Warehouse 13

Part 1

Rick Allstar, CEO of Allstar Defense Industries, soared through the night sky. By day, he was the crowd-pleasing superhero Armor Man, leader of the Guardians (though some, cough Captain Liberty cough, seemed to believe she was the leader). But tonight, he was angry—maybe a little drunk, but mostly angry.

“Sir, I strongly advise you to return to your building before you do anything rash,” cautioned Lindsay, the voice emanating from his suit. “Resuming construction on Allstar Tower would be a more productive use of…”

Rick cut her off with a growl, pushing the suit’s thrusters to the max. The approaching Omegan warehouse loomed ahead. “Return to my ‘second’ tallest building in the city? I don’t think so. I can forgive Megan for stealing my designs to create those killer robots, but I draw the line at her having a taller skyscraper than mine.”

The Armor Man suit slammed into the parking lot, creating a small crater as dust erupted around him. “Way to make an entrance, sir.”

Walking toward the warehouse’s main entrance, Rick chuckled. “Do I detect a hint of sarcasm?”

Lindsay’s voice hummed with a hint of exasperation. “Sarcasm? Never, sir. However, I must point out that the likelihood of a successful solo mission against an entire warehouse of robots designed with your stolen technology is… statistically improbable.”

Rick smirked inside his helmet, the heads-up display (HUD) outlining the warehouse’s structure and guards on patrol. “Let’s see what Megan’s been up to.”

Just as Rick was about to hack through the door, Lindsay spoke. “Wait!”

“What, do I have something in my teeth?”

“No, look at the guards.”

Rick refocused his HUD on the guards patrolling around the warehouse. “What about them? They’re doing nothing?”

“Exactly,” Lindsay said. “They’re doing nothing. Your entrance should have attracted an audience. You’re even standing below the security camera, but the security guard at the front desk hasn’t sounded the alarm.”

Rick's smirk faded, replaced by a nervous frown. From outside, he waved at the front duty guard, who waved back at him. “That's... not right. Either they’re really bad at their jobs, or something’s off.”

“Agreed, sir. Proceed with caution.”

***

A flaming punch sent the main entrance doors flying to the ground as alarms announced the presence of the two heroes. The security guard at the front desk blinked away at the security footage and snapped into attention. He pulled his gun out but froze when he saw the two members of the Guardians, Serenity and Phoenix.

As the guard looked into Serenity’s glowing blue eyes, his eyes turned blue while his body relaxed. The gun clattered to the floor.

“You better make this quick,” Phoenix muttered, clenching her fiery fists. “This warehouse is going to be swarming with guards.”

Serenity nodded at her friend and stared at the guard. Mind control was her least favorite part of her superpowers, but desperate times called for desperate measures. “Armor Man’s tracker was in this warehouse before it went silent last night. Where is he?”

The guard’s voice came out in a monotone tone. “Armor Man is being held in the lower level, sub-basement 3, in a high-security cell.”

Serenity maintained her focus as she lightly scrubbed the guard’s mind, ensuring he wouldn’t remember their presence or what he revealed. It’ll buy them some time. “Thank you,” she said softly, releasing her hold on his mind. The guard blinked, confused, and then slumped to his chair as his eyes became heavy.

“Let’s go,” Phoenix urged, scanning the corridors. “Time is ticking, and we need to get Armor Man out of here before they tighten security.”

Glancing at the layout map for the elevator, Serenity nodded and hurried with Phoenix. “Turn left here.” Making a sharp left in the hallway, they saw the elevator at the end of the hallway. So far, the two hadn’t encountered resistance yet. Phoenix pressed the elevator button, but Serenity held her shoulder. “Wait.”

Phoenix turned to her. “What? Is something wrong?” The security alarms stopped blaring, causing both heroines to look back at the hallway. No army of security guards or killer robots was heading their way. The area was silent, except for the sound of the elevator heading their way.

“Megan Max is expecting us,” Serenity said as the elevator opened behind them.

“Good.” Phoenix held her head high as she and Serenity entered the elevator. She slammed the button for sub-basement 3. “I hope that self-absorbed CEO knows we’re coming. She’s going to pay for messing with one of our own.”

The elevator descended smoothly. Serenity took a deep breath, focusing on rescuing Armor Man while Phoenix glared at the doors. The Guardians had faced countless dangers before, but there was something particularly unsettling about infiltrating one of Megan Max’s businesses. Known for her ruthless business tactics and robotic experiments, Max was not someone to underestimate. 

This was her home turf.

The elevator slowed to a stop. Phoenix and Serenity braced themselves as the doors slid open to reveal a bright corridor with people dressed in black armor from head to toe. The area seemed almost futuristic, unlike the warehouse above them.

Phoenix stretched her arms. “Eat flames!”

But Serenity held her. “Wait, look.”

Outside, the dark figures worked and walked around. A few of them glanced at them before returning to their task. All of their helmets had a letter and numbers.

Phoenix shrugged as she extinguished her flames. “Weird that Max’s robots aren’t attacking us.”

“No.” Serenity’s eyes glowed blue as she looked at the figures. “These aren’t robots. They’re people.”

Phoenix blinked in surprise. “People? But why aren’t they reacting to us?”

Serenity cautiously exited the elevator, scanning the corridor with her telepathic senses. The people around them were moving with mechanical precision, their minds heavily shielded and subdued. “Megan Max must have them under some form of mental control or influence,” she said. “We need to be careful. They might turn on us at any moment.”

“These guys don’t look so tough.” Cracking her neck, the fiery heroine flexed her arms and assumed a fighting position.

“Let’s just move,” Serenity urged. “We don’t attack unless they do.”

They moved quickly down the corridor, careful not to bump into anyone. As they passed by the workers, Serenity subtly extended her telepathic reach, trying to gather any useful information. Most minds were blank slates, devoid of any personal thoughts or emotions. It was unsettling.

Phoenix scowled at the workers walking past them. “I didn’t think Max was capable of mind-controlling people? Why hide this? It’s not a secret that she’s evil.”

“I don’t know.”

After several minutes of walking and close calls, they came across a room labeled HIGH SECURITY CELL. If there was any hope of finding Armor Man, it was behind the locked door.

Phoenix jiggled the knob, and an automated voice called out. “Password answer required.”

“That’s alright,” Serenity said. “Phoenix, you think you can punch this door.” Her partner was still as she kept staring at the knob as if she was deep in thought. “Phoenix?”

Slowly, the anger melted away from the inferno heroine as a warm smile spread across her face. “I guess my happy place is to be surrounded by flames and not have to think about anything except being warm. I love seeing the way my flames dance on my fingertips. Sometimes, I wish I could always stay in my fire form.” Phoenix blinked and blushed as the door opened on its own. Where had that come from?

Serenity’s eyes widened with shock. “Phoenix, snap out of it!” She shook her friend wildly.

Phoenix blinked again, her eyes clearing as she focused on Serenity. “What happened? I was about to punch the door when I blanked out for a sec.”

Serenity glanced at the open door, cautious of the potential trap. “I think Max’s mind control extends further than we thought. We need to stay sharp.”

“Wait, am I under her mind control now?” Phoenix rubbed her head as sparks began to fly.

“I’m not sure,” Serenity answered, holding Phoenix’s arms. “I can feel everyone is being controlled, but I can’t feel the influence or source. If it makes you feel better, you feel the same, though it’s worrying that the door had you for a few moments.”

Phoenix took a deep breath, trying to steady her nerves. “Alright, let’s keep moving. But if I start acting weird again, don’t hesitate to snap me out of it.” She glanced at the room ahead of them before turning back to her friend. “I didn’t say or do anything embarrassing, right?”

Serenity gave Phoenix a reassuring smile. “No, nothing embarrassing. Just a bit of flame talk. But let’s stay focused. We need to find Armor Man and get out of here before anything else happens.”

The room beyond the door was dimly lit, the flickering fluorescent lights making Serenity’s eyes hurt the more she looked up. The air was thick with the surprising smell of… sweat and sex and the faint whimpers behind the doors. Rows of cells lined the walls, each one with a small window revealing the figures within. Some were motionless, others were bound to devices that stimulated them. Like the works in the sub-basement, they were dressed in black, though some were half or nearly naked.

“I had no idea Megan Max was a fucking sex freak,” Phoenix muttered as they kept walking.

Serenity extended her telepathic reach again, hoping to find Armor Man’s distinctive mental signature among the controlled minds. It was like searching for a needle in a haystack.

“There,” she whispered, nodding towards a cell at the far end of the room. It did not have a window. “I can sense him. He’s weak, but he’s there.”

Phoenix’s eyes narrowed as she looked at the cell. “Let’s go get him.”

They approached the cell, and Phoenix prepared to melt the lock with her flames when Serenity stopped her. “Wait, let me try something first.” She concentrated, reaching out with her mind to interact with the electronic lock. After a few tense moments, the lock clicked open. “It could have been a trap.” Phoenix nodded.

Opening the cell, Phoenix’s and Serenity’s jaws dropped when they saw pieces of Armor man’s blue and white armor on the floor. In the middle of the room was a radio sitting on a chair. From the corner of the room, a security camera stared at them. Armor Man was nowhere to be seen.

“Damn it! She tricked us," Phoenix growled, her fiery aura intensifying.

Serenity’s face twisted in frustration. “But how? I can still feel his weak presence…” She pointed at the radio when her eyes widened. Crap.

Before Phoenix could ask, the radio came to life with Megan’s smooth voice. “Phoenix, would you be a dear and go to your happy place.”

***