behind them, “That was the coolest thing I’ve ever seen.”
The frogs turned to find the girl that they had saved from the IDRG guards. She was astride her bike, smiling broadly at them. Her olive skin and dark hair were illuminated faintly by the single, dim lightbulb that gave the alley what little light it had. Her dark brown eyes looked at them not with fear, but with wonder.
“You are not afraid?” his sister asked her.
“No way,” she shook her head. “We’ve seen way scarier things than you in the last few years. But you helped me. That’s enough to tell I shouldn’t be afraid.”
“I like her. She’s cool,” the young one smiled.
The eldest frog looked at her, amazed at the bravery she had already shown tonight. There was no hint of fear, or of revulsion. There was a deep seated curiosity behind her expressive eyes. This was one that wanted to know how the world worked. One who searched for knowledge. It was a good trait to have.
“So, instead of trying to hide in the sewer,” she smiled mischievously, “ why not come hang out at my place?”
**********
IDRG Pyramid
Director Dyer sat stoically behind his desk, looking over the security footage of the subjects’ escape for what felt like the millionth time. This was an unparalleled disaster, and something he honestly never thought would happen. They had trained their security to be the best in the business, and applicants already had to have the highest recommendations to even be admitted to their staff. They had every failsafe in place.
Yet the test subjects had still managed to escape.
In a way, their prowess in battle was a testament to the years of work he had put into this project, but it meant nothing if they could not replicate the successes. So far, even with plenty of samples of the creatures’ DNA, they had been unable to do so. There had been some near successes, but nothing on their level.
He needed them back, and he needed them back as quickly as possible. Time was of the essence.
“Director,” a voice drew his attention to the doorway. There stood Dr. Morris Dyson, one of his most brilliant engineers. The thin, black man wore a baggy lab coat over slacks and a button-up shirt. Thick-rimmed glasses hung on his nose. Dyson had been poached from one of the biggest defense contractors in the world. Dyer considered it a personal triumph that he managed to get him to switch sides. “You wanted to see me?”
“I did,” the director responded haughtily. “Is the Searcher project ready?”
Dyson shifted uncomfortably on his heels, “We have six prototypes. They’ve passed all the trials, but I’m hesitant to let them out into the cit-”
“I don’t very much care what you hesitate to do,” Dyer responded cooly. “I want my animals back, Doctor. I’ll take any chance to do so. The mayor and the people of this city are mine. They will deal with any...complications along the way. These creatures are everything to me. Without them this was all for naught.”
“I…,” Dyson hesitated. “Understood, sir. I’ll have them ready in the morning.”
“See that you do, Doctor,” the Director smiled. It was a nearly-robotic gesture, not one that Dyer displayed often. After the engineer turned and left, the look was wiped off of Dyer’s face and he went back to watching the security footage another time.
**********
The lights sprung to life on the inside of Angel Akilah’s apartment, and she came to the window to allow the frogs egress. They had climbed the side of the building up to her floor using their sticky finger pads.
Once inside, the four of them were taken aback. While the space wasn’t abnormally big, the sights, smells, and colors of the place overwhelmed them. It seemed, to the lifelong prisoners, to be a representation of pure life. They walked around, inspecting everything while Angel closed all the drapes.
The leader was slightly startled when a cat hopped off a set of drawers and landed in front of him. He knelt down and held out his hand, which the cat happily accepted in a pet. The frog smiled as the human girl came up behind him, “That’s Thebes. He likes you.”
“I like him,” the frog responded. “You and him are the first two beings that have not looked at us like science projects.”
She took a seat next to him and also began petting the cat, “What...are you guys, if you don’t mind me asking?”
The other three took a seat on the comfortable chairs that lined the main room. While they were amazed at how soft they were, they needed to focus on telling their story.
“The first thing we all remember is a horrible, blinding pain,” their sister started. “It was the transformation from our natural frog forms to what you see now. Our bodies and minds went from infant to adolescent in a matter of days. The stimuli would have driven most insane.”
“It did drive the rest insane, sis,” the young one pointed out. “We were the first successful tests they had.”
“Then, daily they’d hook us up to computers that taught us everything,” the bullfrog continued. “Combat, battle strategy, human history, and anything else IDRG thought was useful.”
“This all sounds awful,” Angel gasped.
“It certainly wasn’t a cakewalk,” the youngest chuckled.
“But why?” she asked in horror.
The four of them looked at one another. They had talked about this between each other, but knew it was not part of their training.
“The computers never told us,” the leader started. “Neither did we ever overhear it from the scientists. But...but when we were asleep, when we dreamed, we all dreamed of the same thing.”
“What were the dreams?”
“Darkness,” the sister said.
“Decay,” the bullfrog croaked.
“Disease,” the youngest added.
“And an army of unspeakable horror,” the leader finished. “We don’t know where it came from, but it always felt like a warning of what was coming. We never asked to be made. For all we know the scientists don’t know about the Darkness. But we know we were brought here to stop it, and that’s what we’re going to do.”
Before Angel could respond, her cell phone rang, erupting in familiar music. She scrambled to pick it up, “Hello? Oh, hey. What’s up? You will be? Okay great. Yea, I’ll clean some while you’re away. Have a good time.”
The frogs, still jarred by the music, must have looked awkward. She squinted at them, “That was my roommate. She’s with her boyfriend this week at his cabin. So you guys can stay here as long as you want. Why do you look like you saw a ghost?”
“That music is familiar,” the leader answered. “They played it before we slept.”
“It’s Mozart,” she chuckled. “I have a thing for classical music.”
“Mozart,” the leader smiled as he said the name. “Yes, I recall from our learning.”
“You...don’t have names, do you?” the girl asked.
“No,” the female responded. “They never gave us that luxury.”
“Bastards,” the bullfrog clenched his massive fists.
“Could...I name you?” Angel asked sheepishly. “You’re free now. You deserve your own names.”
“Sounds like a plan to me!” the youngest one hopped up excitedly.
Angel smiled and patted him on the shoulder, “Since you all seem to like classical music, let’s go with a motif. You’ll be Bach.”
“Rad,” the newly minted Bach grinned.
Angel walked up to the biggest frog, “You can be Ludwig. A good, strong name for a good, strong frog.”
“Ludwig?” he nodded. “I like it.”
“And you, my fellow fighter with girl power, will be Clara,” she smiled.
“It certainly has a ring to it,” the newly minted Clara nodded.
“And the one who saved me tonight...you’ll be Mozart.”
Mozart. The maker of that wonderful music. The frog didn’t think he was worthy of such a title, but if Angel believed it was so, he had no reason to doubt her. He looked at his brothers and sister, and saw that having names, and a home, however temporary, had transformed them. They had always talked about how they were family, but tonight it was solidified.
“Yes...Mozart,” the frog said graciously. “Thank you, Angel. For everything.”
“Don’t thank me yet,” she replied with spunk. “We still need to figure out what this darkness is and stop it. Then we’ll have some thanks.”
So yea, I'm a bit behind with Frogs. Will be up tonight or tomorrow
Second Frogs post should be up tomorrow
Integrated Dimension Research Group Pyramid
San Maria, CA
The white, sterile lights above him turned on at the same time that they did every night before final inspection. Normally, the blinding brightness would force him to cover his eyes, but tonight he was ready. There was a plan to carry out, and he was its most important piece. If he failed, his brothers and his sister would never get out of here. That was something he could not allow. Even if he died tonight, he would make sure they escaped. They deserved the happy life he promised them.
Reverberations from the footfalls of the guards reached the sensitive pads on his hands and feet. He steeled himself, ready for what was about to happen. He had the training in his mind, but he had never really used it before. A momentary flash of self doubt entered his mind, but was erased by need. He couldn’t afford to be nervous.
The guards stopped in front of the door to his cell. They looked in, seeing him where he normally was. The men were dressed in the normal, white and red armor of the IDRG guards. Their faces were covered in balaclavas. It spoke to the sinister nature of the place that the fully-armed security team never allowed their faces to be seen. It made the frog boil with anger. Even the people who worked for the company recoiled in terror when these stormtroopers walked by.
The guards turned back to the keypad to swipe in. When they did that, the frog concentrated and activated his camouflage reflex. His green-grey skin turned to the color of the colorless, antiseptic floor below.
“I can’t believe I had to work this weekend,” the one guard moans as the door begins to open. “But at least it got me away from my kid’s recita-”
“Where the hell is he!?” the other guard yells as the frog’s camouflage does its job.
He swipes out with his leg, catching the first guard with a sweeping kick. The man slams down hard on the composite floor. The second guard tries to retreat from the room to lock it down, but the frog lets loose with his tongue. The long, sticky appendage caught the second guard’s ankle, and with a whip-like motion from the frog’s head, the man came flying back into the cell. The frog delivered a hard clothesline to him in midair, and his helmeted head cracked against the floor, knocking him out.
The frog took the guards’ keycards and made his way towards his larger brother’s cell. Before doing so, he locked the first two guards in the cell he had spent his entire life.
Once he reached his destination, the frog swiped the card through the slot. The door slid open, revealing the hulking, green mass that was his bullfrog brother. The first nodded to the second, and they went to work.
The bullfrog mutant grunted as alarms began blaring and more guards stormed down the hallway. The big frog cracked his neck and rolled his wrists in preparation. They let loose with tasers, but his thick hide didn’t feel a thing. The bullfrog smiled down on the assembled group, grabbing the nearest two by the face. They squirmed in his grasp, but he was far too strong. He raised them over his head and tossed them at the other guards. They all crumbled into a heap under the impact.
It was late. Angel Akilah knew that without even looking at her watch. The city was quiet, even as far downtown as she was. But she liked this time of night. It was easier to get the pictures she wanted, and no one ever bothered her before. Her parents would have had a cow if they knew she was exploring her new home at such a later hour, but she moved across the country to escape them for a reason. Allison, her roommate, may be worried, but not enough to do anything.
No, Angel had the run of the city, and she felt alive.
She pulled her bike up outside the Integrated Dimension Research Group Pyramid, marveling at the giant skyscraper. The company had done a lot for the city, at least it had seemed to. The police force was better equipped than nearly every other city’s in the country. They had public wifi covering the entirety of the city, and the most advanced public transportation in America.
Still, the building had always given her the creeps. How clean it is and how secretive the company was had always given her major 1984 vibes. In San Maria, Big IDRG was always watching.
Suddenly, around her and the building the lights turned up to 11. She shielded her eyes as they adjusted to the brightness. Once she could see again, she saw that the IDRG building’s alarm was going off.
A broad smile came across her face as she took out her camera, “It’s time to get a story, Angel.”
The stream of guards had turned into a torrential flood. The white armored troopers were rushing the big bullfrog in packs, and all were rebuffed. The frogs, during their battle conditioning, had learned of the 300 Spartans who held an army at bay using the correct terrain. That’s exactly what their largest brother was doing now. The natural choke point made sure to limit the amount of men that could attack him. Still, as big and strong as he was, he was tiring.
Luckily, his siblings leapt into the fray. The other two frogs had been rescued by the first, and were ready to fight for their freedom. They landed in front of their large brother, and the first escapee grabbed the unfired taser off a guard’s belt, spun out of the way of another’s firing line, and shot the weapon into another guard’s neck, the only part of their bodies that were unprotected.
The smallest brother was a blue and yellow blur on the battlefield. His small stature and speed were his paramount skills in a fight. He could dish out some damage, but making sure he didn’t take any was his focus. Plus, he was annoying enough to draw attention.
Their sister, however, was a more calculated fighter. She waited for her opportunity to strike, usually when the youngest brother had their opponents confused. She saw an opening, and lept into action. She flung one opponent into another with a headscissors takedown, before rolling into an uppercut to another.
Before long, the guards were incapacitated, and they made their way towards their exit. There was a delivery door on the floor below. It was the closest exit, and hopefully the least guarded. The procedure, as the frogs had noticed from drills, was to focus on the front entrance. The frog just hoped nothing had changed between drills.
When they got to the floor below, there were only two guards at the docking bay. The leader kicked off the wall closest to them, delivering a spinning roundhouse kick across both their chins. The strike caught them unawares, and they crumbled to the ground. The leader frog nodded to his sister, who began inputting a code to unlock the loading bay door.
Angel was crazy. She had to be. She watched as IDRG guards came out in waves, setting up along the main entrance of the building. They were armed with what looked like taser rifles, and had set up in a defensive perimeter along the street. In the distance, police sirens could be heard advancing on the location. This was nowhere to be snooping around, but she couldn’t help herself.
She began narrating the footage she was shooting with her camera phone, “This is Angel Akilah outside the IDRG building, where something seems to be going down. A battalion of guards has surrounded the front entrance. I’m currently heading around the back to see if I can get another vantage point.”
Angel ran around towards the service entrance of the building, hoping she’d be able to see something else. Instead, she ran directly into a squad of guards.
“Stop right there!” the closest one yelled and raised his weapon. She wanted to run. She wanted to scream for help. But she was frozen with fear. The guard spoke over a commlink, “Sir, we have a girl out here. Yes, a civilian. Sir, I don’t think that’s-Yes. Okay. Understood.”
With his orders received, the guard motioned to his comrades, “Take the girl. The Director wants to deal with her personally.”
The approached, and one snatched the cell phone from her hand. That finally snapped her out of her stupor, “Hey! That’s mine! Freedom of the press!”
“That doesn’t work here, girl,” the guard responded.
Angel backed away slowly as the masked menaces closed in on her, she braced to be taken prisoner, wondering what the heck she’d see inside.
Instead, however, the most amazing thing happened. A giant, human-like frog jumped in between her and the guards. Its green-grey face turned to her, gave her a small smile, and said, “Run, girl.”
And so she did.
“Run, girl,” the lead frog croaked to the human girl who had somehow gotten tangled with the IDRG guards. When the words came from his lips, the guards recoiled in fear.
“It can talk!” one of them yelled in surprise. It had been the first time any of the four had ever used the human form of speech. They had been able to do so since their mutation, but chose not to do so. It kept their plans secret from the scientists, and made them seem dumber than they really were.
“Yes, human,” the frog snarled, “we can talk.”
“And we can fight!” the bullfrog roared as he barreled through the group of guards. His anger was getting the best of him, the leader could tell. He was pounding into the guards far too harshly. Any more and he would certainly kill one of them.
“Enough, brother,” the leader put his hand on the big one’s shoulder.
“Why?” their sister asked. “They imprisoned us. Tortured us. Made us suffer. Why should we not kill them?”
“Yea man,” the smallest agreed. “They deserve it.”
“That might be,” the leader nodded thoughtfully. “But by not killing them, we show that they failed. They did not create weapons of war like they had hoped. We show them that we are better than they are. That we can save our world without resorting to any means necessary. That is why we do not kill. To show we are superior.”
“Makes sense to me,” the young one shrugged.
“Better...I like it,” the bullfrog grunted.
“It...is logical,” the female nodded.
The leader smiled at his family, “I’m glad we’re in agreement. Now, come on. We need to disappear.”
And with that, they disappeared into the night.
San Maria, CA
The white, sterile lights above him turned on at the same time that they did every night before final inspection. Normally, the blinding brightness would force him to cover his eyes, but tonight he was ready. There was a plan to carry out, and he was its most important piece. If he failed, his brothers and his sister would never get out of here. That was something he could not allow. Even if he died tonight, he would make sure they escaped. They deserved the happy life he promised them.
Reverberations from the footfalls of the guards reached the sensitive pads on his hands and feet. He steeled himself, ready for what was about to happen. He had the training in his mind, but he had never really used it before. A momentary flash of self doubt entered his mind, but was erased by need. He couldn’t afford to be nervous.
The guards stopped in front of the door to his cell. They looked in, seeing him where he normally was. The men were dressed in the normal, white and red armor of the IDRG guards. Their faces were covered in balaclavas. It spoke to the sinister nature of the place that the fully-armed security team never allowed their faces to be seen. It made the frog boil with anger. Even the people who worked for the company recoiled in terror when these stormtroopers walked by.
The guards turned back to the keypad to swipe in. When they did that, the frog concentrated and activated his camouflage reflex. His green-grey skin turned to the color of the colorless, antiseptic floor below.
“I can’t believe I had to work this weekend,” the one guard moans as the door begins to open. “But at least it got me away from my kid’s recita-”
“Where the hell is he!?” the other guard yells as the frog’s camouflage does its job.
He swipes out with his leg, catching the first guard with a sweeping kick. The man slams down hard on the composite floor. The second guard tries to retreat from the room to lock it down, but the frog lets loose with his tongue. The long, sticky appendage caught the second guard’s ankle, and with a whip-like motion from the frog’s head, the man came flying back into the cell. The frog delivered a hard clothesline to him in midair, and his helmeted head cracked against the floor, knocking him out.
The frog took the guards’ keycards and made his way towards his larger brother’s cell. Before doing so, he locked the first two guards in the cell he had spent his entire life.
Once he reached his destination, the frog swiped the card through the slot. The door slid open, revealing the hulking, green mass that was his bullfrog brother. The first nodded to the second, and they went to work.
The bullfrog mutant grunted as alarms began blaring and more guards stormed down the hallway. The big frog cracked his neck and rolled his wrists in preparation. They let loose with tasers, but his thick hide didn’t feel a thing. The bullfrog smiled down on the assembled group, grabbing the nearest two by the face. They squirmed in his grasp, but he was far too strong. He raised them over his head and tossed them at the other guards. They all crumbled into a heap under the impact.
**********
It was late. Angel Akilah knew that without even looking at her watch. The city was quiet, even as far downtown as she was. But she liked this time of night. It was easier to get the pictures she wanted, and no one ever bothered her before. Her parents would have had a cow if they knew she was exploring her new home at such a later hour, but she moved across the country to escape them for a reason. Allison, her roommate, may be worried, but not enough to do anything.
No, Angel had the run of the city, and she felt alive.
She pulled her bike up outside the Integrated Dimension Research Group Pyramid, marveling at the giant skyscraper. The company had done a lot for the city, at least it had seemed to. The police force was better equipped than nearly every other city’s in the country. They had public wifi covering the entirety of the city, and the most advanced public transportation in America.
Still, the building had always given her the creeps. How clean it is and how secretive the company was had always given her major 1984 vibes. In San Maria, Big IDRG was always watching.
Suddenly, around her and the building the lights turned up to 11. She shielded her eyes as they adjusted to the brightness. Once she could see again, she saw that the IDRG building’s alarm was going off.
A broad smile came across her face as she took out her camera, “It’s time to get a story, Angel.”
**********
The stream of guards had turned into a torrential flood. The white armored troopers were rushing the big bullfrog in packs, and all were rebuffed. The frogs, during their battle conditioning, had learned of the 300 Spartans who held an army at bay using the correct terrain. That’s exactly what their largest brother was doing now. The natural choke point made sure to limit the amount of men that could attack him. Still, as big and strong as he was, he was tiring.
Luckily, his siblings leapt into the fray. The other two frogs had been rescued by the first, and were ready to fight for their freedom. They landed in front of their large brother, and the first escapee grabbed the unfired taser off a guard’s belt, spun out of the way of another’s firing line, and shot the weapon into another guard’s neck, the only part of their bodies that were unprotected.
The smallest brother was a blue and yellow blur on the battlefield. His small stature and speed were his paramount skills in a fight. He could dish out some damage, but making sure he didn’t take any was his focus. Plus, he was annoying enough to draw attention.
Their sister, however, was a more calculated fighter. She waited for her opportunity to strike, usually when the youngest brother had their opponents confused. She saw an opening, and lept into action. She flung one opponent into another with a headscissors takedown, before rolling into an uppercut to another.
Before long, the guards were incapacitated, and they made their way towards their exit. There was a delivery door on the floor below. It was the closest exit, and hopefully the least guarded. The procedure, as the frogs had noticed from drills, was to focus on the front entrance. The frog just hoped nothing had changed between drills.
When they got to the floor below, there were only two guards at the docking bay. The leader kicked off the wall closest to them, delivering a spinning roundhouse kick across both their chins. The strike caught them unawares, and they crumbled to the ground. The leader frog nodded to his sister, who began inputting a code to unlock the loading bay door.
**********
Angel was crazy. She had to be. She watched as IDRG guards came out in waves, setting up along the main entrance of the building. They were armed with what looked like taser rifles, and had set up in a defensive perimeter along the street. In the distance, police sirens could be heard advancing on the location. This was nowhere to be snooping around, but she couldn’t help herself.
She began narrating the footage she was shooting with her camera phone, “This is Angel Akilah outside the IDRG building, where something seems to be going down. A battalion of guards has surrounded the front entrance. I’m currently heading around the back to see if I can get another vantage point.”
Angel ran around towards the service entrance of the building, hoping she’d be able to see something else. Instead, she ran directly into a squad of guards.
“Stop right there!” the closest one yelled and raised his weapon. She wanted to run. She wanted to scream for help. But she was frozen with fear. The guard spoke over a commlink, “Sir, we have a girl out here. Yes, a civilian. Sir, I don’t think that’s-Yes. Okay. Understood.”
With his orders received, the guard motioned to his comrades, “Take the girl. The Director wants to deal with her personally.”
The approached, and one snatched the cell phone from her hand. That finally snapped her out of her stupor, “Hey! That’s mine! Freedom of the press!”
“That doesn’t work here, girl,” the guard responded.
Angel backed away slowly as the masked menaces closed in on her, she braced to be taken prisoner, wondering what the heck she’d see inside.
Instead, however, the most amazing thing happened. A giant, human-like frog jumped in between her and the guards. Its green-grey face turned to her, gave her a small smile, and said, “Run, girl.”
And so she did.
**********
“Run, girl,” the lead frog croaked to the human girl who had somehow gotten tangled with the IDRG guards. When the words came from his lips, the guards recoiled in fear.
“It can talk!” one of them yelled in surprise. It had been the first time any of the four had ever used the human form of speech. They had been able to do so since their mutation, but chose not to do so. It kept their plans secret from the scientists, and made them seem dumber than they really were.
“Yes, human,” the frog snarled, “we can talk.”
“And we can fight!” the bullfrog roared as he barreled through the group of guards. His anger was getting the best of him, the leader could tell. He was pounding into the guards far too harshly. Any more and he would certainly kill one of them.
“Enough, brother,” the leader put his hand on the big one’s shoulder.
“Why?” their sister asked. “They imprisoned us. Tortured us. Made us suffer. Why should we not kill them?”
“Yea man,” the smallest agreed. “They deserve it.”
“That might be,” the leader nodded thoughtfully. “But by not killing them, we show that they failed. They did not create weapons of war like they had hoped. We show them that we are better than they are. That we can save our world without resorting to any means necessary. That is why we do not kill. To show we are superior.”
“Makes sense to me,” the young one shrugged.
“Better...I like it,” the bullfrog grunted.
“It...is logical,” the female nodded.
The leader smiled at his family, “I’m glad we’re in agreement. Now, come on. We need to disappear.”
And with that, they disappeared into the night.
© 2007-2026