“REUNION”
Part III: Free For All!
WHAT HAS COME BEFORE: The Champions, locked in the mystery of the vanishing Vanisher, were suddenly attacked by Graviton, who prepares to have his way with Los Angeles! Ivan has information for the Black Widow! Teaming up with Black Goliath, the Champions continue their battle with Graviton…
♪Theme Music: “Cities on Fire” By the Blue Oyster Cult♪
Los Angeles. The downtown business district has been taking a beating for the past couple of hours, as the villain known as Graviton has appeared, disrupting the very law of gravity, as he has wrecked numerous vehicles and utterly disrupted the flow of traffic and commerce in the surrounding area. The citizens of the city have been fleeing in fear, even as the Champions have arrived to battle the villain. However, within a short time, he has dispatched the two most powerful members of the group—sending Hercules deep into the surface of the Earth, and sending Ghost Rider crashing on his bike. The unconscious Johnny Blaze lies near his bike, a testament to Graviton’s power.
“I gave you fools the opportunity to leave,” Graviton comments, floating above the ground, even as a series of beautiful woman are huddled on the ground under him in fear. “I am not normally so lenient, I assure you.”
“We’ve read the reports of what you did with that scientific colony*,” the Angel calls out, still perched on a ramp created by Iceman, who stands behind him. “But, we still don’t understand what you’re doing on the west coast. And don’t tell me it’s because of the women!”
Graviton smiles wickedly. “Ah yes,” he remarks. “I understand. It is true that I lost the woman I cared about, thanks to the Avengers—and I will kill them for their interference! They probably thought me dead, trapped amid millions of tons of rock, temporarily encasing me, due to a momentary lapse of control over my powers. It was a simple matter to reverse the gravity holding the rocks to me, once I had regained my composure. However, I have not just come to Los Angeles to find another woman. With my power, I could easily do that. There are many women who would love to be a part of my plans. No, I came here precisely because the Avengers, the Defenders—all of those groups of so-called heroes werenot here! I came here to establish a new dominion—away from their meddlesome interference!”
“Sorry to disappoint you, Gravvy,” Iceman responds, smiling under his icy complexion. “But, we like it here. We’re not planning on going anywhere.”
“That is your misfortune!” Graviton responds, as he gestures under the heroes. Immediately, a fire hydrant shoots through the air, between the two heroes! It shatters the ice bridge, nearly hitting the two heroes—who have to leap out of the way at the last moment to avoid a fatal blow, falling towards the pavement two stories below! “I will see to it that those words are inscribed on your tombstones!”
# # # # # # # # # #
INTERLUDE
♪Theme Music: “Battle of Evermore" By Led Zepplin♪
Mount Olympus. Ares sits at his dining table, a spread of food laid out before him, as his two sons break bread with him. Ares raises a chalice, filled with the finest ambrosia that Bacchus has produced, especially for him. He smiles, as the first taste of the fine wine reaches his lips.
Ares turns as the sound of footsteps on the marble floor of his palatial home. He looks over, noticing the approach of his servant, who looks around cautiously, waiting for the opportunity to speak. When Ares nods, he does so.
“Lord Ares,” he remarks. “Your guest has arrived.” The looks on Ares’ sons’ faces, as they exchange glances, reveals their surprise at the announcement—something that Ares notes.
“Did I forget to tell thee?” Ares remarks, as he rises from his seat, amid the clicking of high heels across the marble floor. He walks over to greet his visitor, the shapely Satanna, as his sons’ eyes follow her movements with great interest.
“This is Satanna,” Ares announces, as he slides his hand around the small of her back. “And these are my sons, Enyalios and Phobos.” He pulls out a chair beside his, as the stunning Satanna sits down. “Thank you for joining us.”
“It’s my pleasure,” she returns, flashing a smile at Ares, as she watches him pour her a glass of ambrosia. “I’ve never been to Olympus before.”
“I trust,” Ares replies, looking over to her with great interest, “that ‘twill be one of many such visits.”
“I’m certain it will,” Satanna responds.
“How is thy progress with the mission I gave thee?” Ares asks. Phobos and Enyalios look on with renewed curiosity.
“It’s going quite well, actually,” Satanna responds, licking her lips, as she leans her head back, closing her eyes to take in the euphoric taste of the ambrosia. Ares takes the opportunity to look over at his sons sternly, as his eyes gravitate to them, and to the outer door.
Phobos nods, getting to his feet. “I think we must be going,” he comments, motioning for his brother to do the same. Enyalios gets to his feet as well, as they turn and start to walk away. “’Twas a pleasure to meet thee.”
Satanna nods, and then turns her attention back to Ares, even as the two young gods disappear into the distance. “I’ve already recruited one member,” she explains, as her eyes meet those of Ares. “His hatred and anger will make him useful, provided that we can give him the power he needs.”
“That will be done,” Ares responds, reaching out to Satanna, holding her hand in his own, as he looks across the table at her. “I have spoken to Pluto. He will come through. Anger and a need for vengeance is all we will need.” He raises his glass, tapping it gently against hers, as she does the same. “They need only follow. We will provide all the direction they will require.”
END OF INTERLUDE
# # # # # # # # # #
♪Theme Music: “Ridin' the Storm Out” By REO Speedwagon♪
Graviton stands on solid ground, having gravitated down. He is content that he has shown his mastery over the Champions. They are either defeated, isolated from the conflict, or shown to be ineffective against his superior might. He nods with satisfaction, as he surveys the scene before him. There are cars scattered across the landscape, some smoldering from fires that have since gone out, due to showers from two fire hydrants being uprooted during the attack. So confident is he in the scope of his victory that he lowers his gravimetric force field.
Suddenly, Black Widow swings onto the scene, holding onto a narrow wire, attached to a nearby building. She directs a widow’s sting at Graviton, shooting him in the face. His head jerks back, as he reacts to the force of the sting.
Before Graviton can respond to the attack, Black Widow swings in and kicks Graviton in the face. “Graviton’s a real powerhouse,” she thinks to herself, as she lands on the ground, kicking him in the mid-section, doubling him over. “This carnage all around me just shows how dangerous he is. The only hope I have is to hit him fast and hard…keep him off balance and hope that I can take him down before he takes us all out.”
Black Widow leaps into the air, extending her leg and kicking Graviton in the face, driving him back with the impact of her kick. Graviton takes an involuntary step back, but raises his head, looking over at Black Widow, with rage burning in his eyes. “I have already taken out your most powerful members,” Graviton comments harshly. “Do you really think you can survive against me?!”
“I don’t think I was doing too badly, actually,” Black Widow responds, as she sends out another widow’s sting. This one, however, is blocked by the gravimetric force field. It deflects from the force field, much to her dismay.
“As you can see,” Graviton retorts, moving his arm upward, in a simple gesture that directs the force of gravity against his foe, sending Black Widow flying directly back, where she slams against the wall of the skyscraper behind her, slumping to the ground. “That situation has changed.”
Graviton gravitates over towards where he sent Black Widow, his eyes scanning around him. “Hmm,” Graviton remarks, perplexed, as a shadow is cast across the building he is nearing, causing the area to grow darker, slowly. “It is too early in the day for the sun to be casting such a shadow. I’m not aware of any eclipse today.”
However, the area around Graviton grows darker and darker. Before he can move, he is completely encompassed by darkness. His eyes grow wide, as he realizes that the darkness is unnatural. Worse, he realizes, with some small measure of shock: “The darkness…is alive!” Unconsciously, he intensifies the gravimetric force field surrounding him.
Outside of the field of darkness, Darkstar floats in the air, directing her dark force energy downward, encircling Graviton. The dark force energy, once dispersed widely along the buildings and covering a larger area, becomes more condensed, as Darkstar focuses her power around the now unseen villain.
“Great show, Darkstar!” Angel calls out.
“Yeah!” Ice Man tosses in, enthusiastically, raising his fist in anticipation. “Way to go!”
“If you could hold off the cheerleading section,” Angel says, directing his attention at the younger Ice Man, “you might do more good by actually helping her. This is the first time we’ve had him on the defense. Let’s keep him that way.”
Ice Man smiles under his icy sheath, even as his icy fingers start to shimmer and smoke. “Yeah, I can handle that!”
So saying, Ice Man sends out a series of ice spikes, into the very center of Darkstar’s dark energy attack. “I can’t see him, but I can figure out where he probably is!” Ice Man reasons.
Darkstar looks down at her target with furrowed brow. She concentrates her power onto Graviton, using her dark force energy to condense closer and closer around Graviton, who cannot see outside of the cocoon of darkness that surrounds him, encompassing him.
“You’re doing great!” Angel urges Darkstar, as he takes to the air, flying up to where she is still floating. “Keep the pressure on him.”
“I’m trying, Angel,” she responds. “I need to try to end this as quickly as I can, though. It’s not easy keeping him trapped like this. He’s trying to force his way out.”
“Don’t let him,” Angel says simply.
“You make it sounds easy,” Darkstar comments, allowing a slight smile. “I just wish it was.”
Ice Man, meanwhile, continues to direct his attack against the unseen Graviton. He sends out wave after wave of ice spikes at Graviton! He then gestures downward, creating an ice bridge, so that he can attack from a different angle. Directly above Graviton, he sends out another wave of ice spikes at his foe, even as the dark force surrounding him contracts further, surrounding Graviton so closely that it is an oval shape directly around him.
“At least she made him an easier target,” Ice Man ponders, as he keeps sending out his ice spikes, which disappear into the dark energy, and keep pressure on Graviton.
Even as the battle is raging, Ice Man is distracted by a loud sound that shakes the very foundation of the area, creating slight fissures in his ice bridge. He quickly reinforces it with his ice powers, however.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
“Oh hell,” Ice man comments, shaking his head with disdain. “The last thing we need right now is an earthquake.”
Darkstar looks down for a moment, but Angel shakes his head, urging her to continue. “I don’t know what that is, but I’ll keep an eye on it,” Angel comments. “Just keep the pressure on Graviton.”
Darkstar nods, and Angel does as he promises, looking down. What he sees surprises him. He sees the pavement below them start to crack. Soon, it splits open, and a powerful hand appears on the side of the large fissure. It is soon joined by another hand, which pulls a familiar figure up from the ground below.
“Hercules!” Angel calls out. “I’m glad to see you!”
“And I thee, my friend,” Hercules returns. He looks over at the dark figure before him, hidden by Darkstar’s powers. Angel looks down, nodding at him, and Hercules smiles. “Aye, I had hoped that the battle was still raging,” Hercules notes. “And Zeus shines on me this day. ‘Tis time to deliver the gift of combat!”
Even as Hercules makes his way towards the black-covered Graviton, Johnny Blaze awakens, shaking off the pounding in his head, as he slowly gets to his feet, looking around to see the damage caused by Graviton’s rampage, and the subsequent battle with his teammates.
“This is insane,” Johnny remarks, as he lifts his bike from the ground. “Warren’s been so concerned about our image, and marketing our team to the people of Los Angeles…then we have a battle that wrecks downtown L.A.!” He sits on his motorcycle, and with a thought, bursts into flames, his face converting into a skull, and his entire body—and his motorcycle—covered in demonic flames.
“It doesn’t matter now,” Ghost Rider says, in his unearthly voice. “Graviton will soon be finished!”
Hercules stands in front of the encircled Graviton, leaning towards him, as he starts pounding a series of blows into the black substance surrounding Graviton. Within the confines of the dark force energy, Graviton squints his eyes in pain, having difficulty concentrating on keeping his force field in place, with the sheer power of Hercules’ attack, as well as the constricting force of the dark energy surrounding him.
“How is this possible?!” he demands. “I am not able to push this strange black energy away from me…even with my force field!”
With each blow from Hercules, the sound is akin to thunderclaps, as Hercules’ powerful fists, known to crush mountains, slam against Graviton’s force field, passing effortlessly through the dark force energy and slamming directly into the force field, causing him to stagger back involuntarily, as he raises his hand, trying to keep his force field in place, but feeling it start to buckle under the punishment.
Unseen by Graviton, Ghost Rider circles around behind him, and sends out a blast of his fiery energy at the villain, striking through the dark force energy, and slamming into the back of his force field. As he continues to send out the hellfire, the temperature rises around Graviton, threatening to reach him even through his force field, already weakened by Hercules’ repeated blows.
Darkstar still levitates over the ground above Graviton, continuing to unleash her dark force energy, but she is visibly shaken. Her hands are starting to tremble, and she is having difficulty focusing. Her eyes blink rapidly, as she tries to remain aloft, and fight off an urge for unconsciousness.
The Angel notices this, and circles under her, at precisely the right moment. He catches her, just as she passes out from the strain of holding up her dark force energy against the master of gravity. “Whoa…good thing I saw that coming!” the Angel notes, as he flies down to the ground, where he lays the lovely mutant heroine out of the ground before them.
As Darkstar collapses, the dark matter starts to dissipate. However, Hercules and Ghost Rider, on opposite sides of the villain, continue to put pressure on the villain, whose force field visibly buckles. He does not have the opportunity to celebrate the fall of Darkstar. Even as he starts to be able to see past the dark mists, the last thing he sees is Hercules’ fist coming at his face. It passes through the faltering force field and slams into his jaw! Graviton is sent flying through the air, unconscious before he hits the ground near Ghost Rider, skidding across the floor!
“Wow!” the Angel calls out. “That was some punch, Herc!” Behind him, Ice Man walks across the ground towards Hercules and the Angel, even as Ghost Rider leans down, making sure that Ghost Rider is unconscious.
“Aye,” Hercules returns. “’Twas only a matter of time ‘ere the prince of power put down yon scoundrel!”
“Not bad, fellas!” Ice Man comments, nodding. “I guess this’ll put the Champions on the map.”
“Quite a victory,” Johnny Blaze agrees, returning to normal, as he gets to his feet.
“If you want to call this a victory,” Black Widow comments, walking over to them, looking around at the scenes of devastation.
“No doubt about it,” the Angel agrees, allowing a slight smile, as he shakes his head. “This’ll definitely give our P.R. man the chance to earn his paycheck.”
“Nothing like job security,” Ice Man chimes in, smiling under his icy sheath.
# # # # # # # # # #
EPILOGUE
♪Theme Music: “Danger Money” By UK♪
In the den at Champions headquarters, the group takes some time to relax after their battle with Graviton. Iceman sits on the sofa, his arm draped across the back of the sofa, as he turns to face Black Widow, who has just taken a seat at the small circular table in the adjacent dining room. Darkstar sits at his side. Hercules stands in the center of the room, accompanied by Johnny Blaze, as they discuss aspects of the battle.
Angel stands near the window, overlooking the city below. His hand is outstretched, as he leans against the wall near the window. Black Goliath stands with him, nodding, as they continue a conversation.
“Bill,” Angel offers, smiling amicably, “I enjoyed fighting with you again.”
“Yeah, it was kind of nice to fight with the Champions again,” Black Goliath returns. “Sorry to say that I didn’t do much against Graviton, though.”
“If that was a litmus test, must of us would’ve failed it,” Angel returns, shrugging.
“Yeah, I suppose so,” Black Goliath responds. “He’s a tough customer. You’ve got a good group here.”
“We’ve got a nice lab too,” Angel comments.
“Yeah,” Black Goliath responds, as he sips on his ice tea. “I think you mentioned that.”
“In fact,” Angel continues, with renewed salesmanship, “we’ve got a mystery that happened in the lab that I wanted to discuss with you…”
“Hmm,” Black Goliath responds, placing his tea glass down on a small end table. “What kind of mystery?”
Angel smiles, as if he’s just hooked a fish on a line. He places his hand on Black Goliath’s back. “Let’s head to the lab so I can show you.” As he walks towards the stairwell, he winks at Black Widow, who nods in understanding.
As they pull open the door leading to the stairwell, they are surprised to see Ivan stagger out. He is wearing a tattered sweater, and has bruises on his face and arms. He staggers forward, and Angel quickly catches him, preventing him from falling to the ground.
Black Widow leaps from her seat, rushing over with a chair for her friend. Angel guides him to the chair and helps him have a seat. He lowers his head, as he tries to catch his breath.
“Ivan!” Black Widow exclaims. “Are you all right?!”
“I’ll be fine, Natasha,” Ivan responds. His voice is hushed, and he is clearly tired.
“Who did this to you—the KGB?” she asks, concerned and angry at the sight of her friend in this condition.
“No,” Ivan replies. “A much more elite group. The KGB is not even aware of their existence.”
Iceman and Angel look on, trading glances at the statement, and clearly interested in what Ivan has to say. Hercules looks down at Ivan, his face reflecting anger at the sight of his friend in such a state.
“What is this about, Ivan?” Black Widow asks. “That the Black Guard would come here?”
Ivan nods. “They were trying to stop me from reaching you,” Ivan explains. “And telling you that he’s alive.”
“What?!” Black Widow asks, stunned by what he is saying. “Do you mean…?”
“Yes, Natasha,” Ivan responds, looking up at the lovely Black Widow, whose eyes widen as Ivan continues to talk. “The Winter Soldier has returned!”
NEXT ISSUE: The Champions go to the Soviet Union and battle the Commies!
# # # # # # # # # #
CABLES OF CHAMPIONS
This issue ends the first story arc in 70s Champions. I’d like to say, once again, that I sincerely appreciate all of the support both the readers and editorial staff at Marvel 2000 have shown for this title. I appreciate the Readers Choice Award for #1 and #2, and hope that I can continue to provide you with stories that you enjoy. Of course, it’s your duty to keep me honest. :-) Your comments, suggestions, and questions are always very much welcome and appreciated at [email protected].
As I said in a previous letters page, in order to fully get into this title, you have to have the mindset that this series takes place in 1978. That means—with one exception (as I alluded to in that same column)—that continuity will be as it was then. You’ll see plenty of examples of that in issues to come, and it might be a challenge for some readers. But, hopefully, it will be fun as well. The exception starts next issue, as I tie into some of the back-history of Black Widow, and Winter Soldier, that have come to light in the past few years. And, I think you’ll see that it will have some major impact on the Champions in the issues to come.
I have some plans for some 70s characters to appear in these pages, and for some groups/characters as they existed in 1978. However, if there is something you’d especially like to see, drop me a line and let me know.
For the moment, though, I’d like to thank you all again for your support of this title. It’s a lot of fun to write, and I hope it will be enjoyable for you as well.
~Jeff Melton
Part III: Free For All!
WHAT HAS COME BEFORE: The Champions, locked in the mystery of the vanishing Vanisher, were suddenly attacked by Graviton, who prepares to have his way with Los Angeles! Ivan has information for the Black Widow! Teaming up with Black Goliath, the Champions continue their battle with Graviton…
♪Theme Music: “Cities on Fire” By the Blue Oyster Cult♪
Los Angeles. The downtown business district has been taking a beating for the past couple of hours, as the villain known as Graviton has appeared, disrupting the very law of gravity, as he has wrecked numerous vehicles and utterly disrupted the flow of traffic and commerce in the surrounding area. The citizens of the city have been fleeing in fear, even as the Champions have arrived to battle the villain. However, within a short time, he has dispatched the two most powerful members of the group—sending Hercules deep into the surface of the Earth, and sending Ghost Rider crashing on his bike. The unconscious Johnny Blaze lies near his bike, a testament to Graviton’s power.
“I gave you fools the opportunity to leave,” Graviton comments, floating above the ground, even as a series of beautiful woman are huddled on the ground under him in fear. “I am not normally so lenient, I assure you.”
“We’ve read the reports of what you did with that scientific colony*,” the Angel calls out, still perched on a ramp created by Iceman, who stands behind him. “But, we still don’t understand what you’re doing on the west coast. And don’t tell me it’s because of the women!”
Graviton smiles wickedly. “Ah yes,” he remarks. “I understand. It is true that I lost the woman I cared about, thanks to the Avengers—and I will kill them for their interference! They probably thought me dead, trapped amid millions of tons of rock, temporarily encasing me, due to a momentary lapse of control over my powers. It was a simple matter to reverse the gravity holding the rocks to me, once I had regained my composure. However, I have not just come to Los Angeles to find another woman. With my power, I could easily do that. There are many women who would love to be a part of my plans. No, I came here precisely because the Avengers, the Defenders—all of those groups of so-called heroes werenot here! I came here to establish a new dominion—away from their meddlesome interference!”
“Sorry to disappoint you, Gravvy,” Iceman responds, smiling under his icy complexion. “But, we like it here. We’re not planning on going anywhere.”
“That is your misfortune!” Graviton responds, as he gestures under the heroes. Immediately, a fire hydrant shoots through the air, between the two heroes! It shatters the ice bridge, nearly hitting the two heroes—who have to leap out of the way at the last moment to avoid a fatal blow, falling towards the pavement two stories below! “I will see to it that those words are inscribed on your tombstones!”
# # # # # # # # # #
INTERLUDE
♪Theme Music: “Battle of Evermore" By Led Zepplin♪
Mount Olympus. Ares sits at his dining table, a spread of food laid out before him, as his two sons break bread with him. Ares raises a chalice, filled with the finest ambrosia that Bacchus has produced, especially for him. He smiles, as the first taste of the fine wine reaches his lips.
Ares turns as the sound of footsteps on the marble floor of his palatial home. He looks over, noticing the approach of his servant, who looks around cautiously, waiting for the opportunity to speak. When Ares nods, he does so.
“Lord Ares,” he remarks. “Your guest has arrived.” The looks on Ares’ sons’ faces, as they exchange glances, reveals their surprise at the announcement—something that Ares notes.
“Did I forget to tell thee?” Ares remarks, as he rises from his seat, amid the clicking of high heels across the marble floor. He walks over to greet his visitor, the shapely Satanna, as his sons’ eyes follow her movements with great interest.
“This is Satanna,” Ares announces, as he slides his hand around the small of her back. “And these are my sons, Enyalios and Phobos.” He pulls out a chair beside his, as the stunning Satanna sits down. “Thank you for joining us.”
“It’s my pleasure,” she returns, flashing a smile at Ares, as she watches him pour her a glass of ambrosia. “I’ve never been to Olympus before.”
“I trust,” Ares replies, looking over to her with great interest, “that ‘twill be one of many such visits.”
“I’m certain it will,” Satanna responds.
“How is thy progress with the mission I gave thee?” Ares asks. Phobos and Enyalios look on with renewed curiosity.
“It’s going quite well, actually,” Satanna responds, licking her lips, as she leans her head back, closing her eyes to take in the euphoric taste of the ambrosia. Ares takes the opportunity to look over at his sons sternly, as his eyes gravitate to them, and to the outer door.
Phobos nods, getting to his feet. “I think we must be going,” he comments, motioning for his brother to do the same. Enyalios gets to his feet as well, as they turn and start to walk away. “’Twas a pleasure to meet thee.”
Satanna nods, and then turns her attention back to Ares, even as the two young gods disappear into the distance. “I’ve already recruited one member,” she explains, as her eyes meet those of Ares. “His hatred and anger will make him useful, provided that we can give him the power he needs.”
“That will be done,” Ares responds, reaching out to Satanna, holding her hand in his own, as he looks across the table at her. “I have spoken to Pluto. He will come through. Anger and a need for vengeance is all we will need.” He raises his glass, tapping it gently against hers, as she does the same. “They need only follow. We will provide all the direction they will require.”
END OF INTERLUDE
# # # # # # # # # #
♪Theme Music: “Ridin' the Storm Out” By REO Speedwagon♪
Graviton stands on solid ground, having gravitated down. He is content that he has shown his mastery over the Champions. They are either defeated, isolated from the conflict, or shown to be ineffective against his superior might. He nods with satisfaction, as he surveys the scene before him. There are cars scattered across the landscape, some smoldering from fires that have since gone out, due to showers from two fire hydrants being uprooted during the attack. So confident is he in the scope of his victory that he lowers his gravimetric force field.
Suddenly, Black Widow swings onto the scene, holding onto a narrow wire, attached to a nearby building. She directs a widow’s sting at Graviton, shooting him in the face. His head jerks back, as he reacts to the force of the sting.
Before Graviton can respond to the attack, Black Widow swings in and kicks Graviton in the face. “Graviton’s a real powerhouse,” she thinks to herself, as she lands on the ground, kicking him in the mid-section, doubling him over. “This carnage all around me just shows how dangerous he is. The only hope I have is to hit him fast and hard…keep him off balance and hope that I can take him down before he takes us all out.”
Black Widow leaps into the air, extending her leg and kicking Graviton in the face, driving him back with the impact of her kick. Graviton takes an involuntary step back, but raises his head, looking over at Black Widow, with rage burning in his eyes. “I have already taken out your most powerful members,” Graviton comments harshly. “Do you really think you can survive against me?!”
“I don’t think I was doing too badly, actually,” Black Widow responds, as she sends out another widow’s sting. This one, however, is blocked by the gravimetric force field. It deflects from the force field, much to her dismay.
“As you can see,” Graviton retorts, moving his arm upward, in a simple gesture that directs the force of gravity against his foe, sending Black Widow flying directly back, where she slams against the wall of the skyscraper behind her, slumping to the ground. “That situation has changed.”
Graviton gravitates over towards where he sent Black Widow, his eyes scanning around him. “Hmm,” Graviton remarks, perplexed, as a shadow is cast across the building he is nearing, causing the area to grow darker, slowly. “It is too early in the day for the sun to be casting such a shadow. I’m not aware of any eclipse today.”
However, the area around Graviton grows darker and darker. Before he can move, he is completely encompassed by darkness. His eyes grow wide, as he realizes that the darkness is unnatural. Worse, he realizes, with some small measure of shock: “The darkness…is alive!” Unconsciously, he intensifies the gravimetric force field surrounding him.
Outside of the field of darkness, Darkstar floats in the air, directing her dark force energy downward, encircling Graviton. The dark force energy, once dispersed widely along the buildings and covering a larger area, becomes more condensed, as Darkstar focuses her power around the now unseen villain.
“Great show, Darkstar!” Angel calls out.
“Yeah!” Ice Man tosses in, enthusiastically, raising his fist in anticipation. “Way to go!”
“If you could hold off the cheerleading section,” Angel says, directing his attention at the younger Ice Man, “you might do more good by actually helping her. This is the first time we’ve had him on the defense. Let’s keep him that way.”
Ice Man smiles under his icy sheath, even as his icy fingers start to shimmer and smoke. “Yeah, I can handle that!”
So saying, Ice Man sends out a series of ice spikes, into the very center of Darkstar’s dark energy attack. “I can’t see him, but I can figure out where he probably is!” Ice Man reasons.
Darkstar looks down at her target with furrowed brow. She concentrates her power onto Graviton, using her dark force energy to condense closer and closer around Graviton, who cannot see outside of the cocoon of darkness that surrounds him, encompassing him.
“You’re doing great!” Angel urges Darkstar, as he takes to the air, flying up to where she is still floating. “Keep the pressure on him.”
“I’m trying, Angel,” she responds. “I need to try to end this as quickly as I can, though. It’s not easy keeping him trapped like this. He’s trying to force his way out.”
“Don’t let him,” Angel says simply.
“You make it sounds easy,” Darkstar comments, allowing a slight smile. “I just wish it was.”
Ice Man, meanwhile, continues to direct his attack against the unseen Graviton. He sends out wave after wave of ice spikes at Graviton! He then gestures downward, creating an ice bridge, so that he can attack from a different angle. Directly above Graviton, he sends out another wave of ice spikes at his foe, even as the dark force surrounding him contracts further, surrounding Graviton so closely that it is an oval shape directly around him.
“At least she made him an easier target,” Ice Man ponders, as he keeps sending out his ice spikes, which disappear into the dark energy, and keep pressure on Graviton.
Even as the battle is raging, Ice Man is distracted by a loud sound that shakes the very foundation of the area, creating slight fissures in his ice bridge. He quickly reinforces it with his ice powers, however.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
“Oh hell,” Ice man comments, shaking his head with disdain. “The last thing we need right now is an earthquake.”
Darkstar looks down for a moment, but Angel shakes his head, urging her to continue. “I don’t know what that is, but I’ll keep an eye on it,” Angel comments. “Just keep the pressure on Graviton.”
Darkstar nods, and Angel does as he promises, looking down. What he sees surprises him. He sees the pavement below them start to crack. Soon, it splits open, and a powerful hand appears on the side of the large fissure. It is soon joined by another hand, which pulls a familiar figure up from the ground below.
“Hercules!” Angel calls out. “I’m glad to see you!”
“And I thee, my friend,” Hercules returns. He looks over at the dark figure before him, hidden by Darkstar’s powers. Angel looks down, nodding at him, and Hercules smiles. “Aye, I had hoped that the battle was still raging,” Hercules notes. “And Zeus shines on me this day. ‘Tis time to deliver the gift of combat!”
Even as Hercules makes his way towards the black-covered Graviton, Johnny Blaze awakens, shaking off the pounding in his head, as he slowly gets to his feet, looking around to see the damage caused by Graviton’s rampage, and the subsequent battle with his teammates.
“This is insane,” Johnny remarks, as he lifts his bike from the ground. “Warren’s been so concerned about our image, and marketing our team to the people of Los Angeles…then we have a battle that wrecks downtown L.A.!” He sits on his motorcycle, and with a thought, bursts into flames, his face converting into a skull, and his entire body—and his motorcycle—covered in demonic flames.
“It doesn’t matter now,” Ghost Rider says, in his unearthly voice. “Graviton will soon be finished!”
Hercules stands in front of the encircled Graviton, leaning towards him, as he starts pounding a series of blows into the black substance surrounding Graviton. Within the confines of the dark force energy, Graviton squints his eyes in pain, having difficulty concentrating on keeping his force field in place, with the sheer power of Hercules’ attack, as well as the constricting force of the dark energy surrounding him.
“How is this possible?!” he demands. “I am not able to push this strange black energy away from me…even with my force field!”
With each blow from Hercules, the sound is akin to thunderclaps, as Hercules’ powerful fists, known to crush mountains, slam against Graviton’s force field, passing effortlessly through the dark force energy and slamming directly into the force field, causing him to stagger back involuntarily, as he raises his hand, trying to keep his force field in place, but feeling it start to buckle under the punishment.
Unseen by Graviton, Ghost Rider circles around behind him, and sends out a blast of his fiery energy at the villain, striking through the dark force energy, and slamming into the back of his force field. As he continues to send out the hellfire, the temperature rises around Graviton, threatening to reach him even through his force field, already weakened by Hercules’ repeated blows.
Darkstar still levitates over the ground above Graviton, continuing to unleash her dark force energy, but she is visibly shaken. Her hands are starting to tremble, and she is having difficulty focusing. Her eyes blink rapidly, as she tries to remain aloft, and fight off an urge for unconsciousness.
The Angel notices this, and circles under her, at precisely the right moment. He catches her, just as she passes out from the strain of holding up her dark force energy against the master of gravity. “Whoa…good thing I saw that coming!” the Angel notes, as he flies down to the ground, where he lays the lovely mutant heroine out of the ground before them.
As Darkstar collapses, the dark matter starts to dissipate. However, Hercules and Ghost Rider, on opposite sides of the villain, continue to put pressure on the villain, whose force field visibly buckles. He does not have the opportunity to celebrate the fall of Darkstar. Even as he starts to be able to see past the dark mists, the last thing he sees is Hercules’ fist coming at his face. It passes through the faltering force field and slams into his jaw! Graviton is sent flying through the air, unconscious before he hits the ground near Ghost Rider, skidding across the floor!
“Wow!” the Angel calls out. “That was some punch, Herc!” Behind him, Ice Man walks across the ground towards Hercules and the Angel, even as Ghost Rider leans down, making sure that Ghost Rider is unconscious.
“Aye,” Hercules returns. “’Twas only a matter of time ‘ere the prince of power put down yon scoundrel!”
“Not bad, fellas!” Ice Man comments, nodding. “I guess this’ll put the Champions on the map.”
“Quite a victory,” Johnny Blaze agrees, returning to normal, as he gets to his feet.
“If you want to call this a victory,” Black Widow comments, walking over to them, looking around at the scenes of devastation.
“No doubt about it,” the Angel agrees, allowing a slight smile, as he shakes his head. “This’ll definitely give our P.R. man the chance to earn his paycheck.”
“Nothing like job security,” Ice Man chimes in, smiling under his icy sheath.
# # # # # # # # # #
EPILOGUE
♪Theme Music: “Danger Money” By UK♪
In the den at Champions headquarters, the group takes some time to relax after their battle with Graviton. Iceman sits on the sofa, his arm draped across the back of the sofa, as he turns to face Black Widow, who has just taken a seat at the small circular table in the adjacent dining room. Darkstar sits at his side. Hercules stands in the center of the room, accompanied by Johnny Blaze, as they discuss aspects of the battle.
Angel stands near the window, overlooking the city below. His hand is outstretched, as he leans against the wall near the window. Black Goliath stands with him, nodding, as they continue a conversation.
“Bill,” Angel offers, smiling amicably, “I enjoyed fighting with you again.”
“Yeah, it was kind of nice to fight with the Champions again,” Black Goliath returns. “Sorry to say that I didn’t do much against Graviton, though.”
“If that was a litmus test, must of us would’ve failed it,” Angel returns, shrugging.
“Yeah, I suppose so,” Black Goliath responds. “He’s a tough customer. You’ve got a good group here.”
“We’ve got a nice lab too,” Angel comments.
“Yeah,” Black Goliath responds, as he sips on his ice tea. “I think you mentioned that.”
“In fact,” Angel continues, with renewed salesmanship, “we’ve got a mystery that happened in the lab that I wanted to discuss with you…”
“Hmm,” Black Goliath responds, placing his tea glass down on a small end table. “What kind of mystery?”
Angel smiles, as if he’s just hooked a fish on a line. He places his hand on Black Goliath’s back. “Let’s head to the lab so I can show you.” As he walks towards the stairwell, he winks at Black Widow, who nods in understanding.
As they pull open the door leading to the stairwell, they are surprised to see Ivan stagger out. He is wearing a tattered sweater, and has bruises on his face and arms. He staggers forward, and Angel quickly catches him, preventing him from falling to the ground.
Black Widow leaps from her seat, rushing over with a chair for her friend. Angel guides him to the chair and helps him have a seat. He lowers his head, as he tries to catch his breath.
“Ivan!” Black Widow exclaims. “Are you all right?!”
“I’ll be fine, Natasha,” Ivan responds. His voice is hushed, and he is clearly tired.
“Who did this to you—the KGB?” she asks, concerned and angry at the sight of her friend in this condition.
“No,” Ivan replies. “A much more elite group. The KGB is not even aware of their existence.”
Iceman and Angel look on, trading glances at the statement, and clearly interested in what Ivan has to say. Hercules looks down at Ivan, his face reflecting anger at the sight of his friend in such a state.
“What is this about, Ivan?” Black Widow asks. “That the Black Guard would come here?”
Ivan nods. “They were trying to stop me from reaching you,” Ivan explains. “And telling you that he’s alive.”
“What?!” Black Widow asks, stunned by what he is saying. “Do you mean…?”
“Yes, Natasha,” Ivan responds, looking up at the lovely Black Widow, whose eyes widen as Ivan continues to talk. “The Winter Soldier has returned!”
NEXT ISSUE: The Champions go to the Soviet Union and battle the Commies!
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CABLES OF CHAMPIONS
This issue ends the first story arc in 70s Champions. I’d like to say, once again, that I sincerely appreciate all of the support both the readers and editorial staff at Marvel 2000 have shown for this title. I appreciate the Readers Choice Award for #1 and #2, and hope that I can continue to provide you with stories that you enjoy. Of course, it’s your duty to keep me honest. :-) Your comments, suggestions, and questions are always very much welcome and appreciated at [email protected].
As I said in a previous letters page, in order to fully get into this title, you have to have the mindset that this series takes place in 1978. That means—with one exception (as I alluded to in that same column)—that continuity will be as it was then. You’ll see plenty of examples of that in issues to come, and it might be a challenge for some readers. But, hopefully, it will be fun as well. The exception starts next issue, as I tie into some of the back-history of Black Widow, and Winter Soldier, that have come to light in the past few years. And, I think you’ll see that it will have some major impact on the Champions in the issues to come.
I have some plans for some 70s characters to appear in these pages, and for some groups/characters as they existed in 1978. However, if there is something you’d especially like to see, drop me a line and let me know.
For the moment, though, I’d like to thank you all again for your support of this title. It’s a lot of fun to write, and I hope it will be enjoyable for you as well.
~Jeff Melton