Back to GatefoldIssue #3 by Ed Ainsworth
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"Periodic Gliding Combination"
"Thanks for letting me come with you, Mr. Diering," James Wilson AKA Monopole expressed, as the the small team of three set down on the outskirts of the burning village.
"I think any more time on that boat and I'd have suffered some sort of stomach Haemorrhaging," He tried to joke, but Mark said nothing, instead walking towards the Town. James hung his head and shoulders, only for Sharon to put her large hand on his back, and push them both after him.
"Don't mind him, James. He's trying to be a tough guy at the moment," She smiled. James offered an awkward smile back. He wasn't sure how he should interact with her. She was very nice, very pleasant, perhaps too pleasant, like she was trying hard to over do it based on the fact she was very...different looking.
He'd heard Chrome say how disgusting and ugly she was, but he didn't really agree with him that much. There was a certain beauty to Sharon, but it was very, very acquired. James wasn't sure he had it, yet, but he was getting there.
"Uh, Thanks."
They walked in silence a little distance longer. All around them the buildings burned, fire dripping from the corners of houses, like liquid heat. Mark stopped, raising his open hand to the others, signalling them to stop.
"What is it?" Sharon asked, stepping forwards to protect the boy. Sharon didn't feel the heat, after all, her body was made from rock and her blood was now apparently made from Magma.
"Can you see that?" Mark said, pointing towards the two figures stood in silence facing each other. One was a beautiful woman, her long white hair cascading over her shoulders, a contrast to her blue skin. While the other was completely hairless, and pink skinned, wearing only a simply white leotard over her body.
"I can't make it out from here, but does it look like the Pink lady has wings?" Mark asked, as he turned around he noticed James was hovering a few feet off the ground, to get a better view over the huge flames.
"Dammit James, get the hell down," He pointed to the floor like an angry teacher. James descended and looked sheepish.
"I was only trying to help," He said, in hushed tones.
"What? Help us get killed. Stay down. Let me take care of this."
James shook his head and fought back the tears. He was only a science student. He didn't want any of this. They said they'd help him, not berate him until he broke. He waved his hand at Mark and walked off in the other direction.
"Mark.."
"Not now," He spat, edging forwards to the beginnings of the fire margin.
"HEY! Hey You!" Came a scream over the fire. A man, wearing a garish costume of white, with a blue body and red gloves and boots came leaping over the flames, running towards Monopole. Mark leapt from his position, wrapping his hand around the man's throat and throwing him into, and subsequently through, a burning house's wall.
The pair tumbled in, with the man pushing his feet against Marks face and kicking backwards, throwing him off and through the broken wall.
"The Hell are you doing? I'm not here to fight!" He shouted, raising his hands as Sharon barrelled in through the other wall, and Monopole poked his head through the burning cinders.
"Who are you?" Mark asked, rubbing his chin from the dual kick.
"I'm Craig Hollis, Mr. Immortal, Homo Supreme!" He adopted a typical heroic position, which was met by laughter from Monopole, and disdain from Mark.
"Oh, I've heard of you!" Sharon said, walking forwards and offering her hand.
"Hey! The Thing right?" Mr. Immortals face beamed, as he took hold of Sharon's hand, and shook it vigorously.
"Almost.." She said distantly, pulling her hand away and looking markedly upset.
"She-Thing," Mark said, as Craig's beaming face dropped.
"Oh God. I'm so sorry."
"Don't be. It's fine. I get it all the time," Sharon said, waving him off as she went to talk to James.
"Why are you here?" Mark asked, standing over Craig.
"My girlfriends here. She's been here for the last five hours. Talking to that..blue woman in all sorts of weird noises. I can't work out what they're saying."
"What sort of noises are we talking here?" Mark said, and Craig pointed towards the pair.
"Follow me. You can get as close as you like, provided you..."
Mark followed Craig as he bounded and leapt over the flames, trying to avoid being burned, by simply walking through them. They didn't appear to burn him, or even touch him.
"Don't mind the fire," Craig finished, deadpan. He stood a few feet from the pair, who stood face to face.
"Dinah? Honey?" Craig asked, waving his hand in front of her face.
As Dinah opened her mouth, or at least the long pink tube that appeared to be her mouth, a sound unlike anything Craig had ever heard before came out.
"God...It's like..." He tried to put words to it, racking his brain.
"It's like waves crashing against a cliff, or something," He looked to Mark for guidance, who had his eyes closed.
"That's because it is. You just heard the opening line of the Prayer of the Cliff-Face."
The blue skinned woman responded to that with a scream of high pressure air, a howling circular noise that seemed to run past Craig's ears on each side, causing him to clamp his hands over them to try to prevent the pressure change.
"They're talk to each other in the World Song," Mark said, a few seconds after the winds died down around them. Craig arched an eyebrow at the incredulous nature of the statement.
"The World song? I've heard some pretty outlandish things in my career.." He began, before Mark held up his hands to quiet him.
"Career, I've never heard of you? So unless you're an undiscovered elemental shaman, do a quiet time, yeah? I'm going to break them out of it," He walked towards Dinah and Amalgam, they were only a few feet away from the pair, but to Craig it seemed like a long, long walk.
She-Thing and Monopole now both stood next to him, with Sharon putting her large hand on Craigs shoulder.
"Don't worry, he can be abrasive, but he means well."
"Tell me about it," Craig said
"We don't have to," James spoke up, still looking angry and annoyed. Mark had upset him. He wasn't used to feeling like shit, and he wasn't used to feeling useless. Mark had managed to do it in a few moments. He was seriously considering telling Mark where to go after he'd spoken to Amalgam.
Mark stops just short of Gaia and Dinah, stepping between the both of them, he whips up a wind and light shower with his powers. As the rain comes down, slowly and gently putting out the flames that engulf the small town, Amalgam and Dinah slowly come out of their trances, Dinah looking around worriedly for her lover, and Amalgam stepping towards Mark.
"Mark Diering?" She asked, putting her pale blue hands, as hot as fire on his chest. He sucked air in through his teeth, and gripped her wrists tightly, pulling her off him.
"Yeah," He winced, she pulled his hands back and gave him an apologetic look.
"Mark Diering, thank god you're alive. My Name is Amalgam, but I'd be better known to you as Gaia."
~~~~~~~~~~
Craig could see Mark's jaw drop to the ground, as Amalgam finished her sentence, but he didn't care. Dinah wrapped her arms around his neck, and he locked his hands together around her waist. He gave her a big kiss on the lips, and she whistled something only he could understand.
"I'm glad too, Dinah. I was worried I'd lost you there," He held her tightly, and listened to what she had to say. Monopole leaned into She-Thing, and whispered to her quietly "Do you hear her saying anything?"
Sharon shook her head and leaned away from James, looking away awkwardly from the scene of the man responding passionately to the pink skinned flying woman's silence. It was definitely an odd scene.
"Alright, well, we'll have to see what talk, dark and scary says, Dinah, but if you feel you need to do this then I'm going to be with you every step of the way," Craig beamed, as he kissed his girlfriend again.
"Really, really odd," James muttered to himself, wiping a hand over his face.
~~~~~~~~~~
"Gaia? Well, that doesn't make sense. I get my powers from Gaia, and I can feel her just fiiUHNNN," He jolted as she touched him in the chest again. This time it wasn't the burn of fire that caused the pain, it was his neurons being charged with knowledge. He faltered, putting his hand on her tiny shoulders, not expecting her to take his weight, but she did with surprising ease.
"Shiiit," He said, rubbing the sweat off his face, and creasing it up in pain. "Shiiiiiit."
"Work it out, Mark Diering."
"You're...you're Gaia from an Alternate future, one where the Earth is dying...Dead even. You've been destroyed by the Celestials and...the reason you're dead, or at least Earth is dead is..."
"Yes, Mark. I'm dead because you're dead. You're far more important to me, and my life than either of us had considered before. If I am to continue to survive, my darling boy, I'm going to need to make sure that you do as well."
~~~~~~~~~~
Later...
"Mark, can I have a word with you?" James asked, as they stood waiting for the Conquistador to arrive. Mark turned to James, obviously annoyed at the interruption. He was trying to understand the many intricacies of Amalgam's interactions with the current Earth, without having an annoying kid yapping in his ear.
“What?" He answered, rolling his eyes.
"In. Private," James spat through gritted teeth. The pair walked a small distance away, and Mark crossed his arms over his chest, looking increasingly more annoyed.
"I want out," James said simply, locking his eyes onto Marks. There was a marked drop in the irritation in his eyes and he unfolded his arms.
"You want what?"
"I want out, Mark. You don't want me. You don't need me, if you did you wouldn't talk to me like was a spare part. So, I want to leave."
"You can't leave, James. We need you."
"Well, I find that hard to believe, and you can't really tell me what I can and can't do, now, can you?" James put his hands on his hips, looking up at the man who was nearly two feet taller than him.
"Look, James. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you feel this way.."
"But you did, and you've made me want to leave. So, really you have nobody else to blame but.."
"We really do need you, James. You're important to the whole scheme of this, you're literally the glue that binds it all together."
"I'm what? See, this is brand new information. I can't be the "glue" I barely have any control over these stupid powers as it is, and I certainly don't want to be the core of some stupid hero team."
"You're not part of a team, James, you're part of something that's more important than a team. You're part of a race, the human race, and we need you in on this. Your abilities are going to be the most crucial there are in the entire group I've gathered, you are the one I need more than anyone else. I'm sorry that I appear to be standoffish, I can't really help it. Years of getting shit on kind of do that to you."
"Well..."
"Would it help if I explained what was going on?"
"It would."
"You might want to sit down then, James...This is probably going to take a while.">
~~~~~~~~~~
Somewhere above the Pacific
"This is actually the worst idea I've ever been part of," Chrome spat with disdain as Wisp lowered the trio into position. The hovering city was some twenty thousand feet above the Pacific Ocean, an egg shaped armoured fortress made from Rock, and Metal, suspended in the air with some unknown mechanism. Something not even Wisp could work out.
"Air tastes like Ozone and Chlorine," he winced, gravitating away from the side of the egg, as Chrome and the Isolationist found their purchase. The winds were fierce, but the air, ironically was incredibly thin. As Josef's coat blew in the wind, Chrome checked his breathing apparatus, a clear plastic mask connected to an air tank on his back, was on his face properly. He gave a heavy sigh.
"When we are ready, we shall call you in to collect us, Dr. Jackson," Josef said, in his quiet tones. Wisp nodded and moved away from the side of the craft, altering his magnetic field to avoid being detected by the monstrosities within it's innards.
Josef and Chrome pulled themselves higher and higher up the side of ship until their found one of the thousands of ventilation shafts in the side of the rocky formation. Upon pulling themselves in, they found it to be very, very similar to the inner workings of a Termite mound. Apparently burrowed out by the occupants of the craft themselves.
"Don't like this," Chrome said, as the pair quietly pulled their masks and air tanks off their backs. Josef lifted his hand to silence him.
"Allen, now is not the time for panic. You must remember the plan. We must find and select an Element, capture it with the portable version of the Lang Bomb, and then assume it's place," Josef's bald head was already covered in beads of sweat, as he slowly began to remove his clothes.
"Is that actually necessary, I mean I don't want to see man par..Oh, for fuck sakes," As Allen tried to look away he noticed that Josef had no body hair at all, and no genitals to speak of. He swallowed harshly and pointed to between the German man's legs.
"What happened, Man?"
"When I transformed into my current state, Nature herself decided that reproduction was no longer an option. I have been without my "jewels" as Mark is so found of saying, for some time. It no longer bothers me," Josef explained, as Allen couldn't take his eyes off him.
"Damn, Man. Just...Damn."
"Quickly, Allen, we must locate an element, so I may assimilate it's design,"Josef said, his voice slightly more hurried than normal.
~~~~~~~~~~
Josef and Allen had been sat in the air duct for nearly three hours. Waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. Allen was getting increasingly frustrated, and Josef had prevented him from dropping on two opponents that would have raised the alarm immediately. What they needed was an element of moderate power, putting them in the middle of things in terms of power and hierarchy.
"Can you explain to me what these things are?"
"They are the elements of Doom, Allen. Living Elements who have been enemies of the Avengers in the past. We require them for the plan,"
"Yeah, yeah. All I hear about is this stupid plan, what I want to know is, when do I get to take my shot at She-Thing," He looked through the hole before them as footsteps approached. Josef looked over his shoulder and shook his head, pointing towards the two more elements coming from the opposite direction.
"Dammit." Allen whispered, turning back to Josef.
"What is the problem with Sharon?" Josef asked after a minute or two.
"I get tired of people pushing me from one situation to the next, Joey. I want to be my own man, the fact that she interrupted my lunch, and guilt tripped me into some mission of "great importance" after she hit me as hard as she did? I owe her, and I'm going to make her pay up."
"You are a very angry and disturbed man, Allen,"Josef said after a few more minutes, examining the anger filled features of his team mate.
"Yeah, well, you would be if you'd died."
Josef shook his head, and moved towards the opening.
"Do I look angry to you?" Josef asked
"No."
"There is your answer,” Josef nodded, pointing towards the entity below.
As Allen opened his mouth, Josef lifted a finger and dropped from the vent, landing feet first on the elements head, driving it into the ground. Allen dropped down behind him. As Josef brought his hand up into the air, and slammed it down on the elements spine, he looked across to Allen, who was already beginning to take on the characteristics of the element.
He licked a tiny amount of the Element from his finger.
"Tastes like a tetral...Hrm," He took a moment of consideration before continuing. "It's lead. I'm going to need a minute to get the density right."
Josef nodded as he took on the characteristics of the element himself, looking to Allen, who pressed his fingers against Josefs body, adding the final touches to his look and elemental profile.
"Looking Good there, Joey," Chrome said, looking at the new man. He was three times as tall, and made of solid lead. He had no nose and no features on his square head save for a large mouth and two small eyes. Josef nodded.
"I'll be close by remember," Chrome said, as his body began to fade from sight. He was converting himself into Oxygen gas, making him not only scentless, but completely invisible.
Josef turned around, and threw the original lead up into the air vent. After he had bent his limbs out of shape, that is.
"Next stop, Control centre."
~~~~~~~~~~
The bow of the Conquistador
After convincing James to stay, the small grouping had boarded the ship. Mark had agreed to let Dinah and Craig come with them and assist on their mission, without saying to them that he was actually going to ask Dinah to come simply because he wanted to learn the World song, and the outside hope she might have some use for the coming battle.
He made a mental note to ask her if she could compose new songs, or whether she was just a mimic.
Amalgam looked up at him from her position leaning against the guard rail at the front of the ship. "Mark.."
He snapped his attention down to Amalgam, who smiled, looking peaceful.
"It is good to feel the air on my body, Mark. I've been cooped up for too long in dirty little home at the centre of the world. Perhaps, when this is over, you could take me to meet myself. There are things I would like to teach her, that she could only learn from herself."
Mark smiled widely, and put his hand on her shoulder.
"I'd like that very much, but, I've got to ask...What do you want me to call you? Gaia? Mistress.."
"Just Amalgam. There are still elements within me that are alien to my personality. Left overs from the previous owner of this body. It is a shame, I hate for any of my children to die at my hands, but it appears as though even my drained and meger powers have burnt the mind right out of this shell," She hung her head, a wave of sadness washing over her.
"Hey...Don't worry. I'm sure they knew what they were doing.." He drew her into a hug, and looked over his shoulder at the form of his girlfriend and her sister watching them. He knew he was going to catch hell for this.
"I don't like her, Ag," Serafina said to her sister. They watched Amalgam and Mark talk on the bridge of the ship, and Serafina felt a stirring in her stomach. Jealousy.
"Don't worry about it, Sera. If he can resist me to stay with you, then you've got nothing to worry about from another blue skinned hussy," Aguja was well known for her ways with Men, she'd already set her eyes on Chrome, who was uncharacteristically cold towards her, given how she'd offered him a no strings attached deal.
"Most of the men here are boring anyway, that Feron guy spends all his time in his quarters, Boost is married with Kids, Mark's with you, Josef is never here long enough, Darwin's gone, and Chrome is as cold to me as ice. The only one I might have a chance with is that James guy, but he looks like the only soft parts of a woman he's seen are on TV."
Serafina snorted, and looked down at her shorter, younger sister.
"Perhaps you could train him?" She said with a smile.
Aguja smiled back, and laughed.
"Yeah, maybe I can. Look, if you're worried, go and talk to him, don't bend my ears off over it."
Serafina shook her head, and looked down at the tiny Palm Pilot in her hands.
“Where're we headed next, Sera?” Her sister asked, leaning to see the co-ordinates.
“Florida, Ag. We're headed to the Florida Everglades.”
NEXT ISSUE: Florida!
FROM THE FILES OF BROTHER NATURE
Hollis, Craig (Mr. Immortal) Craig's main power is that he cannot die. When presented with a fatal injury, his body almost instantly heals itself. Craig is also an amateur and well meaning hero, with a lot to learn, but a lot more promise than failings. He was most recently involved in freeing Blade from Hell. - This guy is really, really annoying. I don't understand why I let him on the boat. That said, he isn't a bad fighter, and appears to get better and better every day. A quick study, and a real heart of gold. Just really, really annoying. Too Perky.
Dinah Soar (Unknown) True origins of Dinah are unknown. However, she works and lives with Craig Hollis, as his team-mate, lover and member of the GLA. Dinah's race bonds with one particular person throughout their lives, which allows Craig to hear her speech. Dinah also knows all the words and verses to the World Song. - An Incredible voice, and a certain beauty to her that cannot really be described. Very attractive, and seems to connect well with Amalgam, even if I have no idea what they're saying half the time. She seems to follow Craig, and Craig follow her. A weird combination if there ever was one.
AUTHOR'S NOTES
Thanks to Dave Golightly for saying he was reading the series, and yes Pink Floyd are indeed, a GOOD Band, and a very good choice of music to listen to when reading this series. Others i'd recommend are Muse, or Enter Shikari (I know...I know...The second album though, not the first.)
I'd like to point out that I cannot write, you may have noticed a number of spelling mistakes in my last Author's notes regarding Josh's review of my series – So, Sorry Josh! Sorry guys!
Finally, if you're looking for something different, check out Brother Nature's appearance in the M2K Halloween special. It's not scary at all!
"I think any more time on that boat and I'd have suffered some sort of stomach Haemorrhaging," He tried to joke, but Mark said nothing, instead walking towards the Town. James hung his head and shoulders, only for Sharon to put her large hand on his back, and push them both after him.
"Don't mind him, James. He's trying to be a tough guy at the moment," She smiled. James offered an awkward smile back. He wasn't sure how he should interact with her. She was very nice, very pleasant, perhaps too pleasant, like she was trying hard to over do it based on the fact she was very...different looking.
He'd heard Chrome say how disgusting and ugly she was, but he didn't really agree with him that much. There was a certain beauty to Sharon, but it was very, very acquired. James wasn't sure he had it, yet, but he was getting there.
"Uh, Thanks."
They walked in silence a little distance longer. All around them the buildings burned, fire dripping from the corners of houses, like liquid heat. Mark stopped, raising his open hand to the others, signalling them to stop.
"What is it?" Sharon asked, stepping forwards to protect the boy. Sharon didn't feel the heat, after all, her body was made from rock and her blood was now apparently made from Magma.
"Can you see that?" Mark said, pointing towards the two figures stood in silence facing each other. One was a beautiful woman, her long white hair cascading over her shoulders, a contrast to her blue skin. While the other was completely hairless, and pink skinned, wearing only a simply white leotard over her body.
"I can't make it out from here, but does it look like the Pink lady has wings?" Mark asked, as he turned around he noticed James was hovering a few feet off the ground, to get a better view over the huge flames.
"Dammit James, get the hell down," He pointed to the floor like an angry teacher. James descended and looked sheepish.
"I was only trying to help," He said, in hushed tones.
"What? Help us get killed. Stay down. Let me take care of this."
James shook his head and fought back the tears. He was only a science student. He didn't want any of this. They said they'd help him, not berate him until he broke. He waved his hand at Mark and walked off in the other direction.
"Mark.."
"Not now," He spat, edging forwards to the beginnings of the fire margin.
"HEY! Hey You!" Came a scream over the fire. A man, wearing a garish costume of white, with a blue body and red gloves and boots came leaping over the flames, running towards Monopole. Mark leapt from his position, wrapping his hand around the man's throat and throwing him into, and subsequently through, a burning house's wall.
The pair tumbled in, with the man pushing his feet against Marks face and kicking backwards, throwing him off and through the broken wall.
"The Hell are you doing? I'm not here to fight!" He shouted, raising his hands as Sharon barrelled in through the other wall, and Monopole poked his head through the burning cinders.
"Who are you?" Mark asked, rubbing his chin from the dual kick.
"I'm Craig Hollis, Mr. Immortal, Homo Supreme!" He adopted a typical heroic position, which was met by laughter from Monopole, and disdain from Mark.
"Oh, I've heard of you!" Sharon said, walking forwards and offering her hand.
"Hey! The Thing right?" Mr. Immortals face beamed, as he took hold of Sharon's hand, and shook it vigorously.
"Almost.." She said distantly, pulling her hand away and looking markedly upset.
"She-Thing," Mark said, as Craig's beaming face dropped.
"Oh God. I'm so sorry."
"Don't be. It's fine. I get it all the time," Sharon said, waving him off as she went to talk to James.
"Why are you here?" Mark asked, standing over Craig.
"My girlfriends here. She's been here for the last five hours. Talking to that..blue woman in all sorts of weird noises. I can't work out what they're saying."
"What sort of noises are we talking here?" Mark said, and Craig pointed towards the pair.
"Follow me. You can get as close as you like, provided you..."
Mark followed Craig as he bounded and leapt over the flames, trying to avoid being burned, by simply walking through them. They didn't appear to burn him, or even touch him.
"Don't mind the fire," Craig finished, deadpan. He stood a few feet from the pair, who stood face to face.
"Dinah? Honey?" Craig asked, waving his hand in front of her face.
As Dinah opened her mouth, or at least the long pink tube that appeared to be her mouth, a sound unlike anything Craig had ever heard before came out.
"God...It's like..." He tried to put words to it, racking his brain.
"It's like waves crashing against a cliff, or something," He looked to Mark for guidance, who had his eyes closed.
"That's because it is. You just heard the opening line of the Prayer of the Cliff-Face."
The blue skinned woman responded to that with a scream of high pressure air, a howling circular noise that seemed to run past Craig's ears on each side, causing him to clamp his hands over them to try to prevent the pressure change.
"They're talk to each other in the World Song," Mark said, a few seconds after the winds died down around them. Craig arched an eyebrow at the incredulous nature of the statement.
"The World song? I've heard some pretty outlandish things in my career.." He began, before Mark held up his hands to quiet him.
"Career, I've never heard of you? So unless you're an undiscovered elemental shaman, do a quiet time, yeah? I'm going to break them out of it," He walked towards Dinah and Amalgam, they were only a few feet away from the pair, but to Craig it seemed like a long, long walk.
She-Thing and Monopole now both stood next to him, with Sharon putting her large hand on Craigs shoulder.
"Don't worry, he can be abrasive, but he means well."
"Tell me about it," Craig said
"We don't have to," James spoke up, still looking angry and annoyed. Mark had upset him. He wasn't used to feeling like shit, and he wasn't used to feeling useless. Mark had managed to do it in a few moments. He was seriously considering telling Mark where to go after he'd spoken to Amalgam.
Mark stops just short of Gaia and Dinah, stepping between the both of them, he whips up a wind and light shower with his powers. As the rain comes down, slowly and gently putting out the flames that engulf the small town, Amalgam and Dinah slowly come out of their trances, Dinah looking around worriedly for her lover, and Amalgam stepping towards Mark.
"Mark Diering?" She asked, putting her pale blue hands, as hot as fire on his chest. He sucked air in through his teeth, and gripped her wrists tightly, pulling her off him.
"Yeah," He winced, she pulled his hands back and gave him an apologetic look.
"Mark Diering, thank god you're alive. My Name is Amalgam, but I'd be better known to you as Gaia."
~~~~~~~~~~
Craig could see Mark's jaw drop to the ground, as Amalgam finished her sentence, but he didn't care. Dinah wrapped her arms around his neck, and he locked his hands together around her waist. He gave her a big kiss on the lips, and she whistled something only he could understand.
"I'm glad too, Dinah. I was worried I'd lost you there," He held her tightly, and listened to what she had to say. Monopole leaned into She-Thing, and whispered to her quietly "Do you hear her saying anything?"
Sharon shook her head and leaned away from James, looking away awkwardly from the scene of the man responding passionately to the pink skinned flying woman's silence. It was definitely an odd scene.
"Alright, well, we'll have to see what talk, dark and scary says, Dinah, but if you feel you need to do this then I'm going to be with you every step of the way," Craig beamed, as he kissed his girlfriend again.
"Really, really odd," James muttered to himself, wiping a hand over his face.
~~~~~~~~~~
"Gaia? Well, that doesn't make sense. I get my powers from Gaia, and I can feel her just fiiUHNNN," He jolted as she touched him in the chest again. This time it wasn't the burn of fire that caused the pain, it was his neurons being charged with knowledge. He faltered, putting his hand on her tiny shoulders, not expecting her to take his weight, but she did with surprising ease.
"Shiiit," He said, rubbing the sweat off his face, and creasing it up in pain. "Shiiiiiit."
"Work it out, Mark Diering."
"You're...you're Gaia from an Alternate future, one where the Earth is dying...Dead even. You've been destroyed by the Celestials and...the reason you're dead, or at least Earth is dead is..."
"Yes, Mark. I'm dead because you're dead. You're far more important to me, and my life than either of us had considered before. If I am to continue to survive, my darling boy, I'm going to need to make sure that you do as well."
~~~~~~~~~~
Later...
"Mark, can I have a word with you?" James asked, as they stood waiting for the Conquistador to arrive. Mark turned to James, obviously annoyed at the interruption. He was trying to understand the many intricacies of Amalgam's interactions with the current Earth, without having an annoying kid yapping in his ear.
“What?" He answered, rolling his eyes.
"In. Private," James spat through gritted teeth. The pair walked a small distance away, and Mark crossed his arms over his chest, looking increasingly more annoyed.
"I want out," James said simply, locking his eyes onto Marks. There was a marked drop in the irritation in his eyes and he unfolded his arms.
"You want what?"
"I want out, Mark. You don't want me. You don't need me, if you did you wouldn't talk to me like was a spare part. So, I want to leave."
"You can't leave, James. We need you."
"Well, I find that hard to believe, and you can't really tell me what I can and can't do, now, can you?" James put his hands on his hips, looking up at the man who was nearly two feet taller than him.
"Look, James. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you feel this way.."
"But you did, and you've made me want to leave. So, really you have nobody else to blame but.."
"We really do need you, James. You're important to the whole scheme of this, you're literally the glue that binds it all together."
"I'm what? See, this is brand new information. I can't be the "glue" I barely have any control over these stupid powers as it is, and I certainly don't want to be the core of some stupid hero team."
"You're not part of a team, James, you're part of something that's more important than a team. You're part of a race, the human race, and we need you in on this. Your abilities are going to be the most crucial there are in the entire group I've gathered, you are the one I need more than anyone else. I'm sorry that I appear to be standoffish, I can't really help it. Years of getting shit on kind of do that to you."
"Well..."
"Would it help if I explained what was going on?"
"It would."
"You might want to sit down then, James...This is probably going to take a while.">
~~~~~~~~~~
Somewhere above the Pacific
"This is actually the worst idea I've ever been part of," Chrome spat with disdain as Wisp lowered the trio into position. The hovering city was some twenty thousand feet above the Pacific Ocean, an egg shaped armoured fortress made from Rock, and Metal, suspended in the air with some unknown mechanism. Something not even Wisp could work out.
"Air tastes like Ozone and Chlorine," he winced, gravitating away from the side of the egg, as Chrome and the Isolationist found their purchase. The winds were fierce, but the air, ironically was incredibly thin. As Josef's coat blew in the wind, Chrome checked his breathing apparatus, a clear plastic mask connected to an air tank on his back, was on his face properly. He gave a heavy sigh.
"When we are ready, we shall call you in to collect us, Dr. Jackson," Josef said, in his quiet tones. Wisp nodded and moved away from the side of the craft, altering his magnetic field to avoid being detected by the monstrosities within it's innards.
Josef and Chrome pulled themselves higher and higher up the side of ship until their found one of the thousands of ventilation shafts in the side of the rocky formation. Upon pulling themselves in, they found it to be very, very similar to the inner workings of a Termite mound. Apparently burrowed out by the occupants of the craft themselves.
"Don't like this," Chrome said, as the pair quietly pulled their masks and air tanks off their backs. Josef lifted his hand to silence him.
"Allen, now is not the time for panic. You must remember the plan. We must find and select an Element, capture it with the portable version of the Lang Bomb, and then assume it's place," Josef's bald head was already covered in beads of sweat, as he slowly began to remove his clothes.
"Is that actually necessary, I mean I don't want to see man par..Oh, for fuck sakes," As Allen tried to look away he noticed that Josef had no body hair at all, and no genitals to speak of. He swallowed harshly and pointed to between the German man's legs.
"What happened, Man?"
"When I transformed into my current state, Nature herself decided that reproduction was no longer an option. I have been without my "jewels" as Mark is so found of saying, for some time. It no longer bothers me," Josef explained, as Allen couldn't take his eyes off him.
"Damn, Man. Just...Damn."
"Quickly, Allen, we must locate an element, so I may assimilate it's design,"Josef said, his voice slightly more hurried than normal.
~~~~~~~~~~
Josef and Allen had been sat in the air duct for nearly three hours. Waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. Allen was getting increasingly frustrated, and Josef had prevented him from dropping on two opponents that would have raised the alarm immediately. What they needed was an element of moderate power, putting them in the middle of things in terms of power and hierarchy.
"Can you explain to me what these things are?"
"They are the elements of Doom, Allen. Living Elements who have been enemies of the Avengers in the past. We require them for the plan,"
"Yeah, yeah. All I hear about is this stupid plan, what I want to know is, when do I get to take my shot at She-Thing," He looked through the hole before them as footsteps approached. Josef looked over his shoulder and shook his head, pointing towards the two more elements coming from the opposite direction.
"Dammit." Allen whispered, turning back to Josef.
"What is the problem with Sharon?" Josef asked after a minute or two.
"I get tired of people pushing me from one situation to the next, Joey. I want to be my own man, the fact that she interrupted my lunch, and guilt tripped me into some mission of "great importance" after she hit me as hard as she did? I owe her, and I'm going to make her pay up."
"You are a very angry and disturbed man, Allen,"Josef said after a few more minutes, examining the anger filled features of his team mate.
"Yeah, well, you would be if you'd died."
Josef shook his head, and moved towards the opening.
"Do I look angry to you?" Josef asked
"No."
"There is your answer,” Josef nodded, pointing towards the entity below.
As Allen opened his mouth, Josef lifted a finger and dropped from the vent, landing feet first on the elements head, driving it into the ground. Allen dropped down behind him. As Josef brought his hand up into the air, and slammed it down on the elements spine, he looked across to Allen, who was already beginning to take on the characteristics of the element.
He licked a tiny amount of the Element from his finger.
"Tastes like a tetral...Hrm," He took a moment of consideration before continuing. "It's lead. I'm going to need a minute to get the density right."
Josef nodded as he took on the characteristics of the element himself, looking to Allen, who pressed his fingers against Josefs body, adding the final touches to his look and elemental profile.
"Looking Good there, Joey," Chrome said, looking at the new man. He was three times as tall, and made of solid lead. He had no nose and no features on his square head save for a large mouth and two small eyes. Josef nodded.
"I'll be close by remember," Chrome said, as his body began to fade from sight. He was converting himself into Oxygen gas, making him not only scentless, but completely invisible.
Josef turned around, and threw the original lead up into the air vent. After he had bent his limbs out of shape, that is.
"Next stop, Control centre."
~~~~~~~~~~
The bow of the Conquistador
After convincing James to stay, the small grouping had boarded the ship. Mark had agreed to let Dinah and Craig come with them and assist on their mission, without saying to them that he was actually going to ask Dinah to come simply because he wanted to learn the World song, and the outside hope she might have some use for the coming battle.
He made a mental note to ask her if she could compose new songs, or whether she was just a mimic.
Amalgam looked up at him from her position leaning against the guard rail at the front of the ship. "Mark.."
He snapped his attention down to Amalgam, who smiled, looking peaceful.
"It is good to feel the air on my body, Mark. I've been cooped up for too long in dirty little home at the centre of the world. Perhaps, when this is over, you could take me to meet myself. There are things I would like to teach her, that she could only learn from herself."
Mark smiled widely, and put his hand on her shoulder.
"I'd like that very much, but, I've got to ask...What do you want me to call you? Gaia? Mistress.."
"Just Amalgam. There are still elements within me that are alien to my personality. Left overs from the previous owner of this body. It is a shame, I hate for any of my children to die at my hands, but it appears as though even my drained and meger powers have burnt the mind right out of this shell," She hung her head, a wave of sadness washing over her.
"Hey...Don't worry. I'm sure they knew what they were doing.." He drew her into a hug, and looked over his shoulder at the form of his girlfriend and her sister watching them. He knew he was going to catch hell for this.
"I don't like her, Ag," Serafina said to her sister. They watched Amalgam and Mark talk on the bridge of the ship, and Serafina felt a stirring in her stomach. Jealousy.
"Don't worry about it, Sera. If he can resist me to stay with you, then you've got nothing to worry about from another blue skinned hussy," Aguja was well known for her ways with Men, she'd already set her eyes on Chrome, who was uncharacteristically cold towards her, given how she'd offered him a no strings attached deal.
"Most of the men here are boring anyway, that Feron guy spends all his time in his quarters, Boost is married with Kids, Mark's with you, Josef is never here long enough, Darwin's gone, and Chrome is as cold to me as ice. The only one I might have a chance with is that James guy, but he looks like the only soft parts of a woman he's seen are on TV."
Serafina snorted, and looked down at her shorter, younger sister.
"Perhaps you could train him?" She said with a smile.
Aguja smiled back, and laughed.
"Yeah, maybe I can. Look, if you're worried, go and talk to him, don't bend my ears off over it."
Serafina shook her head, and looked down at the tiny Palm Pilot in her hands.
“Where're we headed next, Sera?” Her sister asked, leaning to see the co-ordinates.
“Florida, Ag. We're headed to the Florida Everglades.”
NEXT ISSUE: Florida!
FROM THE FILES OF BROTHER NATURE
Hollis, Craig (Mr. Immortal) Craig's main power is that he cannot die. When presented with a fatal injury, his body almost instantly heals itself. Craig is also an amateur and well meaning hero, with a lot to learn, but a lot more promise than failings. He was most recently involved in freeing Blade from Hell. - This guy is really, really annoying. I don't understand why I let him on the boat. That said, he isn't a bad fighter, and appears to get better and better every day. A quick study, and a real heart of gold. Just really, really annoying. Too Perky.
Dinah Soar (Unknown) True origins of Dinah are unknown. However, she works and lives with Craig Hollis, as his team-mate, lover and member of the GLA. Dinah's race bonds with one particular person throughout their lives, which allows Craig to hear her speech. Dinah also knows all the words and verses to the World Song. - An Incredible voice, and a certain beauty to her that cannot really be described. Very attractive, and seems to connect well with Amalgam, even if I have no idea what they're saying half the time. She seems to follow Craig, and Craig follow her. A weird combination if there ever was one.
AUTHOR'S NOTES
Thanks to Dave Golightly for saying he was reading the series, and yes Pink Floyd are indeed, a GOOD Band, and a very good choice of music to listen to when reading this series. Others i'd recommend are Muse, or Enter Shikari (I know...I know...The second album though, not the first.)
I'd like to point out that I cannot write, you may have noticed a number of spelling mistakes in my last Author's notes regarding Josh's review of my series – So, Sorry Josh! Sorry guys!
Finally, if you're looking for something different, check out Brother Nature's appearance in the M2K Halloween special. It's not scary at all!