30 Chapter 30 - Operation Clorox

A week passed as Mikael handled the continued expansion of his company while waiting for his target to appear. One morning as Mikael was sitting at his desk going over the stocks he had gained from Stark Industries, he received a call from the reception desk.

"Sir, a Dr John Sublime has called and requested a meeting to discuss a business opportunity on behalf of the government. He was quite rude, sir. What would you like me to do?" A feminine voice asked.

'And there you are.'

"Set up a meeting for tomorrow morning at 10. Thank you, Janice." Mikael said with a smile.

"Of course, sir." The voice responded before the call ended.

"52 and 53. Begin preparations for our special guest." Mikael ordered into his comlink as he turned back to look over his new investment. The prices had stopped falling and Mikael was acquiring as many shares as possible.

"Wonder how much more I can swipe from under Obadiah's nose when Tony has his press conference." Mikael muttered as he leaned back in his chair, placing his hands behind his head. Unfortunately, before he could get comfortable, he received another call from the receptionist.

"Sir, your mother is on her way up. I thought you'd like to know." Janice informed him before ending the call. Mikael sighed and within a couple of minutes he heard the elevator doors open as his mother walked into his office.

"Hi mom. Shouldn't you be at work right now?" Mikael asked as the door closed behind her.

"Well, I am. I'm here on business right now." She answered as she took a seat across from him. Mikael raised an eyebrow at her response before she continued.

"I haven't told you or your father, but I work for the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division." She stated before taking a breath.

"That's a too long of a name. Never heard of it." Mikael responded as he looked towards one of the screens on his desk.

"It's a secret organization that until now I have unfortunately not been allowed to disclose."

"But you're telling me now. I'm gonna assume that's why you're here."

"Yes, I was asked to speak to you about having you help us. We recovered debris from the alien ship in Egypt and our scientists haven't been able to discover anything of note." Sarah explained as she pulled out a folder and handed it over to him.

"So what exactly do they want from me?" Mikael asked as he opened the folder containing photographs of the debris that Ordis created and scattered through Cairo along with a non-disclosure agreement.

"Well since Stark is still missing, they decided that you were the best option to research it." She answered while watching Mikael scan the agreement through his computer for any issues.

"Fine, I'm available Friday. Where am I going?" Mikael asked as he signed the agreement once he was sure there was nothing that would affect him in the fine print.

"One of our buildings is here in New York. I'll let them know you agreed and they'll transport the items here." Sarah answered as she placed a card on the desk with an address printed on one side and an eagle themed logo on the other.

"Anyway now that that's over with, we can talk about the more important things." Sarah said as she narrowed her eyes at Mikael.

"And what's that?" Mikael asked as he knit his brows.

"How come you didn't tell me you got a girlfriend?!" Sarah yelled as she stood up from the chair.

"What are you talking about? What girlfriend?" Mikael asked wide-eyed from the sudden outburst.

"I saw the demonstration for the prosthetics. The pretty red-haired girl you were with. What, were you too embarrassed to introduce her to your family?" Sarah questioned as she glared at Mikael with her hands on her hips.

"What? Mom, calm down she's just a friend." Mikael responded in a panic.

"Are you saying you don't like her?"

"I do like her. But I just-"

"Good, then I expect you to bring her with you Sunday for the welcome home party your dad's friend." Sarah interrupted him with a triumphant smile as she turned to leave the office.

"Central Park, 1pm. And don't be late." She added before she opened the door to reveal the figure of a blushing Jean standing in the doorway with a hand poised to knock. The two stood frozen in place as they looked at each other while Mikael just covered his face in his hand.

"Well hi there. I'm Sarah, Mikael's mother." Sarah introduced herself with a wide smile as she pulled Jean into a hug.

"Um hello. I'm Jean. It's so nice to meet you?" Jean responded looking towards Mikael as he turned away still covering his face. Sarah quickly let go of her as she looked Jean over before nodding her head.

"Remember Mikael, Central Park this Sunday. Dress nice and make sure to bring your girlfriend." Sarah reminded Mikael before turning to Jean.

"I hope you take good care of Mikael. You let me know if he ever mistreats you." Sarah told her before she walked past and into the elevator. Jean's blush seemed to spread to her ears as she watched in pure shock as the doors closed before turning back to Mikael. He was still hiding his face behind his hand, although his ears were now bright red.

"Ahem. So how much did you he-" Mikael started to speak lowering his hand.

"I'll see you Sunday!" Jean interrupted as she rushed away and disappeared into the other elevator.

"Fantastic." Mikael muttered rubbing his forehead before turning his attention back to the screens in front of him.

The next morning, a well-dressed black haired and blue-eyed man walked into the packed foyer of the Argent Tech building. He had a wide smile on his face as he sauntered towards the reception desk, only to find that there was a large plastic screen separating him from the receptionist. He raised an eyebrow at the strange sight but approached the counter anyway.

"I'm Dr John Sublime. I believe I have an appointment." He said with a grin.

"Oh yes, Mr Argent is expecting you. I'll let him know you're here, he's informed me to have you continue in and that someone else will take you to see him." Janice told him as she pressed a button on her phone.

"Wonderful. Might I ask why you have a screen on your desk?" Sublime asked after she finished leaving a message on the phone.

"Oh, Mr Argent decided it was prudent to ensure a clean and sanitized work space considering the influx of patients receiving the new prosthetics. At least until the hospitals have their own trained specialists." She explained after hanging up the phone.

"Ah, I suppose that does make sense. So I just go back there?" Sublime responded, pointing at the large wall behind her that separated the foyer from the elevators.

"Yes sir, some will be waiting to bring you up." Janice replied with a smile. Sublime just gave her a nod as he walked around the reception desk where he then saw three individuals. Two looked like normal janitors that were cleaning the floors, while the last was a bald man in a suit wearing a mask and gloves. The bald man stepped forward and gestured towards an open elevator before stepping inside. Sublime glanced atjanitorso janitor before walking into the elevator as it closed behind him and started to ascend.

"I'm Dr John Sublime. You must be Mr Argent's bodyguard." Sublime said as he reached out a hand as he attempted to break the silence.

"Introduction: I am Tobias Rieper, and I do not shake hands with meat bags. Please do not encroach upon my personal space again." The bald man said, glancing at the outstretched hand before looking away. Sublime recoiled at the blatant disregard, ignoring the strange way the man spoke.

"Do you know who I am?" Sublime asked in a serious tone.

"A meat bag of no significance." Tobias answered flatly as the elevator came to a halt and the doors opened.

"The master will deal with you now." He continued, gesturing for Sublime to exit the elevator.

"Just you wait to see how I handle you." Sublime growled as he left the elevator.

"Observation: You will never get the chance." Tobias responded as the doors closed between them. Sublime scoffed as he walked down the hall and pushed open the door to the office. He stepped inside the abnormally large office and saw the figure of Mikael looking out the window with his back towards him.

"This is an impressive office you have. I like it." Sublime said as he watched Mikael turn and look to him.

"Of course, this office was specially designed to entertain special guests." Mikael responded as he walked over to take a seat at his desk before gesturing for Sublime to take a seat across from him. Sublime adjusted his collar as he stepped forward and sat down in the chair.

"This seems a bit far away, doesn't it?" Sublime asked when he noticed the large six foot gap between him and the desk.

"Apologies but considering the current operations going on in my building I must prevent the spreading of… germs." Mikael answered calmly as he crossed his hands in front of him.

"Shouldn't it be colder in here then? It seems kind of warm." Sublime stated as he looked around.

"Of course, I just thought you would be more comfortable in a warmer room. But since you brought it up." Mikael responded as he pressed a button on his desk.

"Oh, that was quick." Sublime said as he felt the air around him instantly drop in temperature.

"So, what can I do for you? You claimed you were here on behalf of the government?" Mikael asked with a smirk.

"Well, that was just so I could get this meeting. I have a more personal offer." Sublime answered with a similar grin.

"So the government doesn't know you're here? Well, I hope you're not just wasting my time. What is this offer?" Mikael questioned without a change in his expression.

"Well, I handle a secret project for the gorvernment. And I have been quite impressed by you technological advances and believe that together we can make the world a better place." Sublime explained as his grin turned into a wide smile.

"Oh, is that so? Tell me more." Mikael responded as he walked around to sit on the front of his desk.

"What are your feelings on mutants?" Sublime asked in a whisper.

"They're dangerous. And they will probably outnumber ordinary people one day." Mikael answered calmly.

"Right? I knew you would agree with me. What if I said I could get rid of them forever?" Sublime asked as he rose to his feet. Mikael stood up from his desk and stepped forward as he looked Sublime directly in his eyes, his grin still clear on his face.

"Well, what do you want from me?" Mikael asked as he crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"Well, I just need you to give me… your body." Sublime answered as his voice turned cold. He lunged forward with his palm outstretched reaching for Mikael's face. His smile turned sinister as his hand grew closer to Mikael's unmoving form, only to suddenly stop short when he hit something just centimeters away and felt a violent shock. The smile vanished from his face as he reached out again. It was as though there was an invisible wall between him and Mikael that rippled and shocked him with each touch.

"What? What is this?" Sublime asked as his hands reached out around him. He quickly found himself trapped with a wall on each side.

"It's an inertial confinement laser barrier. I saw it once and managed to recreate it. That was an interesting challenge." Mikael answered as the wall turned opaque for a brief instant.

"You have no way out, no way to call for help. And no one even knows you're here."

"You're lying. There are witnesses that saw me come in here to meet you." Sublime said as he turned to look at Mikael's grinning visage.

"Oh, you mean them?" Mikael asked as he pointed to his left as a large screen appeared in the air, displaying a view from the foyer. They watched as the crowd in the foyer witnessed the figure of Sublime getting pushed out of the elevator by the shouting figure of Mikael, before Mikael waved his hand and the audio kicked in.

"You think you can come in here, treat my people like trash and then demand my technology? Get the fuck out before I lose what little patience I have left!"

"You can't do this to me! Do you know who I am?!" The voices of Mikael and Sublime echoed clearly through the room as they watched the figure of Sublime get thrown out of the building before stomping away to his car and driving away.

"See, as far as they'll know, you came in, pissed me off and made me throw you out." Mikael said as the screen disappeared.

"Then you grabbed food at a nearby restaurant while complaining about my attitude, got drunk and took a long scenic drive to cool off before accidentally getting run off the side of a cliff and into the ocean by a bunch of drug dealers." Mikael explained with a smile.

"You-you planned this!" Sublimed yelled as he slammed his fist into the invisible wall separating them.

"Indeed I did. Behold Operation Clorox, guaranteed to eliminate 99.9% of viruses and bacteria. Including you." Mikael responded, spreading his arms open as his eyes narrowed. Sublime's eyes widened as he staggered back.

"Sir, bacteria signature registered. Detection parameters updated and countermeasures will be completed in one hour." The holographic form of Ordis appeared beside him.

"Any side effects from countermeasures?" Mikael asked, as he looked at the screens that popped up around Ordis.

"No sir. Although I predict a five percent increase in the birth rate of individuals with the x-gene." Ordis answered. Mikael turned back towards Sublime to see the look of shock on his face.

"Oops." Mikael shrugged with a grin.

"You can't do this. You said it yourself, mutants are dangerous. I'm not doing anything wrong. I'm just protecting this planet." Sublime said as he tried to press against the barrier only to have it shock him again.

"I think we both know that's a damn lie." Mikael responded as he sat on the edge of his desk.

"Ordis keep an eye out for any meteors that bear a similar signature to his. I'm pretty sure he has a sister. If you find one, redirect it to the surface of the sun." Mikael said as he picked up his mug from the table.

"It's you, isn't it? You're the one that ruined my plans! Who the hell are you?" Sublime yelled out, punching the barrier.

"Me? I'm the Archon." Mikael answered with a smile as he watched a look of terror wash over Sublime's face.

"Ordis teleport him to the sun please."

"Right away, sir."

"What? No! No no no n-" Sublime cried out as he slammed the barrier with all his strength before he vanished with a bright flash.

"Sir, all signs of the bacteria have been vaporized." Ordis reported a couple seconds later as Mikael walked over to the window with his mug in hand.

"Good job Ordis. Disperse the countermeasures into the atmosphere once I have completed them. Oh, and send Logan and his team to rescue the captives from Sublime's base, I'm positive he has some of them. And tell them to be discrete. That'll be all." Mikael ordered as he took a sip.

"Of course, sir." Ordis flashed before vanishing.

"Mmh. Now what am I supposed to do about mom and Jean." Mikael asked himself as he looked out over the city.