Epilogue: Strikeforce 1

Paris was cold and grey. Hundreds of thousands of people were gathered under the hard pouring rain for the funerals for Frank Mullarney, the hero who saved the city mere days before, protecting it from the fall of a meteor, driven by Naecken. Subsequently, he died valiantly in Mandelovia.

Or, at last, that was what the people were thought to believe.

At the head of the miles long procession, many politicinas where fighting for the best spot in front of the cameras: Jaques Chirac, Tony Blair, Romano Produi, Kofi Hannan and dozens of others. Far away, from the top of the Eiffel Tower, a man with a long black coat, and an equally black open umbrella was observing the mourning procession, from behind black sunglasses, very odd in a day like that.

Another man, not tall, but heavily built, approached him. "making the best from a failure, eh, Jack? Like always."

Jack Merlin turned, to see the familiar face of his father, the Neanderthal known just as Myrrdin. "Dad. Yes, like always. You thought that to me, so many years ago."

"My biggest mistake. But I will ruin your plans, like all the other times, son" whispered the neanderthal in the ear of the white, long haired man.

"This time I wouldn't be so sure, dad. Look at them. They are millions, and they all love me and my work. The people. The politicians. The global corporations. I am giving them what they ask for. safety. I am cleaning up the world from what they fear. I am setting lights over the dark corners of the world. Their world. They are tired of having fear to get out of their home. They are tired of having fear staying in their homes."

"You are just letting them into thinking of being safe".

"And where's the difference, dad? If they think of being safe, they are!"

Myrrdin shook his head. "It's not so simple, son. There are things you wouldn't even guess at play here. If that stupid play of yours would have not destroyed Hoods and Capes, now..."

"Ohhh, the Capes, the Hoods... you can't speak of anything else? That's the past, dad! Today is the day of the Strikeforce!"

"And where is the Strikeforce, Jack? Am I wrong, or you are the only survivor of your army?"

Jack smiled. "Just for now. The Un has doubled the founds for my peacekeeping organization, thanks to the extraordinary success of the Antarctic operation. The academy for the cadets will begin to operates in the Sahara fortress in a few days. And soon I will start to recruit new agents for the elite. The Strikeforce 2 will be operative not later than next months."

"And I guess you are busy creating the menace your army will have to fight, eh, Jack?"

"No need for that, dad. There is the metaterrorism to fight. There is the MBL to destroy."

Myrrdin shook his head again. "Be careful, Jack" he whispered, before his hologram faded into nothingness.

Merlin just shrugged, and walked out of the place, to reappear at the Hopital des Invalides, just in time to take the best spot in front of the cameras at the burial ceremony of Hero, next to Napoleon's tomb.

Last edited by The Eurostar; 2003-12-26 8:02 PM.