"This wasn't part of the deal, you maniac!" Eric Williams growled. Bill Foster was gone. Eric had sent him off to come up with something that might be capable of draining the radiation swelling inside Nuklo's body. And now a demon was in his place, smirking at Eric as he paced nervously behind his desk.
"Our deal consisted of providing you with an adequate threat for your heroes to deal with. Nothing was said about helping your heroes defeat said threat," Mephisto replied. His body morphed into that of a tree with a serpent hanging from a low branch, a piece of fruit wrapped by a coil of scales. "You took the apple, Adam. Now deal with the consequences."
"Damn you, demon!" Eric fumed. "I won't let you-"
"Won't let me?" Mephisto reverted back to his reddened form and laughed aloud. "You don't have a choice, my simple friend. If I were you, I'd catch the first flight out of town. Because your heroes don't stand a chance of averting nuclear winter in Los Angeles."
The body of Mephisto began to ignite. Flames engulfed him, and within moments the demon had been reduced to nothing more than ashes, blown away by a gust of wind that came from nowhere.
"And dead or alive… I always collect on my debts."
Bringing out the Dead
Conclusionby Mike Exner III
Wonder Man turned ankles-over-head in a winding somersault that sent him tumbling through the air. He crashed roughly into a parked car that had been abandoned by its owner. The metal crumpled around his ionic form.
"My car!" a man yelled from the barricades erected a hundred feet away. "You wrecked my car, you freak!"
The Black Knight hobbled over to him. "I told you that wouldn't work, Simon."
Wonder Man rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah." He rubbed his neck gingerly. "That energy Nuklo's exuding has a lot more kick to it now. The radiation is so intense I can't even get near him through the air."
He pulled himself out of the man-sized dent he'd made in the door of the automobile and looked at Dane. The Black Knight was in bad shape. His face was badly swollen, and although he was trying to hide it, it looked as if it were a struggle for him to move, to breath… anything.
"We should probably get you to a hospital, Dane. I can fly you there and be back here before Nuklo goes nuclear. Hopefully-"
"Hopefully nothing, Simon," the Black Knight snapped. "I'm not going anywhere. I've taken worse beatings, and I have to be here. We've got to figure out how to stop this together."
Simon frowned. "Maybe if I approach him on foot. The energy cascade is flying out in all directions, but it's mostly firing straight up into the air. I could probably sneak underneath."
"And do what?" Dane said. "There's no way to reason with him. Look at him."
Dane pointed, and Simon did look. Nuklo's face was torn, a mask of agony. His body was trembling spasmodically as ribbons of energy leaked from his thirty-foot form. The luminescence had intensified. It was almost impossible to look directly at the irradiated juggernaut.
Simon looked behind him in the direction of the man who was still flinging obscenities towards them over his wrecked automobile. A mass of people had gathered to watch the scene. The only thing keeping them from coming closer were a few shabbily erected barricades Simon had formed by tearing down a half-dozen or so lampposts, crisscrossing the metal by twisting it with his ionic muscles.
"Are you people insane?" Simon hollered, pointing in the direction of the suffering behemoth. "This man is going to explode! Get out of here!"
"Simon," Dane whispered vehemently, placing a hand on Simon's forearm. "That's not going to help matters any."
"Well what the hell else are we supposed to do? We can't stop him from going off. We have to get those people out of here."
"We got them as far away as we could," Speedball said from behind them. "But people can only be pushed so far. And this show," Speedball pointed a thumb at Nuklo, "is just too darn good to miss. If we don't want them Kentucky-fried in the next hour or so, we better come up with a way to shut the big fella down."
"I'm open to suggestions, hero," Dane said. "If I was able to study the energy he's exuding, I might be able to come up with some way to negate it, siphon it away. But the intensity has increased at least ten-fold since we first engaged him. Simon's getting batted around like a toy whenever he gets close. And he's the strongest of any of us."
"Well," Speedball rolled his shoulder and elbow like a breakdancer, and a bubble of kinetic energy as big around as a bowling ball separated from his field and fell into his palm. "I have no idea. You're the science whiz."
"What the hell is that?" Simon said, eyeing the bubble of kinetic force cautiously.
"New trick I learned recently," Speedball replied. "If I focus, I can break of chunks of my energy field, if I stuff enough energy into them, they even explode." Speedball tossed the ball of energy casually in Simon's direction.
"Hey!" Simon yelped, taking flight in order to avoid the explosion he was sure would occur. "Dane, look ou--!"
The bubble hit the ground, but instead of exploding, it bounced, forcefully, hurtling into the air and colliding with Simon's midsection. The hero rolled with the impact, and the ball continued skyward. Soon the globe was out of sight.
Speedball grinned. "Cool, huh?"
"Won't seem so cool when I'm kickin' your teeth in, ya little-"
"Hold it," Dane said. He was staring at Speedball now. There was a glint of something in his eyes.
"Wait a second," Simon said. "I know that look." Speedball looked up at Simon. Simon looked at Dane. Dane was looking at Speedy.
Robbie rolled his eyes. "Well… spit it out! What the heck are you thinking?"
"I'm thinking maybe we don't have to negate the energy at all," Dane said, a thin smile forming around the corners of his mouth. "Maybe, just maybe… we can deflect it."
"So I'm sayin', Bridget. This probably the last time we'll even be together. News was trippin' like that glowin' cracka was fixin' ta explode and take all us wit 'im. Fo real. We should take advantage."
"Since when do you believe all the things the news spits, Zachary?" Bridget replied as she looked beyond the youthful man leaning towards her with his hand planted on the wall behind her head. The crazy yellow glow had only intensified as the day had grown later. The news had said that if the man known as Nuklo exploded, it'd be the end for all of them, but it had also said that there were heroes there. Working to stop it. And Bridget had faith. There was a Jay-Z concert later on that night she'd scored tickets to, so she had to have faith.
"Yo, cool off all that Zachary trash. It's Z-dogg, aiight?"
"Yeah, whateva," Bridget replied, rolling her eyes. "I ain't got time ta- look out!"
Wha--?" the youth grunted, as Bridget shoved Z-dogg as hard as she could. They both tumbled off of the sidewalk, just as a limousine came barreling past.
"Hey! You crazy!?" Z-dogg yelled after the speeding automobile as it brushed along the front of a building, spitting sparks, plowed through a mailbox, and then swerved back onto the road. He looked back to Bridget and grinned. "Damn, girl. You like Wonder Woman. Doin' that hero thang. Does this mean you love me?"
"Man, get off me," Bridget said, giving Z-dogg a playful shove. "People crazy out here tonight."
"Drive thine chariot, Horace Jasper!" Hercules intoned, his feet and hands were braced tightly against the cabin of the car. "Drive like the winds swirling 'pon the perilous peaks of fabled Mount Olympus were at your heel!"
"I-I'm trying, Mr. Hercules," Horace Jasper muttered through clenched teeth. "But I almost hit those youngsters. If they hadn't darted out the way-"
"Aye," Hercules nodded. "'Twas a close shave. Perhaps the Prince of Power should tighten his harness."
Horace Jasper smiled. "Just hold onto your butt, sir. Because I see us a barricade ahead."
Horace slammed his foot down on the accelerator. The limousine roared forward. The elderly limo-driver angled the car off of the sidewalk and back into the middle of the street. Hercules straightened in his seat.
"Horace Jasper. It… appears as though denizens of this city stride in our path. We dare not mow them down like ewes."
"I see them, Mr. Hercules. Let's see if the national symbol for 'get the hell out the way' moves them none." Horace leaned on the horn. It blared out roughly, and Horace thumbed the switch for the lights off and on rapidly. The people gathered around the barricade turned in surprise, and then scrambled for cover as the limousine gained speed.
"Brace yourself, Mr. Hercules," Horace hollered, then the limousine burst into the barrier, the grille of the automobile battering the twisted lampposts, exposing wiring as the metal shredded around the car. The left front wheel of the limousine ran over the jagged strips of metal, popping the tire. Horace struggled to maintain control of the car as it keeled off to one side and skidded. Hercules glanced in the side view mirror. A lamppost was trailing behind them, caught up in the wheel well.
"Not the most noble of entrances," Hercules said.
"The best we humble mortals can do in a pinch, Mr. Hercules. I- whoa!"
Horace slammed on the brakes, the car fishtailed a complete 180 degrees, narrowly avoiding the three men standing in the middle of the road. Hercules' face was pressed firmly to the glass, but he noted the three men - two familiar, one a mystery - looking on in shock as the car flew past.
"Friend Dane and Simon! And another! Stop thine chariot, Horace Jasper, so that we may greet them."
Horace grit his teeth, and tightened his grip on the steering wheel. "I'm trying, Mr. Hercules. But she doesn't much want to respond. I think we're gonna cra--!"
But Horace never finished his sentence. His words were lost as the car jolted to an abrupt stop. The breath exploded from his lungs, pressed out forcefully by the restrictive safety belt lashed over his chest as it halted his forward momentum.
"By my father's beard! The Prince of Power hath cleaved his lip in two!" Hercules' muffled voice wailed. Horace looked over at him. The demi-god was buried face first in the dashboard. The driver side door popped off of its hinges like the cap from a bottle of beer. Standing there was a man, glowing as fiercely as a miniature star, as blue as the sea in the middle of the afternoon.
"Oh quit crying, Herc," the blue man said, flashing a brilliant smile. "At least you arrived in time for the fireworks."
"The debt has been paid," Mephisto hissed. The gentleman standing in shadow in Mephisto's lair smiled. The demon could only tell because of the glimmering white slash that appeared in the inky black.
"Come now, Mephisto. Why so glum? My master would be disheartened by your shoddy attitude."
"Your master should be fortunate I agreed to this bargain at all, worm," Mephisto spat. "Long has my business been reserved for humanity, not swine such as you."
"Swine?" the voice in the darkness replied, a twinkle of laughter in its words. "Surely you jest, lord of Hell. There can be no nobler assemblage than that which my master calls his brothers. What was asked of my master was done, so it is only natural that your part in the bargain should be upheld as well."
"And it has been," Mephisto growled. "Now begone from my realm, before I forget that your master and I made a bargain at all, and roast you over my fire like a pig on a spit."
There was a gasp, and the slash of white invading the darkness winked out of existence. But Mephisto kept his glowering eyes fixed on the spot for a long time afterward. And his mind turned to revenge.
"How am I ever going to explain this to my boss?" Horace muttered as he examined the damage done to his limousine. Scratches lined the paint, fenders, doors, the grille was bashed in, handprints were punched in the trunk where the hero, Wonder Man, had grabbed hold of the vehicle to stop it. The tire was a shambles. Horace had gathered the spare from the trunk, and a jack, and was busy trying to replace the tire.
"Fear not, Horace Jasper!" Hercules called from over his shoulder as he lumbered over to Dane and the spindly youth standing next to him. "The Prince of Power shalt not leave thee in the lurch."
"Whatever that means," Horace muttered, wiping a sleeve over his brow, and then resumed his task.
"Now that Hercules is here, I think this has a shot of working," Dane said. He was hunched over the remains of his photonic sword. His fingers were pressed to his chin. He looked for all the world a man lost in thought.
"What has a shot at working?" Speedball exclaimed. "All I know is one second you're talking about how there's no way in hell you're going to be able to turn off the giant Lite-Brite going nuclear behind us without a few hours worth of research, and now a dude in a leotard shows up-"
Hercules cracked his knuckles audibly.
"…Right. Um, no offense Mr. Hercules, sir. Sorry. But still! What's the plan? What the heck are we going to do?"
"My apologies, Speedball. I should have been a little clearer," Dane said as he straightened and scanned the front of the battered stores lining the block. "But I'm going to need both you and Hercules to pull this off. And I also need all the time I have to think this thing through. So give me a minute."
Dane tore off, limping badly, towards one of the establishments that had been ravaged by the recent battle. The other three heroes followed closely behind.
Hercules glanced backward, where Horace Jasper was jacking up the limousine and preparing to put on a spare. Hercules had offered to assist him, but the elderly gentleman was more capable than he seemed, and had shooed Hercules away. Still, the man was a prime example of the nobility humanity could possess. And he would not be blamed for the help he had granted Hercules on this day, or the damage it had done to his conveyance.
"Hercules, I need your brawn," Dane said, and Hercules stepped forward, clearing his mind of the thoughts muddling his brain. There was a crisis, and none could be counted on more readily than the Son of Zeus.
"Take a hold of this awning, Herc," Dane said, pointing to the storefront. "Hopefully a few of the things I'll need are in here."
Hercules hefted the bulky mass, and Dane hunched down, and slipped inside the store.
"What do you want us to do?" Speedball hollered after him.
"Stay there!" Dane's voice said from the darkness of the store. "Keep an eye on the big fella."
"Oh. Okay." Speedball turned around, his kinetic field flared, shoving Simon and propelling Robbie into the air as a blast of radiation tore through the space they'd occupied a moment before. It slammed into the store beside the one Dane had just entered, collapsing it entirely, and barely missing the straining back and shoulders of Hercules.
"'Twas a close shave," Hercules intoned, his beard framing a wide smile.
"That gives you a thrill!?" Speedball screeched from the top of the lamppost he was clinging to.
"Thanks for the save, Speedy," Wonder Man said. "Now get down here. That was a big flare. I don't think we have much time left. He's probably building up for the last hurrah."
Speedball dropped to the ground. "So what do you want to do?"
"See if I can talk to him. I know Dane said to keep away, but if Nuklo can give us some kind of sign that he's trying to fight what's happening to him, or maybe some clue as to how to stop him from going critical…"
"You really think that'll work?"
"No."
"Yeah, so I'm going to wait here, okay?"
Simon gripped Robbie by the collar of his shirt. "C'mon, squirt."
"Look, seriously, this just doesn't seem like the brightest of ideas, Wondy," Speedball said, struggling to dig his heels into the pavement. "That thing hasn't said a word since this all started. And I've taken more shots in one day with you Avenger-types than I have in weeks with my team. Let's go raid Starbucks. I worked there once. I make a killer latte."
"You're really pathetic, you know that?" Simon muttered as the two men approached the glimmering form of Nuklo. The power was being drawn in again. Small amounts of energy flared from his towering form, but it would be a few minutes at least until the energy would cascade at a pitch dangerous to either hero.
"Nuklo!" Simon yelled. "Robert! I know you can hear me! I need you to listen to me! To respond if you can! The Black Knight and I know what's happening to you. And you're going to explode if you can't stop it!"
Nuklo shuddered, as a ripple of energy slithered up his spine and shot into the air. Robbie looked at Simon. "I don't think this is gonna work, Wonderbread."
"Give it a second. I think I'm getting through to-- hey!" Simon said as Nuklo squeezed his hands into fists and dashed them onto the ground. The shockwave flung Wonder Man and Robbie to the ground.
"I cannot--! Cannot stop it!" the behemoth wailed, staring fixedly at the two small forms before him. "You must… must destroy me, Avenger. It is the only way. I have known death. I do not fear it. Release… me…"
Wonder Man let go of a breath he hadn't known he was holding. "We can't kill you, Robert. We-"
"Wonder Man! Speedball!" Dane yelled from the storefront. Dane was standing there, a basket of items held in his arms. Hercules let the awning drop, and it crashed heavily to the ground. "I need you back here… now!"
"You okay there, old timer?" Speedball hollered over to the elderly fellow as the two heroes scrambled back to the Knight. "You might want to get a move on. I think things are about to get even weirder than they already are."
"I hear you, sonny," Horace replied as he dropped the car back onto her wheels. "Think it might be time for Mrs. Jaspers' little boy to get out of here." Horace paced to the driver side of the automobile and climbed in. He looked wistfully at the door of the limo lying on the ground a few feet away, then twisted the key in the ignition, hit the gas, and reversed towards the remnants of the barricade.
Hercules watched his friend flee, and then grinned as Horace came to a stop just outside the reach of the barrier and climbed out of the car. He looked on with the few remaining stragglers.
"All hope is not lost, sir knight," Hercules said.
Dane nodded grimly. "Let's hope not, Herc. Let's hope not."
"What's the plan, leader man?" Speedball said as they gathered once again around the remnants of Dane's photonic sword.
Dane leaned down, and began using the tools he'd acquired from the store to manipulate the circuitry of the sword hilt. "This sword applies energy in a variety of ways. The photonic particles that encompass it are held intact by a net of neural inhibitors that give the blade its unique properties."
"Hmmmmm," Speedball said, clutching his chin thoughtfully. "Und zat ees veeeery eenteresting, Dr. Zhitman. But how the heck is it supposed to help us?"
"Listen and learn, kid," Wonder Man replied, nudging Speedball with an elbow.
"I've been able to reverse the polarity of the sword on occasion in the past. It sends the photonic energy cascading over my arm, granting me a semblance of superior strength. But in order to do that on a consistent basis, without overloading the sword, I've had to tweak the energy output. Give it a little wider scope. Even add in an alternate means of gathering energy, an absorber of sorts. It usually takes its cue from solar energy provided by the sun. But…"
Dane finished his adjustments, then fixed an object to the back of the sword. It looked to Speedball like the business end of a vacuum cleaner.
"What's that supposed to be?"
Dane smiled. "If it works, you'll see soon enough." Dane pointed the device at Speedball. "Activate your kinetic field, Robbie."
"What? Why?"
"I beseech thee, child, do as Dane Whitman demands!" Hercules thundered.
"Yeesh! Okay already," Robbie said, and then slapped his palm against his thigh. The kinetic energy rose from his form, bubbling over his fingers, and spreading to cover his entire thin frame.
"Simon, grab the sword," Dane said, thumbing the power switch on his photonic blade. "I don't think I'll be able to hold it." He looked at Speedball. "Now. I want you to send a bit of that energy you showed us before into the sword. Just a small amount."
"Okay," Speedball said. He focused, and a tiny bubble of kinetic energy formed in his hands. He let it go, and it flew into the sword. For a moment, nothing happened, then the sword flared, and a burst of energy leapt from the handle. The energy struck a postal mailbox bolted firmly to the sidewalk. It gathered beneath it, and the bolts of the mailbox tore from the concrete, the blue box hurtling into the skyline.
"Uh oh. Government property. We're gonna pay for that one," Speedball said. "But I'll bite. How the heck did you do that?"
"By using your energy as a power source," Dane replied. "The basic principle of the sword is applying energy as a flare. All I had to do was disengage the process that surrounds the beam in neural inhibitors. Now instead of a sword of photonic energy…"
"You have a beam of concentrated kinetic energy," Robbie finished.
"Exactly."
"Kick. Ass!" Speedball exclaimed. "But what are we gonna do with it?"
"Isn't it obvious, Speedy?" Wonder Man responded. The mailbox crashed back to earth, slamming onto the roof of the store Dane had rooted through. They all jumped in surprise. "We're going to use it to get Nuklo as far away from here as we possibly can. Kill an innocent man. So he doesn't go nuclear in the middle of Los Angeles county."
"Simon-"
"Save it, Dane," Simon muttered. "I know, okay? I just don't like it."
"I don't like it very much either," Robbie said. "But we're still going to need a lot more energy if we're going to put shiny butt into orbit."
Dane grimaced, then nodded. "You think you're up to it?"
"Yeah. I think I am."
"Okay then. Simon, Herc. I need you both for this one. The amount of energy Speedy is going to focus into the sword is going to make it extremely volatile. There's no way I'd be able to hold onto it. And I don't think either of you could do it alone. You have to work together. And you have to hold your ground. No matter what."
"No worries, fearless leader," Wonder Man said, allowing the ionic energy to erupt around his powerful frame. "We got this."
"Tell that fool to step on it, Foster! We've got to get down there as soon as possible."
Bill Foster scowled. "I'm not your personal errand boy, Williams. Do it yourself."
"Fine, fine," Eric said with a snarl. He thumbed the intercom. "Driver! Get your rear in gear! You've got fifteen minutes to get me to ground zero or it's your job!"
Eric thumbed the button again, cutting the driver off in mid-babble. "Incompetents. I'm surrounded by incompetents."
"You really should learn to relax," Foster replied. "I thought supervillains were always surrounded by incompetent lackeys."
"Funny," Eric sneered. "If only the Champscraft was up and operational. We could have been on location in minutes."
"The techs are working on it around the clock, Eric. Twelve-hour shifts for most of them. And most of them were required to aid me with this energy inverter we threw together. Which, by the way, I'm not even sure will work on Nuklo. This little project of yours isn't an easy one. But, of course, you knew that when you decided to involve yourself. What's the issue?"
"I'm a supervillain, Bill," Eric replied with a wry smile. "We're notoriously moody."
Bill opened his mouth to reply, but Eric raised a hand and turned his head towards the window as the cityscape sped past. Bill shook his head in wonder. He felt the dimmest of tremors echo through the city, rattling the weapon he held in his lap. So he turned his eyes skyward. And he prayed.
"Keep her steady, Simon," squawked the voice of Dane Whitman through the miniature walkie-talkie clipped to the belt of Speedball's jeans. "Robbie has to pour a buttload of energy into a relatively small space. We need to be as precise as possible."
"I hear you, Dane," Simon replied, "but it's getting hotter than ever out here. I think Nuklo is starting to go critical."
"Aye," Hercules added, "'tis as though the wheels of Helios himself were turning before our brittle eyes."
"You're doing great, guys. Just a few feet more. Then we hand the reins over to you, Speedy."
"Yeah, no pressure there, BK. Thanks," Speedball muttered as the three of them took another step forward in unison.
"Activate the sword, Simon," Dane's voice crackled. "I reactivated the inhibitors, and gave them a wider range. Hopefully they'll keep Nuklo motionless and hold the kinetic energy bottled in long enough for us to pull this off."
Wonder Man pressed the switch on the side of the photonic sword, and it hummed to life. "Check."
"Okay, stop there, you guys. You're as close as you need to be."
Speedball looked up. The towering form of Nuklo was shadowing them in the dim light of the faltering day. "And as close as I wanna be," he muttered. "I guess that's my cue."
"You can do it, Speedball. Just concentrate. And let it go."
"Aye, my young friend," Hercules intoned. "And know the Prince of Power is with thee. Our noble assemblage shalt struggle together this day!"
"That's, uh… great, big guy. Appreciate it," Robbie said, and then he closed his eyes, shook his limbs out. He twisted his neck, heard the satisfying pop, and set his teeth. "Let's do it!"
The energy burst forth from his spindly frame, and Robbie focused, struggling to concentrate the volatile energy into as narrow a space as he could.
"That's a good start, kid. But I need you to pour it on. I need everything you got inside."
Robbie nodded, then let loose. The bubbling kinetic power flooded into the device meant to catch it, the dark blue hilt of the sword shuddered, vibrating powerfully. Wonder Man and Hercules bore down on it, applying enough pressure to keep the sword from slipping from their grasp, but taking caution not to hold it too tightly. For if the fragile device shattered in their hands…
"We're screwed!" Robbie yelled as the energy began to flood over the lip of the vacuum attachment. The bubbles of kinetic energy impacted the hands of Wonder Man and Hercules. The shaking intensified, and Wonder Man looked back at Robbie. Speedball saw the panic he was feeling echoed in Simon's eyes.
"Focus, Robbie! You've got to control the energy!" The Black Knight's voice sounded, barely audible over the vibrating cacophony.
"I don't know if I can! It's too powerful for me. I'm-"
"As of right now you're an Avenger, kid! Now act like one! Hold that energy in check!"
Speedball squeezed his eyes shut. The energy flaring around him was angry. He'd never tried to control it quite like this before. His entire nature was that of the off-the-wall, unpredictable x-factor. He'd never been asked to do a specific task, to utilize his powers in such a controlled manner. He let his mind go blank. He was thinking too much. When he was a Warrior, he just let things flow. It wasn't that much tougher now. He could do it. He was sure of it. He-
"You're doing it, Speedy. You're doing it!
Speedball opened his eyes. Nuklo was drifting off to sleep. The energy was still building inside of him, but he wasn't struggling to escape, or flee the energy beginning to surround him. His eyes caught Robbie's, and in them the young hero saw understanding. Nuklo had strived to be a hero once. And now he was making the ultimate sacrifice.
"Go in peace, Robert Frank," Hercules said in a trembling voice. "The light of Zeus shines upon thee."
"Wonder Man. Deactivate the field," Dane Whitman said from Robbie's hip. Simon thumbed the power switch, the shaking abruptly ceased.
The energy remaining in the sword blew it to pieces. The kinetic flux still surrounding Speedball blew out in all directions, scattering Hercules, Wonder Man and Robbie, propelling them through the air. Only Dane Whitman, and a handful of innocent bystanders were witness to the death of Robert Frank Jr. The man known as Nuklo.
The kinetic energy gathered beneath him, now completely unconfined by the inhibitors, flared exponentially, encompassing the entirety of Robert Frank's massive body. The juggernaut was propelled into the sky at a dizzying pace, the kinetic force pushing him into the upper reaches of the atmosphere within seconds. Dane Whitman turned around, motioning for the people gathered at the barricade to shield their eyes. He ducked his head, pressing his face into the crook of his elbow.
And Nuklo lit the night sky.
"Let me through here. Let me through, please," Bill Foster said as he pushed and prodded his way through the large crowd that had gathered around the massive crater bored in the street. He ran into a police sawhorse set up as a makeshift barricade. An officer eyed him warily.
"Can't come any further, sir. The heat from that monster melted the street into a puddle of goo. Whatever those heroes did cleared out the radiation, but the heat isn't going anywhere for a while."
"Officer, Wonder Man is my half-cousin! I've got to see if he's okay," Bill said, beaming brightly. He threw a leg over the sawhorse, and the officer grabbed him by the shoulder.
"Hey! What the hell are you doing, buddy?" the officer exclaimed. Other officers were running to aid him. Bill looked off to one side, and saw Eric Williams sneaking around one of the emergency vehicles, making a beeline for the four heroes standing amidst a group of police officers and emergency personnel.
"As I was telling Detective McGee, we did what we felt was necessary to insure no further loss of life," the Black Knight said. He'd been answering questions for the better part of ten minutes, and it was getting a bit tiring. In New York, the PD stopped you, shook your hand, and let you on your way. But the LAPD seemed to handle things a bit differently. Wonder Man was the only one they seemed to show any regard at all.
"Excuse me," a voice said from behind him. Dane turned. Standing there, in a black Armani suit that fit him like he was born into it, was…
"Eric?" Simon Williams' mouth gaped open. "What…? What are you doing here?"
"You did this," Dane growled, gathering the smart suit in his fists and pulling Eric Williams towards him. "Sending Mephisto down to gloat wasn't enough for you? You had to-"
"Take your hands off of me, Whitman," Eric said as he dislodged Dane's fists from his suit. "I didn't have anything to do with what happened here today. In fact, I was riding over here to help in any way I could."
"Surely thou doth jest," Hercules blared. "Thou art a villain!"
"He's telling the truth, Hercules," Bill Foster said. He was approaching flanked by two officers. "I developed a siphoning device along with the R&D staff of LL Incorporated, hoping to-"
Dane blinked. "LL Incorporated? No. You… this can't be happening…"
"Mr. Whitman. Dane. Allow me the chance to explain," Eric said as he reached inside his suit and pulled out a business card. Dane looked at it with suspicion. He didn't take it, so Eric pressed it into his hand. "I am the President and CEO of LL Incorporated, Dane. And I want to hire you."
Dane looked down at the card. Then back at Williams. Then he punched him in the face.
NEXT ISSUE: Icepacks for everybody!
CHAMPION LOVERS
Only one letter this go round, this coming from the paragon saint of reviewers: Mr. Brent Lambert!
THE GOOD: Mike has these characters down pat. They all feel real and they just flow right for some reason. Mike doesn't seem to skip a beat. None of their actions ever seem wrong or anything. Mephisto showing up was a trip and a half since the demon lord hasn't been seen since his activities in Defenders and Wolverine. Good to see old red back in action.
I love ol' Red. I also love that chewing gum, Big Red. I also like Clifford, the Big Red Dog. So Mephisto was a natural choice as a villain for this series. And if you're paying attention, it doesn't look like the Big Red Machine is done causing mischief. I'd have it no other way.
THE BAD: Man something about Horace Jaspers just doesn't sit right with me. I don't know what it is, but there is more to that man than meets the eye.
Brent just doesn't like Horace very much. The poor old fella, getting his body frozen by goddesses, car wrecked by demi-gods, nearly blinded by nuclear explosions. And now this! You should be ashamed, Brent. Ashamed!
OVERALL: Once again, a solid issue. I can't ask for anything less. Glad to have you back Exner. Keep up the good work.
Glad to be back, Brent. Thanks for the kind words. I'll try not to let you down.
- Mike Exner III
11/18/2003
"Our deal consisted of providing you with an adequate threat for your heroes to deal with. Nothing was said about helping your heroes defeat said threat," Mephisto replied. His body morphed into that of a tree with a serpent hanging from a low branch, a piece of fruit wrapped by a coil of scales. "You took the apple, Adam. Now deal with the consequences."
"Damn you, demon!" Eric fumed. "I won't let you-"
"Won't let me?" Mephisto reverted back to his reddened form and laughed aloud. "You don't have a choice, my simple friend. If I were you, I'd catch the first flight out of town. Because your heroes don't stand a chance of averting nuclear winter in Los Angeles."
The body of Mephisto began to ignite. Flames engulfed him, and within moments the demon had been reduced to nothing more than ashes, blown away by a gust of wind that came from nowhere.
"And dead or alive… I always collect on my debts."
Bringing out the Dead
Conclusionby Mike Exner III
Wonder Man turned ankles-over-head in a winding somersault that sent him tumbling through the air. He crashed roughly into a parked car that had been abandoned by its owner. The metal crumpled around his ionic form.
"My car!" a man yelled from the barricades erected a hundred feet away. "You wrecked my car, you freak!"
The Black Knight hobbled over to him. "I told you that wouldn't work, Simon."
Wonder Man rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah." He rubbed his neck gingerly. "That energy Nuklo's exuding has a lot more kick to it now. The radiation is so intense I can't even get near him through the air."
He pulled himself out of the man-sized dent he'd made in the door of the automobile and looked at Dane. The Black Knight was in bad shape. His face was badly swollen, and although he was trying to hide it, it looked as if it were a struggle for him to move, to breath… anything.
"We should probably get you to a hospital, Dane. I can fly you there and be back here before Nuklo goes nuclear. Hopefully-"
"Hopefully nothing, Simon," the Black Knight snapped. "I'm not going anywhere. I've taken worse beatings, and I have to be here. We've got to figure out how to stop this together."
Simon frowned. "Maybe if I approach him on foot. The energy cascade is flying out in all directions, but it's mostly firing straight up into the air. I could probably sneak underneath."
"And do what?" Dane said. "There's no way to reason with him. Look at him."
Dane pointed, and Simon did look. Nuklo's face was torn, a mask of agony. His body was trembling spasmodically as ribbons of energy leaked from his thirty-foot form. The luminescence had intensified. It was almost impossible to look directly at the irradiated juggernaut.
Simon looked behind him in the direction of the man who was still flinging obscenities towards them over his wrecked automobile. A mass of people had gathered to watch the scene. The only thing keeping them from coming closer were a few shabbily erected barricades Simon had formed by tearing down a half-dozen or so lampposts, crisscrossing the metal by twisting it with his ionic muscles.
"Are you people insane?" Simon hollered, pointing in the direction of the suffering behemoth. "This man is going to explode! Get out of here!"
"Simon," Dane whispered vehemently, placing a hand on Simon's forearm. "That's not going to help matters any."
"Well what the hell else are we supposed to do? We can't stop him from going off. We have to get those people out of here."
"We got them as far away as we could," Speedball said from behind them. "But people can only be pushed so far. And this show," Speedball pointed a thumb at Nuklo, "is just too darn good to miss. If we don't want them Kentucky-fried in the next hour or so, we better come up with a way to shut the big fella down."
"I'm open to suggestions, hero," Dane said. "If I was able to study the energy he's exuding, I might be able to come up with some way to negate it, siphon it away. But the intensity has increased at least ten-fold since we first engaged him. Simon's getting batted around like a toy whenever he gets close. And he's the strongest of any of us."
"Well," Speedball rolled his shoulder and elbow like a breakdancer, and a bubble of kinetic energy as big around as a bowling ball separated from his field and fell into his palm. "I have no idea. You're the science whiz."
"What the hell is that?" Simon said, eyeing the bubble of kinetic force cautiously.
"New trick I learned recently," Speedball replied. "If I focus, I can break of chunks of my energy field, if I stuff enough energy into them, they even explode." Speedball tossed the ball of energy casually in Simon's direction.
"Hey!" Simon yelped, taking flight in order to avoid the explosion he was sure would occur. "Dane, look ou--!"
The bubble hit the ground, but instead of exploding, it bounced, forcefully, hurtling into the air and colliding with Simon's midsection. The hero rolled with the impact, and the ball continued skyward. Soon the globe was out of sight.
Speedball grinned. "Cool, huh?"
"Won't seem so cool when I'm kickin' your teeth in, ya little-"
"Hold it," Dane said. He was staring at Speedball now. There was a glint of something in his eyes.
"Wait a second," Simon said. "I know that look." Speedball looked up at Simon. Simon looked at Dane. Dane was looking at Speedy.
Robbie rolled his eyes. "Well… spit it out! What the heck are you thinking?"
"I'm thinking maybe we don't have to negate the energy at all," Dane said, a thin smile forming around the corners of his mouth. "Maybe, just maybe… we can deflect it."
"So I'm sayin', Bridget. This probably the last time we'll even be together. News was trippin' like that glowin' cracka was fixin' ta explode and take all us wit 'im. Fo real. We should take advantage."
"Since when do you believe all the things the news spits, Zachary?" Bridget replied as she looked beyond the youthful man leaning towards her with his hand planted on the wall behind her head. The crazy yellow glow had only intensified as the day had grown later. The news had said that if the man known as Nuklo exploded, it'd be the end for all of them, but it had also said that there were heroes there. Working to stop it. And Bridget had faith. There was a Jay-Z concert later on that night she'd scored tickets to, so she had to have faith.
"Yo, cool off all that Zachary trash. It's Z-dogg, aiight?"
"Yeah, whateva," Bridget replied, rolling her eyes. "I ain't got time ta- look out!"
Wha--?" the youth grunted, as Bridget shoved Z-dogg as hard as she could. They both tumbled off of the sidewalk, just as a limousine came barreling past.
"Hey! You crazy!?" Z-dogg yelled after the speeding automobile as it brushed along the front of a building, spitting sparks, plowed through a mailbox, and then swerved back onto the road. He looked back to Bridget and grinned. "Damn, girl. You like Wonder Woman. Doin' that hero thang. Does this mean you love me?"
"Man, get off me," Bridget said, giving Z-dogg a playful shove. "People crazy out here tonight."
"Drive thine chariot, Horace Jasper!" Hercules intoned, his feet and hands were braced tightly against the cabin of the car. "Drive like the winds swirling 'pon the perilous peaks of fabled Mount Olympus were at your heel!"
"I-I'm trying, Mr. Hercules," Horace Jasper muttered through clenched teeth. "But I almost hit those youngsters. If they hadn't darted out the way-"
"Aye," Hercules nodded. "'Twas a close shave. Perhaps the Prince of Power should tighten his harness."
Horace Jasper smiled. "Just hold onto your butt, sir. Because I see us a barricade ahead."
Horace slammed his foot down on the accelerator. The limousine roared forward. The elderly limo-driver angled the car off of the sidewalk and back into the middle of the street. Hercules straightened in his seat.
"Horace Jasper. It… appears as though denizens of this city stride in our path. We dare not mow them down like ewes."
"I see them, Mr. Hercules. Let's see if the national symbol for 'get the hell out the way' moves them none." Horace leaned on the horn. It blared out roughly, and Horace thumbed the switch for the lights off and on rapidly. The people gathered around the barricade turned in surprise, and then scrambled for cover as the limousine gained speed.
"Brace yourself, Mr. Hercules," Horace hollered, then the limousine burst into the barrier, the grille of the automobile battering the twisted lampposts, exposing wiring as the metal shredded around the car. The left front wheel of the limousine ran over the jagged strips of metal, popping the tire. Horace struggled to maintain control of the car as it keeled off to one side and skidded. Hercules glanced in the side view mirror. A lamppost was trailing behind them, caught up in the wheel well.
"Not the most noble of entrances," Hercules said.
"The best we humble mortals can do in a pinch, Mr. Hercules. I- whoa!"
Horace slammed on the brakes, the car fishtailed a complete 180 degrees, narrowly avoiding the three men standing in the middle of the road. Hercules' face was pressed firmly to the glass, but he noted the three men - two familiar, one a mystery - looking on in shock as the car flew past.
"Friend Dane and Simon! And another! Stop thine chariot, Horace Jasper, so that we may greet them."
Horace grit his teeth, and tightened his grip on the steering wheel. "I'm trying, Mr. Hercules. But she doesn't much want to respond. I think we're gonna cra--!"
But Horace never finished his sentence. His words were lost as the car jolted to an abrupt stop. The breath exploded from his lungs, pressed out forcefully by the restrictive safety belt lashed over his chest as it halted his forward momentum.
"By my father's beard! The Prince of Power hath cleaved his lip in two!" Hercules' muffled voice wailed. Horace looked over at him. The demi-god was buried face first in the dashboard. The driver side door popped off of its hinges like the cap from a bottle of beer. Standing there was a man, glowing as fiercely as a miniature star, as blue as the sea in the middle of the afternoon.
"Oh quit crying, Herc," the blue man said, flashing a brilliant smile. "At least you arrived in time for the fireworks."
"The debt has been paid," Mephisto hissed. The gentleman standing in shadow in Mephisto's lair smiled. The demon could only tell because of the glimmering white slash that appeared in the inky black.
"Come now, Mephisto. Why so glum? My master would be disheartened by your shoddy attitude."
"Your master should be fortunate I agreed to this bargain at all, worm," Mephisto spat. "Long has my business been reserved for humanity, not swine such as you."
"Swine?" the voice in the darkness replied, a twinkle of laughter in its words. "Surely you jest, lord of Hell. There can be no nobler assemblage than that which my master calls his brothers. What was asked of my master was done, so it is only natural that your part in the bargain should be upheld as well."
"And it has been," Mephisto growled. "Now begone from my realm, before I forget that your master and I made a bargain at all, and roast you over my fire like a pig on a spit."
There was a gasp, and the slash of white invading the darkness winked out of existence. But Mephisto kept his glowering eyes fixed on the spot for a long time afterward. And his mind turned to revenge.
"How am I ever going to explain this to my boss?" Horace muttered as he examined the damage done to his limousine. Scratches lined the paint, fenders, doors, the grille was bashed in, handprints were punched in the trunk where the hero, Wonder Man, had grabbed hold of the vehicle to stop it. The tire was a shambles. Horace had gathered the spare from the trunk, and a jack, and was busy trying to replace the tire.
"Fear not, Horace Jasper!" Hercules called from over his shoulder as he lumbered over to Dane and the spindly youth standing next to him. "The Prince of Power shalt not leave thee in the lurch."
"Whatever that means," Horace muttered, wiping a sleeve over his brow, and then resumed his task.
"Now that Hercules is here, I think this has a shot of working," Dane said. He was hunched over the remains of his photonic sword. His fingers were pressed to his chin. He looked for all the world a man lost in thought.
"What has a shot at working?" Speedball exclaimed. "All I know is one second you're talking about how there's no way in hell you're going to be able to turn off the giant Lite-Brite going nuclear behind us without a few hours worth of research, and now a dude in a leotard shows up-"
Hercules cracked his knuckles audibly.
"…Right. Um, no offense Mr. Hercules, sir. Sorry. But still! What's the plan? What the heck are we going to do?"
"My apologies, Speedball. I should have been a little clearer," Dane said as he straightened and scanned the front of the battered stores lining the block. "But I'm going to need both you and Hercules to pull this off. And I also need all the time I have to think this thing through. So give me a minute."
Dane tore off, limping badly, towards one of the establishments that had been ravaged by the recent battle. The other three heroes followed closely behind.
Hercules glanced backward, where Horace Jasper was jacking up the limousine and preparing to put on a spare. Hercules had offered to assist him, but the elderly gentleman was more capable than he seemed, and had shooed Hercules away. Still, the man was a prime example of the nobility humanity could possess. And he would not be blamed for the help he had granted Hercules on this day, or the damage it had done to his conveyance.
"Hercules, I need your brawn," Dane said, and Hercules stepped forward, clearing his mind of the thoughts muddling his brain. There was a crisis, and none could be counted on more readily than the Son of Zeus.
"Take a hold of this awning, Herc," Dane said, pointing to the storefront. "Hopefully a few of the things I'll need are in here."
Hercules hefted the bulky mass, and Dane hunched down, and slipped inside the store.
"What do you want us to do?" Speedball hollered after him.
"Stay there!" Dane's voice said from the darkness of the store. "Keep an eye on the big fella."
"Oh. Okay." Speedball turned around, his kinetic field flared, shoving Simon and propelling Robbie into the air as a blast of radiation tore through the space they'd occupied a moment before. It slammed into the store beside the one Dane had just entered, collapsing it entirely, and barely missing the straining back and shoulders of Hercules.
"'Twas a close shave," Hercules intoned, his beard framing a wide smile.
"That gives you a thrill!?" Speedball screeched from the top of the lamppost he was clinging to.
"Thanks for the save, Speedy," Wonder Man said. "Now get down here. That was a big flare. I don't think we have much time left. He's probably building up for the last hurrah."
Speedball dropped to the ground. "So what do you want to do?"
"See if I can talk to him. I know Dane said to keep away, but if Nuklo can give us some kind of sign that he's trying to fight what's happening to him, or maybe some clue as to how to stop him from going critical…"
"You really think that'll work?"
"No."
"Yeah, so I'm going to wait here, okay?"
Simon gripped Robbie by the collar of his shirt. "C'mon, squirt."
"Look, seriously, this just doesn't seem like the brightest of ideas, Wondy," Speedball said, struggling to dig his heels into the pavement. "That thing hasn't said a word since this all started. And I've taken more shots in one day with you Avenger-types than I have in weeks with my team. Let's go raid Starbucks. I worked there once. I make a killer latte."
"You're really pathetic, you know that?" Simon muttered as the two men approached the glimmering form of Nuklo. The power was being drawn in again. Small amounts of energy flared from his towering form, but it would be a few minutes at least until the energy would cascade at a pitch dangerous to either hero.
"Nuklo!" Simon yelled. "Robert! I know you can hear me! I need you to listen to me! To respond if you can! The Black Knight and I know what's happening to you. And you're going to explode if you can't stop it!"
Nuklo shuddered, as a ripple of energy slithered up his spine and shot into the air. Robbie looked at Simon. "I don't think this is gonna work, Wonderbread."
"Give it a second. I think I'm getting through to-- hey!" Simon said as Nuklo squeezed his hands into fists and dashed them onto the ground. The shockwave flung Wonder Man and Robbie to the ground.
"I cannot--! Cannot stop it!" the behemoth wailed, staring fixedly at the two small forms before him. "You must… must destroy me, Avenger. It is the only way. I have known death. I do not fear it. Release… me…"
Wonder Man let go of a breath he hadn't known he was holding. "We can't kill you, Robert. We-"
"Wonder Man! Speedball!" Dane yelled from the storefront. Dane was standing there, a basket of items held in his arms. Hercules let the awning drop, and it crashed heavily to the ground. "I need you back here… now!"
"You okay there, old timer?" Speedball hollered over to the elderly fellow as the two heroes scrambled back to the Knight. "You might want to get a move on. I think things are about to get even weirder than they already are."
"I hear you, sonny," Horace replied as he dropped the car back onto her wheels. "Think it might be time for Mrs. Jaspers' little boy to get out of here." Horace paced to the driver side of the automobile and climbed in. He looked wistfully at the door of the limo lying on the ground a few feet away, then twisted the key in the ignition, hit the gas, and reversed towards the remnants of the barricade.
Hercules watched his friend flee, and then grinned as Horace came to a stop just outside the reach of the barrier and climbed out of the car. He looked on with the few remaining stragglers.
"All hope is not lost, sir knight," Hercules said.
Dane nodded grimly. "Let's hope not, Herc. Let's hope not."
"What's the plan, leader man?" Speedball said as they gathered once again around the remnants of Dane's photonic sword.
Dane leaned down, and began using the tools he'd acquired from the store to manipulate the circuitry of the sword hilt. "This sword applies energy in a variety of ways. The photonic particles that encompass it are held intact by a net of neural inhibitors that give the blade its unique properties."
"Hmmmmm," Speedball said, clutching his chin thoughtfully. "Und zat ees veeeery eenteresting, Dr. Zhitman. But how the heck is it supposed to help us?"
"Listen and learn, kid," Wonder Man replied, nudging Speedball with an elbow.
"I've been able to reverse the polarity of the sword on occasion in the past. It sends the photonic energy cascading over my arm, granting me a semblance of superior strength. But in order to do that on a consistent basis, without overloading the sword, I've had to tweak the energy output. Give it a little wider scope. Even add in an alternate means of gathering energy, an absorber of sorts. It usually takes its cue from solar energy provided by the sun. But…"
Dane finished his adjustments, then fixed an object to the back of the sword. It looked to Speedball like the business end of a vacuum cleaner.
"What's that supposed to be?"
Dane smiled. "If it works, you'll see soon enough." Dane pointed the device at Speedball. "Activate your kinetic field, Robbie."
"What? Why?"
"I beseech thee, child, do as Dane Whitman demands!" Hercules thundered.
"Yeesh! Okay already," Robbie said, and then slapped his palm against his thigh. The kinetic energy rose from his form, bubbling over his fingers, and spreading to cover his entire thin frame.
"Simon, grab the sword," Dane said, thumbing the power switch on his photonic blade. "I don't think I'll be able to hold it." He looked at Speedball. "Now. I want you to send a bit of that energy you showed us before into the sword. Just a small amount."
"Okay," Speedball said. He focused, and a tiny bubble of kinetic energy formed in his hands. He let it go, and it flew into the sword. For a moment, nothing happened, then the sword flared, and a burst of energy leapt from the handle. The energy struck a postal mailbox bolted firmly to the sidewalk. It gathered beneath it, and the bolts of the mailbox tore from the concrete, the blue box hurtling into the skyline.
"Uh oh. Government property. We're gonna pay for that one," Speedball said. "But I'll bite. How the heck did you do that?"
"By using your energy as a power source," Dane replied. "The basic principle of the sword is applying energy as a flare. All I had to do was disengage the process that surrounds the beam in neural inhibitors. Now instead of a sword of photonic energy…"
"You have a beam of concentrated kinetic energy," Robbie finished.
"Exactly."
"Kick. Ass!" Speedball exclaimed. "But what are we gonna do with it?"
"Isn't it obvious, Speedy?" Wonder Man responded. The mailbox crashed back to earth, slamming onto the roof of the store Dane had rooted through. They all jumped in surprise. "We're going to use it to get Nuklo as far away from here as we possibly can. Kill an innocent man. So he doesn't go nuclear in the middle of Los Angeles county."
"Simon-"
"Save it, Dane," Simon muttered. "I know, okay? I just don't like it."
"I don't like it very much either," Robbie said. "But we're still going to need a lot more energy if we're going to put shiny butt into orbit."
Dane grimaced, then nodded. "You think you're up to it?"
"Yeah. I think I am."
"Okay then. Simon, Herc. I need you both for this one. The amount of energy Speedy is going to focus into the sword is going to make it extremely volatile. There's no way I'd be able to hold onto it. And I don't think either of you could do it alone. You have to work together. And you have to hold your ground. No matter what."
"No worries, fearless leader," Wonder Man said, allowing the ionic energy to erupt around his powerful frame. "We got this."
"Tell that fool to step on it, Foster! We've got to get down there as soon as possible."
Bill Foster scowled. "I'm not your personal errand boy, Williams. Do it yourself."
"Fine, fine," Eric said with a snarl. He thumbed the intercom. "Driver! Get your rear in gear! You've got fifteen minutes to get me to ground zero or it's your job!"
Eric thumbed the button again, cutting the driver off in mid-babble. "Incompetents. I'm surrounded by incompetents."
"You really should learn to relax," Foster replied. "I thought supervillains were always surrounded by incompetent lackeys."
"Funny," Eric sneered. "If only the Champscraft was up and operational. We could have been on location in minutes."
"The techs are working on it around the clock, Eric. Twelve-hour shifts for most of them. And most of them were required to aid me with this energy inverter we threw together. Which, by the way, I'm not even sure will work on Nuklo. This little project of yours isn't an easy one. But, of course, you knew that when you decided to involve yourself. What's the issue?"
"I'm a supervillain, Bill," Eric replied with a wry smile. "We're notoriously moody."
Bill opened his mouth to reply, but Eric raised a hand and turned his head towards the window as the cityscape sped past. Bill shook his head in wonder. He felt the dimmest of tremors echo through the city, rattling the weapon he held in his lap. So he turned his eyes skyward. And he prayed.
"Keep her steady, Simon," squawked the voice of Dane Whitman through the miniature walkie-talkie clipped to the belt of Speedball's jeans. "Robbie has to pour a buttload of energy into a relatively small space. We need to be as precise as possible."
"I hear you, Dane," Simon replied, "but it's getting hotter than ever out here. I think Nuklo is starting to go critical."
"Aye," Hercules added, "'tis as though the wheels of Helios himself were turning before our brittle eyes."
"You're doing great, guys. Just a few feet more. Then we hand the reins over to you, Speedy."
"Yeah, no pressure there, BK. Thanks," Speedball muttered as the three of them took another step forward in unison.
"Activate the sword, Simon," Dane's voice crackled. "I reactivated the inhibitors, and gave them a wider range. Hopefully they'll keep Nuklo motionless and hold the kinetic energy bottled in long enough for us to pull this off."
Wonder Man pressed the switch on the side of the photonic sword, and it hummed to life. "Check."
"Okay, stop there, you guys. You're as close as you need to be."
Speedball looked up. The towering form of Nuklo was shadowing them in the dim light of the faltering day. "And as close as I wanna be," he muttered. "I guess that's my cue."
"You can do it, Speedball. Just concentrate. And let it go."
"Aye, my young friend," Hercules intoned. "And know the Prince of Power is with thee. Our noble assemblage shalt struggle together this day!"
"That's, uh… great, big guy. Appreciate it," Robbie said, and then he closed his eyes, shook his limbs out. He twisted his neck, heard the satisfying pop, and set his teeth. "Let's do it!"
The energy burst forth from his spindly frame, and Robbie focused, struggling to concentrate the volatile energy into as narrow a space as he could.
"That's a good start, kid. But I need you to pour it on. I need everything you got inside."
Robbie nodded, then let loose. The bubbling kinetic power flooded into the device meant to catch it, the dark blue hilt of the sword shuddered, vibrating powerfully. Wonder Man and Hercules bore down on it, applying enough pressure to keep the sword from slipping from their grasp, but taking caution not to hold it too tightly. For if the fragile device shattered in their hands…
"We're screwed!" Robbie yelled as the energy began to flood over the lip of the vacuum attachment. The bubbles of kinetic energy impacted the hands of Wonder Man and Hercules. The shaking intensified, and Wonder Man looked back at Robbie. Speedball saw the panic he was feeling echoed in Simon's eyes.
"Focus, Robbie! You've got to control the energy!" The Black Knight's voice sounded, barely audible over the vibrating cacophony.
"I don't know if I can! It's too powerful for me. I'm-"
"As of right now you're an Avenger, kid! Now act like one! Hold that energy in check!"
Speedball squeezed his eyes shut. The energy flaring around him was angry. He'd never tried to control it quite like this before. His entire nature was that of the off-the-wall, unpredictable x-factor. He'd never been asked to do a specific task, to utilize his powers in such a controlled manner. He let his mind go blank. He was thinking too much. When he was a Warrior, he just let things flow. It wasn't that much tougher now. He could do it. He was sure of it. He-
"You're doing it, Speedy. You're doing it!
Speedball opened his eyes. Nuklo was drifting off to sleep. The energy was still building inside of him, but he wasn't struggling to escape, or flee the energy beginning to surround him. His eyes caught Robbie's, and in them the young hero saw understanding. Nuklo had strived to be a hero once. And now he was making the ultimate sacrifice.
"Go in peace, Robert Frank," Hercules said in a trembling voice. "The light of Zeus shines upon thee."
"Wonder Man. Deactivate the field," Dane Whitman said from Robbie's hip. Simon thumbed the power switch, the shaking abruptly ceased.
The energy remaining in the sword blew it to pieces. The kinetic flux still surrounding Speedball blew out in all directions, scattering Hercules, Wonder Man and Robbie, propelling them through the air. Only Dane Whitman, and a handful of innocent bystanders were witness to the death of Robert Frank Jr. The man known as Nuklo.
The kinetic energy gathered beneath him, now completely unconfined by the inhibitors, flared exponentially, encompassing the entirety of Robert Frank's massive body. The juggernaut was propelled into the sky at a dizzying pace, the kinetic force pushing him into the upper reaches of the atmosphere within seconds. Dane Whitman turned around, motioning for the people gathered at the barricade to shield their eyes. He ducked his head, pressing his face into the crook of his elbow.
And Nuklo lit the night sky.
"Let me through here. Let me through, please," Bill Foster said as he pushed and prodded his way through the large crowd that had gathered around the massive crater bored in the street. He ran into a police sawhorse set up as a makeshift barricade. An officer eyed him warily.
"Can't come any further, sir. The heat from that monster melted the street into a puddle of goo. Whatever those heroes did cleared out the radiation, but the heat isn't going anywhere for a while."
"Officer, Wonder Man is my half-cousin! I've got to see if he's okay," Bill said, beaming brightly. He threw a leg over the sawhorse, and the officer grabbed him by the shoulder.
"Hey! What the hell are you doing, buddy?" the officer exclaimed. Other officers were running to aid him. Bill looked off to one side, and saw Eric Williams sneaking around one of the emergency vehicles, making a beeline for the four heroes standing amidst a group of police officers and emergency personnel.
"As I was telling Detective McGee, we did what we felt was necessary to insure no further loss of life," the Black Knight said. He'd been answering questions for the better part of ten minutes, and it was getting a bit tiring. In New York, the PD stopped you, shook your hand, and let you on your way. But the LAPD seemed to handle things a bit differently. Wonder Man was the only one they seemed to show any regard at all.
"Excuse me," a voice said from behind him. Dane turned. Standing there, in a black Armani suit that fit him like he was born into it, was…
"Eric?" Simon Williams' mouth gaped open. "What…? What are you doing here?"
"You did this," Dane growled, gathering the smart suit in his fists and pulling Eric Williams towards him. "Sending Mephisto down to gloat wasn't enough for you? You had to-"
"Take your hands off of me, Whitman," Eric said as he dislodged Dane's fists from his suit. "I didn't have anything to do with what happened here today. In fact, I was riding over here to help in any way I could."
"Surely thou doth jest," Hercules blared. "Thou art a villain!"
"He's telling the truth, Hercules," Bill Foster said. He was approaching flanked by two officers. "I developed a siphoning device along with the R&D staff of LL Incorporated, hoping to-"
Dane blinked. "LL Incorporated? No. You… this can't be happening…"
"Mr. Whitman. Dane. Allow me the chance to explain," Eric said as he reached inside his suit and pulled out a business card. Dane looked at it with suspicion. He didn't take it, so Eric pressed it into his hand. "I am the President and CEO of LL Incorporated, Dane. And I want to hire you."
Dane looked down at the card. Then back at Williams. Then he punched him in the face.
NEXT ISSUE: Icepacks for everybody!
CHAMPION LOVERS
Only one letter this go round, this coming from the paragon saint of reviewers: Mr. Brent Lambert!
THE GOOD: Mike has these characters down pat. They all feel real and they just flow right for some reason. Mike doesn't seem to skip a beat. None of their actions ever seem wrong or anything. Mephisto showing up was a trip and a half since the demon lord hasn't been seen since his activities in Defenders and Wolverine. Good to see old red back in action.
I love ol' Red. I also love that chewing gum, Big Red. I also like Clifford, the Big Red Dog. So Mephisto was a natural choice as a villain for this series. And if you're paying attention, it doesn't look like the Big Red Machine is done causing mischief. I'd have it no other way.
THE BAD: Man something about Horace Jaspers just doesn't sit right with me. I don't know what it is, but there is more to that man than meets the eye.
Brent just doesn't like Horace very much. The poor old fella, getting his body frozen by goddesses, car wrecked by demi-gods, nearly blinded by nuclear explosions. And now this! You should be ashamed, Brent. Ashamed!
OVERALL: Once again, a solid issue. I can't ask for anything less. Glad to have you back Exner. Keep up the good work.
Glad to be back, Brent. Thanks for the kind words. I'll try not to let you down.
- Mike Exner III
11/18/2003