Book One.Chapter 4

-Chapter 4

Jim could remember feeling better than he did at this moment after such hard nights of being sauced up with his old partner Jack. All he could remember after taking flight was what he figured was a hallucination. As far as Jim could tell, there was no vehicle he was being abruptly hoisted into. Somehow, the hulk he was strapped to was flying on his own. All Jim could do was struggle and scream in vain as he was overpowered in just that instant and off terra firma even quicker than that. Before Jim could make any tangible conversation with the pilot, he had blacked out from the force in which they took off. When he came to, he was on a hospital bed in someplace that was clearly not a hospital. Hopes that the ordeal was just a dream vanished when Jim could see the pilot standing out in the hallway. Everything was blue, it seemed. The very lights themselves seemed to give an ever so slight tint of azure, reflecting off the goggles of the hulk as he bounced down the passage like an overgrown child upon seeing Jim sitting up. Returning with him was a rather short man in a blue suit and tie.

"Where did you pick this guy up from, Card'nal?" Asked Jim. The hulk in question smiled further, his mustache looking like a shoe brush under his nose.

"He comes from the Netherlands, and has the uncanny ability to fly, as you may have guessed by now."

"A Flying Dutchman. How quaint."

"We here have taken to calling him just that."

"You know, he is such a pleasure to talk with."

"Pleasant, yes!" said the Dutchman, somehow grinning even wider than before. Dimples could now be seen in his cheeks before he gave a thumbs up and took off. "Smokey dokey!"

"Get one for me as well, please." Said Mr. Card. He then explained how the Dutchman would always say such before getting someone a cup of tea, or something of the sort. Another man entered the room just then. He was clean shaven, with long disheveled black hair.

"Dr. Alfonzo. This is all the physical intel I could gather on Serene Corp with the time that I had and what help NCIS was in retrieving." said the gatherer as he showed a small binder to Mr. Card, also known as Dr. Cisco Alfonzo. The gatherer produced it from a denim satchel he wore over his light jacket, casual shirt, and loose jeans.

"What agency are you in?" asked Jim.

"Oh, I work for Dr. Alfonzo." said the gatherer.

"You get to use his real name, huh?" Jim said, turning an eyebrow.

"Franklin Rogers here is my personal correspondent." explained Mr. Card.

"For that God awful radio show?" said Jim.

"And now for the UN elite field task force, just like you." said Franklin, reaching a hand out to Jim who was now on his feet again. "It's an honor to meet the real James Fly. You can call me Frank, sir."

Jim let out a 'sure' as he returned the handshake, not quite enthusiastically. Alfonzo had gone and hired yet another junior operative which could mean anything. What it meant most importantly was that the United Nations Elite Field Task Force Team, designated E50, was not a temporary assignment as Jim hoped it would be. There was more written on Alfonzo's face as it was apparent that the "physical intel" was not what the guy hoped it would be.

"What did you need to dig up on Serene about?" Jim inquired Frank.

"Whatever Dr. Alfonzo asks for." he said, flatly.

"And you get nothing valuable in return?"

"Franklin is my correspondent, not my protégé." Alfonzo said in defense.

"Really? So, he's not your apprentice either, then, huh?" Jim said. "I don't see why not. I mean, who lives forever, right?"

He gave a pat on Frank's shoulder, still laughing. There was a little irony he pulled in the last joke, unbeknownst to Frank.

"Do you even know what his actual real name is? In full?" asked Jim.

"This is not necessary." Alfonzo tried to interfere.

"He's going to find out anyway." Jim insisted. "See, his full name is Cisco Alfonzo de Cisneros. Yeah. And, would you know that your boss is the only man alive that has a unified doctorate?"

"A unified doctorate?" Frank repeated, doubtful.

"As in a Doctorate in every core area of study there is." Jim said, continuing before Alfonzo could say anything in further protest. "He's the first in all history to do it, too. This makes him the most well read person in existence. It's his unshakeable, and public belief in God that keeps him from being considered the smartest. Heh."

"Are you quite finished?" Alfonzo asked in his typical Spanish accent. The accent always threw off Jim when he heard it in person, as Alfonzo had no Hispanic characteristics in the slightest.

"Not even close. What is going on with Serene Corperation, and why wasn't I the one gathering intel on them in Japan, assuming there was no other reason for Ben Frank to be dealing with NCIS the same day as I am?" said Jim.

"Does it have anything to do with the bizarre human trafficking reports in Asia?" said a voice over the loud speaker.

"Or the strange occurrences happening in the Middle East?" came the voice from the tablet in Frank's satchel.

"Or could it be something to do with the constant reports of some mysterious form of brainwashing?" said the voice, this time from Jim's cell phone.

Then a blank silhouette appeared amongst them. Within seconds, it took shape of a young Asian woman. She was quite familiar to Jim.

"You again?" he said, reaching for the golf bag sitting by the bed he was in.

"Who are you?" asked Alfonzo, feeling threatened.

"This is Alice Fujieda, one of the head scientists on the Serene Corp department of research and development."

"Correct. And if you are looking for insight on Serene Corporation, you couldn't find anyone more qualified than myself to give you it." said Alice.

"For starters," began Jim as he held his pistol in his left, then an ancient looking samurai sword in the other. "Why don't you tell us how you beamed aboard here from the Enterprise? And don't say you just called Scotty."

"It kind of was beaming, funny that you mention it." said Alice. "Since I know you probably don't have near of a grasp on theoretical atomic physics, I'll give you the short version. Through your cell phone, I downloaded myself into the E50 mainframe, and then into this facility by way of what I call the cross digital process. With all the trouble Serene Corporation may cause the world, I may not have the chance to get it patented as the Fujieda effect and get a Nobel Peace prize for it, or something small like that. A girl can dream, right?"

"Is there something you would want in return for helping us shed more light on this company and what connections they have to what is going on in the world?" Alfonzo asked at length.

"You are going to help me take Serene Corp down. And swing as how I now have every ability to expose every one of you to the world in a split second, you have no other practical choice but to help me." said Alice, eying each of them. She then pointed to the TV monitor on the wall, turning it on somehow with just pointing at it. The channel was tuned to a news broadcast, the buzz feed read "President says America is ready."

"Already, the President of the United States has announced to the world that America is battle ready. Through defense contracts with Serene Corporation, the President has produced a military ready to take on the world all at once. See the arrogance of your man, yet know that he is not bluffing. The world will feel all the more threatened and in need to respond to this declaration, and the response will not be one of peace." explained Alice. As she said, though, another special report came over the television. The camera was on a man the size of a tank in a toga. Live from Greece, it was reported as told on the bottom left corner. The man began speaking in literal Greek, and momentarily an English interpretation sounded.

"Attention America. You have challenged the world, and now one answers. You will know me, as you think you may already know me. My name is Victory. And within the year I will be sitting in the White House as your king. I alone will defeat your country, and remake it ten fold to what it is today. Keep an eye out on the shores. You will see me soon enough."

"Looks like we have our work cut out for us, eh, Card'nal?" said Jim.

"Why do you call Dr. Alfonzo Cardinal? I've been meaning to ask." mentioned Frank.

"I will explain it all as we move along. In the mean time, let us convene to the discussion room and await the council's decision on where we go from here." said Alfonzo, moving out of the room. The Dutchman was carrying a tray with two cups of tea, one which Alfonzo grabbed on his way down the blue passageway.

"You aren't going to wait on the council while some maniac just declared war on the US." Jim said, following along with the others.

"Nor will I give them excuse to interfere in our counter offensive." said Alfonzo, turning an eye to Alice. "That is, on both fronts of this war. As you should know, E50 is an agency whose primary goal above all else is peace. The world will have it, even if the largest, most intimidating corporation in history must fall for the world obtain it. As God is our witness here today, it will be so."