by GoozX
"Auxiliaries, which are the other useless arm, are employed when a prince is called in with his forces to aid and defend, as was done by Pope Julius in the most recent times; for he, having, in the enterprise against Ferrara, had poor proof of his mercenaries, turned to auxiliaries, and stipulated with Ferdinand, King of Spain, for his assistance with men and arms. These arms may be useful and good in themselves, but for him who calls them in they are always disadvantageous; for losing, one is undone, and winning, one is their captive."
-- Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince, Chapter XIII
A black 2003 Lincoln Town Car sped through the streets of Chicago. The streetlights seemed to obey the cars' commands, changing just before it passed. Dr. Charles Walker was the uneasy scientist sitting in the back seat, while next to him was Special Agent Turner, who had been silent the whole trip.
"A 2003 model?" Walker began.
"Let's just say that we get the best of everything well before its time," Turner said with a hint of a smile. "You will much approve of your new home."
"Yeah, about that..."
"In due time, Dr.Walker, in due time."
The rest of the ride was silent, broken only by a simple "Wow," whispered from Walker's lips as they pulled up to their destination. Wow was probably the best way to describe it. Almost out of nowhere, a huge silver complex appeared, spanning a radius of about three blocks and seeming almost too futuristic.
"Welcome home, Doctor."
The Lincoln pulled into an underground garage and slowed to a stop. The two men exited and entered a long hallway before taking an elevator down to the basement. The outside of the complex was prehistoric compared to the inside, which was breathtaking. The main basement spanned over three football fields, and the white walls gave the place an almost glowing atmosphere.
"The above levels are rented out to businesses, banks, private owners and such. It is these businesses that will fund you and your new position. Everything below ground level is under your control from here on out, as long as you meet your quota."
"Hold on. What position? It seems that you have been circling around just what I shall be doing."
"The operation at hand. We pay you and fund your research, and in return, you hunt and capture people with the metagene. Using the facilities, you shall train and make them part of your team, using them to capture others, and so on."
"Why me? Why not some military guy to head this?"
"Dr. Walker, it takes a certain someone to be able to take on these metahumans, if you understand what I mean. I have full faith in your ability to get the job done. If you need me, keep in touch, but aside from that, you are fully on your own."
"On my own? You mean..."
"The Enhanced Procurement Sanction began as an MCCA-TriVext joint venture, but from here on out, you have no relationship to the MCCA. If asked about you, we will deny comment. Only the higher-ups in the government even know you exist. As for TriVext, the terms of our joint venture contract with the corporation forbids it from taking any further part in the operation of these facilities from this point forward, except the simple transfer at your sole discretion of test subjects to or from TriVext. Good day."
"Yeah, you too."
With that, Agent Turner left Dr. Walker alone to begin his operation.