Back to Gatefold
Issue #51 by Daniel Ingram
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"THE TANGLED WEB - PART ONE"
Ghudazan, Africa…
Now…
“Go, go!” Taavi squeezed his friend’s wrist harder, dragging him down the street.
What had been promised as a safe-house was now a raging inferno in an otherwise unassuming suburb. It had been mere luck that saved Taavi and his friend, Nadir, but neither man were willing to rely on that for survival.
And this late at night, well past midnight, there was little way the two young men could not stand out.
The two tried to casually walk away, knowing that breaking into a dead run would only get them spotted that much quicker.
But this late at night, there was nothing two young men walking down to the street could really do to remain inconspicuous. They hadn’t made it half a block before a half dozen cars swarmed around them.
“You there!”
The men inside the cars spilled out, leveling heavy weapons more suited to a warzone at the two young men.
“You are under arrest for suspicion of violating the Natural Law Act! Under the authority placed in me by the Almighty and the order of the Purifiers, you are to lay down on the ground, now!”
Taavi’s temper flared. He loathed how the men regarded him with thinly veiled hate, how the cross of the Savior was emblazoned on their armor, and most importantly, that damned ‘Natural Law Act’.
“How can you criminalize how I was born?” Taavi snapped. As his temper flared, his arms began to glow bright green.
“Taavi, don’t resist,” Nadir pleaded. He’d never seen weapons like the ones that were pointed at him now, and their sheer size was intimidating.
“Why, so we can die slowly, out of sight?” Taavi spat, “I’d rather die here, on my feet! No one else is going to help us!”
The Purifiers braced, ready for a fight.
But before the first trigger could be pulled, the ground shook, throwing everyone from their feet.
There was a gust of wind, the Purifiers blinked and their weapons disappeared.
“We’re under attack!” yelled one Purifier, for all the good it did him.
“Yuir bloody well right!”
Claws slashed, blades flew, and the Purifiers scattered as one.
Taavi and Nadir looked on in shock, as the members of Force Works gathered around them.
“…are you lost?” was the first thing Nadi could think to say.
“Heh, depends,” Nova said, “think you can point us towards the Reeducation Center?”
The Work Place…
Then…
It had been several weeks since the Soldier’s of Misfortune’s attack. In that time, the team had been hard at work reassembling their home/headquarters. The battle had gutted the building, but unfortunately, the members of Force Works were becoming increasingly used to picking through rubble to reassemble their home.
The scars of battle were still present throughout the building, throughout their home, but it didn’t take long for them to reach the end of their ability to repair it. What remained was in the hands of specialists, and so Nova decided it was time to get back to the mission.
The entire team was assembled in their conference room. Blink’s empty chair drew a heavy sigh from Nova, but he pushed forward.
The entire team was assembled, only now Nova stood at the head of the table, Namorita on his right, Mirage on his left. She might no longer be the leader, but Rich was damned if he was going to let her get too far.
“Alright, let’s get started,” Nova began, “there’s a long list of wrongs in the world, so where do we start?”
“No suggestions?” Technocrat said.
“Fresh start,” Nova snapped. He could feel the eyes of Namorita, X-Treme and Technocrat on him.
They wanted to immediately strike back, to go after the shadow organization known as The Corporation. But Nova wasn’t about to be pushed around on his first day on the job.
“I had several thoughts…” Namorita started.
“Reverend Days,” said Tarene, “we should bring him in.”
“Reverend Days?” Mirage said, “do we even know where he is?”
“I think so,” Tarene said, “I saw some articles online, and went through some of the tips we get. There’s a rumor about a red-haired man who can cure mutants in Ghudazan. He’s working with a bunch of people who call themselves the Purifiers.”
“Name like that, we oughta punch them on principle,” Sabre said.
“I agree wit’ Tarene,” said Rahne, “Reverend Days should be behind bars no matter where in the world he is, nae perverting the Lord’s Word.”
“An anti-mutant law was recently passed in Ghudazan,” Tarene said, “people are being deemed criminals just for existing!”
“Tragic,” Taki said, “but…”
“I think Tarene’s found us a winner,” Nova said, “all in favor?”
Nova smirked when he saw no dissent, even though three hands went up last.
“Okay,” Nova said, “we need to prep this like any other mission. Research on who we need to hit, Mirage, X-Treme, that’s you. Finding a place to take the people we rescue, Sabre, Vibraxis, Taki, that’s you. The rest of us are going to brainstorm tactical plans for what happens when we meet up with Days.”
“Let’s go to work.”
Later…
When Nova returned to his quarters, he was instantly met with an angry Namorita.
She glared at him with an intensity that reminded Rich of her cousin, and for a moment, the Human Rocket felt a little afraid.
“I thought we agreed to go after The Corporation,” Namorita said, “Reverend Days…”
“…is an easy target compared to the Corporation bastards,” Nova replied, “we got out home torn apart, lost a founding member and two others were seriously wounded, you included. We need a win, not chasing damn shadows.”
“Dani wouldn’t…!”
“Dani isn’t leading the team, I am!” snapped Nova, “and what she would have done is crush herself under the weight of all this. That’s why we’re all making decisions now. Or at least, supposed to be.”
“We’re behind in a war,” Namorita said, “not the best place for a democracy.”
“But it’s the most important place for our principles.”
Ghudazan, Africa…
Now…
“We’re a little far from home,” Nova said, “but we’re not lost. We were tapping into the Purifiers radio when we got a heads up about you two.”
“I can’t thank you enough,” said Nadir said, “but I don’t know if you did much good, honestly. We have nowhere to go now, and they’ll send more after us.”
“We have thought that,” Vibraxis said, “please bear with us, and we will have you to safety soon.”
“Sabre, round up the weapons,” Nova ordered, “Technocrat, take a look at them. I wanna know who made those toys.”
“They were not cheap,” observed Vibraxis, “I can only imagine how many more worthy causes the money could have been applied towards.”
“Quite a few,” Taki observed. He swept his scanners over the weapons, “Stane tech, last year’s model. Not cheap.”
“Send the information back to base,” Nova ordered, “let the brain trust handle it.”
“Brain trust?” Sabre snorted.
Metro City….
Earlier…
“This is so utterly boring,” Charcoal droned, “why am I even here?”
“Because,” Namorita said, “we were injured fighting the Soldiers of Misfortune.”
“I’m healed!”
“Also, you’re a slow, lumbering giant who might set the wrong thing on fire,” said Namorita.
“Fair enough,” Charlie said, “so if this Reverend Days guy is getting outside funding like you suspect, how are we supposed to find it?”
“Charitable donations have to be declared,” Namorita said, “if I track those donations to the actual charities, I can then look at the invoices of their suppliers and see what’s missing. It’s not easy, but Taki set up a program to help.”
“That sounds like a lot of math head ache,” Charlie said.
“Well, it is made easier when you have an idea of who to look at,” Namorita said, “I’m pretty sure I know who’s funding the Purifiers.”
“And those bastards are?” said Charlie, “Also, don’t expect me to actually recognize the names. I’m clearly here as a sounding board.”
“That, and to make sure you’re doing your homework,” Namorita said, “also, you’d recognize the brand, at least. Chicken-B-Good, CEO S. Mathew Tru, a born again Christian.”
“Hey, don’t assume that just because I’m black means I know all chicken franchises,” said Charcoal.
“I audit the team expenses, including the credit card we gave you,” Namorita winked.
“Okay, so we know who’s funding these people,” Charlie said, “now what?”
Ghudazan…
It didn’t take Force Works long to find the Re-education camp. With a combination of Google maps, and hacking the Purifiers equipment, they had the location inside of three minutes.
It was nestled in a former plantation comfortably away from the suburbs and hustle and bustle of the big city.
Electrified barb wire surrounded the property, with guard towers on four sides.
“Bastards are locked up tight,” Wolfsbane observed the property from a dozen yards away, her canine eyes easily making the details of the property, “I tell ya, Dani, I want to be a good Christian, but I can’t wait to beat these bastards down.”
A mile and a half away, Mirage smirked as she received the information through their psi-link.
“What’s Rahne found?” said Nova.
“A lot of guards, the captives and enough advanced weapons to give us a workout,” Mirage reported.
“All to oppress their countrymen, for an accident of birth,” Vibraxis clenched his fists, “I will not let this stand!”
“Well, this mission is as complicated as we expected,” said Nova, “alright, we’re going to split into two groups. One will focus on getting the civilians out, Mirage, Wolfsbane, Technocrat and Sabre, that’s you. The rest of us will handle Reverend Days.”
“I long to make him feel my vibrational might,” Vibraxis said, oblivious to the smirks of his teammates.
“Last time we fought, he took on the whole team,” X-Treme observed.
“Last time, he had backup,” Nova replied, “we haven’t seen any sign of his little entourage, they ditched him as the last battle. Getting the civilians out is priority number one. We can come back for Reverend Days.”
“We can’t leave him here,” Tarene said, “he’s hurt too many people to be allowed free.”
“First, we rescue the civilians,” Nova said, “business before pleasure. But, tell ya what, kiddo.”
“Why don’t you announce us?”
A bolt of lightning the size of a car struck the ground in the center of the Reeducation Camp, as blinding as looking into the sun itself.
Tarene, standing on a spider-web of newly fused glass, waited patiently as the guards recovered from the sight and shock of her lightning arrival.
The young Goddess remained immobile as some of the soldiers regained their wits, and leveled their advanced weapons at her. Of the more than a dozen shots sent her way, only two actually connected.
And Tarene never flinched.
“Reverend Days!” Tarene shouted, filling her war mallet with lightning, “show yourself!”
“Damn, she’s in a mood,” Sabre said, as she paused to watch Tarene unleash her power.
Kim sped towards the barn, smashing through the wooden doors as if they were paper.
The humidity and stench of unwashed flesh and human waste struck Sabre like a wave. She hadn’t thought much about how the barn was modified to hold so many people against their will, and she almost wished she didn’t have to see it now. The modifications were too little for animals, let alone human beings.
What were once stalls for horses had been modified with metal bars welded on all four sides. Cells not wide enough to hold six people were crammed with a dozen men and women. They were shoved inside like livestock, and it made Sabre’s blood boil.
“Alright everyone, this’ll take only a second,” Sabre took a few steps, reaching into her belt and removing her brass knuckles, “literally. Step back from the bars, please.”
Sabre took a calming breathe, and then took off at Mach-3. She kept a tight focus on the electro-magnetic field around her that minimized the effects of her speed, and on her hands. She held them out, and they sliced through the metal as if it were tissue.
One trip forward, one trip back, and the metal bars well apart like Jenga blocks.
Dozens of men and women carefully stepped out, baffled by what they had just (barely) seen.
Thank you so much, God be praised, said a voice inside of Sabre’s head.
“Hey, whoa!” Sabre said.
A young woman, her head shaved, and dressed in a grey prison suit, stepped forward and offered Sabre her hand on friendship.
My name is Zora, she said.
“First, stay out of my head,” Kim said. She regretted it instantly, when she observed the scar across Zora’s throat, “second, you can use your powers? Why didn’t you just leave.”
I couldn’t leave them, Zora motioned towards her fellow prisoners, and where would we go, besides?
The ground began to rumble, and Sabre smirked as a prison van pulled up behind her.
“We got ya covered. We spoke to some charity groups, and got some safe houses set up. All goes well, you’ll be in South Africa by the end of the week.”
The doors opened, and a very cross Technocrat was sitting at the driver’s seat, an amused Mirage leaning against the driver’s seat.
“Shall we get this over with?” said Technocrat, “there are better uses for my genius than a bus driver.”
There was a burst of light as bright as the sun itself, and an explosion that shook the ground beneath them.
“Not at the moment,” Mirage said, “Sabre, get everyone on board. Wolfsbane, keep in touch, I’m going to go help the others!”
“So God, in his infinite wisdom, has givin’ me another chance to smite the unbelievers who brought me so low,” Reverend Days said, his hands smoldering with energy, “ya’ll gonna regret this trip.”
“We shall regret nothing,” Vibraxis declared. He pointed his gauntlets at Reverend Days and unleashed enough power to move a mountain.
The Reverend raised a field of blue energy that blunted the attack.
“Then yer a fool, young man, and I’ll cast ya down to hell itself!”
Reverend Days pointed his hands at Vibraxis, and a wave of orange flame flew from his fingers.
“Vibraxis, down!” Nova flew in front of his teammate, and gritted his teeth as the flame scorched his skin.
“You ain’t got no idea of how many people I done saved,” Reverend Days said, “don’t think you can just walk away.”
“So where are your grunts?” Nova needled, “you’re missing your muscle, they wise up?”
“My flock was forced into hidin’, because of yer slander,” growled Reverend Days.
So focused on the Human Rocket, Reverend Days never saw X-Treme coming from behind, until the alien mutant swept his swords across the Reverend’s ankles, hamstringing him and forcing him to his knees.
“When facts are your foe, the world is your enemy,” X-Treme said, “old Shi’ar saying. Surrender now, you’ve done enough harm to yourself and your faith.”
“I won’t be commanded by faithless heathens!”
Energy exploded out of Reverend Days in every direction, knocking X-Treme backwards.
“Of course he has a healing factor,” X-Treme groaned.
Wolfsbane bit her lip as she saw the burst of energy in the distance.
“Think they’re doing okay?” said Sabre, “I could be back there in a blink, if you want me to.”
“Don’t say blink,” Wolfsbane sighed, “Dani’s wit’ them, that’ll have to be enough. We have to get these poor people to safety.”
“Hey, I’m fast enough to do both,” Sabre said.
Wolfsbane just rolled her eyes. Why was it that speedsters had to be so insufferable?
“Do ye really want ta miss a moment of Taki being forced to taxi us?” Wolfsbane said.
“No, no I do not,” Sabre said.
“Nice to know my humiliation serves a purpose,” Technocrat groused.
The police! Said Zora, they are coming!
“Handled,” Technocrat said dismissively, “transmuting materials from one thing into another is my basic mutant ability. Observe…”
Technocrat flipped a switch and the bus they were riding in shimmered and seemed to ripple. Sabre and Wolfsbane looked out the window, and found that they could no longer see the back of the bus, from the exterior.
“We now look like Jeep pulling scrap,” Technocrat said, “no problem.”
“For us,” Wolfsbane said, “the others are about to be up their bloody necks in cops.”
Reverend Days grabbed Nova by the throat, and slammed him into the ground, creating a crater the size of a small car.
“Days!” Tarene’s war mallet smashed across Reverend Days’ face, and sent teeth flying, “you will pay for abusing the faith of others!”
“A pagan ain’t gonna tell me the word of God,” Tarene swung her weapon again, but it harmlessly passed through her.
“Stand and fight like a man!” Vibraxis demanded, as he unleashed his power on Reverend Days, his attack no more effective than Tarene’s.
Nova climbed to his feet, picking himself up out of the crater as his teammates struggled to hurt Reverend Days.
“We got a problem, Rich,” Mirage said.
“We do,” Nova rolled his shoulder, trying to handle the soreness, “I told you to stick with the others.”
“I’m improvising,” Mirage said with a smirk, “you guys did it to me often enough.”
“Fair enough,” Nova said, “make it quick, I need to cave Days’ head in.”
“He has too many powers, and local law enforcement is coming,” Mirage said, “short enough?”
“Damn it, yeah,” Nova considered their options.
As a general rule, he didn’t want to fight law enforcement, no matter how corrupt or racist. Because that would escalate things in all kinds of different and troubling ways.
“Okay, we need to pull back,” Nova said, “we’re already in murky waters. Last thing we need is them calling in Excalibur. Get ready to cover us.”
“Force Works! Plan Guile, then bail!” Nova shouted.
“Plan Guile?” Reverend Days, still phased, tried to think what Nova’s tactic might be.
Nova didn’t allow him much time, flying at Reverend Days, and breaking Mach-1 seconds before he would have connected.
The sonic boom was deafening, and Reverend Days struggled to think past the pain and the ringing in his ears.
“Lets go!” Nova snapped.
“Not again,” Reverend Days saw red, as he watched Force Works turn to leave, “y’all ain’t gonna bushwack me again!”
Reverend Days reached inside himself, and called forth the most dangerous ability he had taken. A sphere of crimson red energy began forming in his hands, and Days poured all his anger and hatred into it.
With a silent prayer, Reverend Days willed it towards his enemies.
“Nova?” X-Treme glanced backwards, “we got a problem. Look back!”
Nova glanced over his shoulder, and what he saw made the HUD on his helmet start screaming.
“Go limp, and keep running,” Nova said, “Tarene, we got incoming!
”
“What is that?” Tarene said, as she set Vibraxis down.
“Superheated plasma bubble that’ll only get hotter the longer it goes unpopped,” said Nova, “brace, kiddo, this is gonna hurt.”
Several miles away, Wolfsbane felt a rush of panic through the psi-link and she looked back in the direction of her friends.
A bright, nearly blinding light flashed across the horizon, and a cloud of smoke climbed into the air.
“God in heaven…”
United States…
“So, ready?” said Namorita.
“Ready,” Charlie Burlingame replied.
The two superheroes stepped out of the cab and into the parking lot. The building before them was at least twenty stories of smooth, clear glass. Charlie craned his head upwards until he saw the corporate billboard ‘Chicken-B-Good’.
“Just one question?”
“How do we beat up a company?”
Next Issue: Force Works find themselves in dire straits with members captured, separated or on the run!
Now…
“Go, go!” Taavi squeezed his friend’s wrist harder, dragging him down the street.
What had been promised as a safe-house was now a raging inferno in an otherwise unassuming suburb. It had been mere luck that saved Taavi and his friend, Nadir, but neither man were willing to rely on that for survival.
And this late at night, well past midnight, there was little way the two young men could not stand out.
The two tried to casually walk away, knowing that breaking into a dead run would only get them spotted that much quicker.
But this late at night, there was nothing two young men walking down to the street could really do to remain inconspicuous. They hadn’t made it half a block before a half dozen cars swarmed around them.
“You there!”
The men inside the cars spilled out, leveling heavy weapons more suited to a warzone at the two young men.
“You are under arrest for suspicion of violating the Natural Law Act! Under the authority placed in me by the Almighty and the order of the Purifiers, you are to lay down on the ground, now!”
Taavi’s temper flared. He loathed how the men regarded him with thinly veiled hate, how the cross of the Savior was emblazoned on their armor, and most importantly, that damned ‘Natural Law Act’.
“How can you criminalize how I was born?” Taavi snapped. As his temper flared, his arms began to glow bright green.
“Taavi, don’t resist,” Nadir pleaded. He’d never seen weapons like the ones that were pointed at him now, and their sheer size was intimidating.
“Why, so we can die slowly, out of sight?” Taavi spat, “I’d rather die here, on my feet! No one else is going to help us!”
The Purifiers braced, ready for a fight.
But before the first trigger could be pulled, the ground shook, throwing everyone from their feet.
There was a gust of wind, the Purifiers blinked and their weapons disappeared.
“We’re under attack!” yelled one Purifier, for all the good it did him.
“Yuir bloody well right!”
Claws slashed, blades flew, and the Purifiers scattered as one.
Taavi and Nadir looked on in shock, as the members of Force Works gathered around them.
“…are you lost?” was the first thing Nadi could think to say.
“Heh, depends,” Nova said, “think you can point us towards the Reeducation Center?”
The Work Place…
Then…
It had been several weeks since the Soldier’s of Misfortune’s attack. In that time, the team had been hard at work reassembling their home/headquarters. The battle had gutted the building, but unfortunately, the members of Force Works were becoming increasingly used to picking through rubble to reassemble their home.
The scars of battle were still present throughout the building, throughout their home, but it didn’t take long for them to reach the end of their ability to repair it. What remained was in the hands of specialists, and so Nova decided it was time to get back to the mission.
The entire team was assembled in their conference room. Blink’s empty chair drew a heavy sigh from Nova, but he pushed forward.
The entire team was assembled, only now Nova stood at the head of the table, Namorita on his right, Mirage on his left. She might no longer be the leader, but Rich was damned if he was going to let her get too far.
“Alright, let’s get started,” Nova began, “there’s a long list of wrongs in the world, so where do we start?”
“No suggestions?” Technocrat said.
“Fresh start,” Nova snapped. He could feel the eyes of Namorita, X-Treme and Technocrat on him.
They wanted to immediately strike back, to go after the shadow organization known as The Corporation. But Nova wasn’t about to be pushed around on his first day on the job.
“I had several thoughts…” Namorita started.
“Reverend Days,” said Tarene, “we should bring him in.”
“Reverend Days?” Mirage said, “do we even know where he is?”
“I think so,” Tarene said, “I saw some articles online, and went through some of the tips we get. There’s a rumor about a red-haired man who can cure mutants in Ghudazan. He’s working with a bunch of people who call themselves the Purifiers.”
“Name like that, we oughta punch them on principle,” Sabre said.
“I agree wit’ Tarene,” said Rahne, “Reverend Days should be behind bars no matter where in the world he is, nae perverting the Lord’s Word.”
“An anti-mutant law was recently passed in Ghudazan,” Tarene said, “people are being deemed criminals just for existing!”
“Tragic,” Taki said, “but…”
“I think Tarene’s found us a winner,” Nova said, “all in favor?”
Nova smirked when he saw no dissent, even though three hands went up last.
“Okay,” Nova said, “we need to prep this like any other mission. Research on who we need to hit, Mirage, X-Treme, that’s you. Finding a place to take the people we rescue, Sabre, Vibraxis, Taki, that’s you. The rest of us are going to brainstorm tactical plans for what happens when we meet up with Days.”
“Let’s go to work.”
Later…
When Nova returned to his quarters, he was instantly met with an angry Namorita.
She glared at him with an intensity that reminded Rich of her cousin, and for a moment, the Human Rocket felt a little afraid.
“I thought we agreed to go after The Corporation,” Namorita said, “Reverend Days…”
“…is an easy target compared to the Corporation bastards,” Nova replied, “we got out home torn apart, lost a founding member and two others were seriously wounded, you included. We need a win, not chasing damn shadows.”
“Dani wouldn’t…!”
“Dani isn’t leading the team, I am!” snapped Nova, “and what she would have done is crush herself under the weight of all this. That’s why we’re all making decisions now. Or at least, supposed to be.”
“We’re behind in a war,” Namorita said, “not the best place for a democracy.”
“But it’s the most important place for our principles.”
Ghudazan, Africa…
Now…
“We’re a little far from home,” Nova said, “but we’re not lost. We were tapping into the Purifiers radio when we got a heads up about you two.”
“I can’t thank you enough,” said Nadir said, “but I don’t know if you did much good, honestly. We have nowhere to go now, and they’ll send more after us.”
“We have thought that,” Vibraxis said, “please bear with us, and we will have you to safety soon.”
“Sabre, round up the weapons,” Nova ordered, “Technocrat, take a look at them. I wanna know who made those toys.”
“They were not cheap,” observed Vibraxis, “I can only imagine how many more worthy causes the money could have been applied towards.”
“Quite a few,” Taki observed. He swept his scanners over the weapons, “Stane tech, last year’s model. Not cheap.”
“Send the information back to base,” Nova ordered, “let the brain trust handle it.”
“Brain trust?” Sabre snorted.
Metro City….
Earlier…
“This is so utterly boring,” Charcoal droned, “why am I even here?”
“Because,” Namorita said, “we were injured fighting the Soldiers of Misfortune.”
“I’m healed!”
“Also, you’re a slow, lumbering giant who might set the wrong thing on fire,” said Namorita.
“Fair enough,” Charlie said, “so if this Reverend Days guy is getting outside funding like you suspect, how are we supposed to find it?”
“Charitable donations have to be declared,” Namorita said, “if I track those donations to the actual charities, I can then look at the invoices of their suppliers and see what’s missing. It’s not easy, but Taki set up a program to help.”
“That sounds like a lot of math head ache,” Charlie said.
“Well, it is made easier when you have an idea of who to look at,” Namorita said, “I’m pretty sure I know who’s funding the Purifiers.”
“And those bastards are?” said Charlie, “Also, don’t expect me to actually recognize the names. I’m clearly here as a sounding board.”
“That, and to make sure you’re doing your homework,” Namorita said, “also, you’d recognize the brand, at least. Chicken-B-Good, CEO S. Mathew Tru, a born again Christian.”
“Hey, don’t assume that just because I’m black means I know all chicken franchises,” said Charcoal.
“I audit the team expenses, including the credit card we gave you,” Namorita winked.
“Okay, so we know who’s funding these people,” Charlie said, “now what?”
Ghudazan…
It didn’t take Force Works long to find the Re-education camp. With a combination of Google maps, and hacking the Purifiers equipment, they had the location inside of three minutes.
It was nestled in a former plantation comfortably away from the suburbs and hustle and bustle of the big city.
Electrified barb wire surrounded the property, with guard towers on four sides.
“Bastards are locked up tight,” Wolfsbane observed the property from a dozen yards away, her canine eyes easily making the details of the property, “I tell ya, Dani, I want to be a good Christian, but I can’t wait to beat these bastards down.”
A mile and a half away, Mirage smirked as she received the information through their psi-link.
“What’s Rahne found?” said Nova.
“A lot of guards, the captives and enough advanced weapons to give us a workout,” Mirage reported.
“All to oppress their countrymen, for an accident of birth,” Vibraxis clenched his fists, “I will not let this stand!”
“Well, this mission is as complicated as we expected,” said Nova, “alright, we’re going to split into two groups. One will focus on getting the civilians out, Mirage, Wolfsbane, Technocrat and Sabre, that’s you. The rest of us will handle Reverend Days.”
“I long to make him feel my vibrational might,” Vibraxis said, oblivious to the smirks of his teammates.
“Last time we fought, he took on the whole team,” X-Treme observed.
“Last time, he had backup,” Nova replied, “we haven’t seen any sign of his little entourage, they ditched him as the last battle. Getting the civilians out is priority number one. We can come back for Reverend Days.”
“We can’t leave him here,” Tarene said, “he’s hurt too many people to be allowed free.”
“First, we rescue the civilians,” Nova said, “business before pleasure. But, tell ya what, kiddo.”
“Why don’t you announce us?”
A bolt of lightning the size of a car struck the ground in the center of the Reeducation Camp, as blinding as looking into the sun itself.
Tarene, standing on a spider-web of newly fused glass, waited patiently as the guards recovered from the sight and shock of her lightning arrival.
The young Goddess remained immobile as some of the soldiers regained their wits, and leveled their advanced weapons at her. Of the more than a dozen shots sent her way, only two actually connected.
And Tarene never flinched.
“Reverend Days!” Tarene shouted, filling her war mallet with lightning, “show yourself!”
“Damn, she’s in a mood,” Sabre said, as she paused to watch Tarene unleash her power.
Kim sped towards the barn, smashing through the wooden doors as if they were paper.
The humidity and stench of unwashed flesh and human waste struck Sabre like a wave. She hadn’t thought much about how the barn was modified to hold so many people against their will, and she almost wished she didn’t have to see it now. The modifications were too little for animals, let alone human beings.
What were once stalls for horses had been modified with metal bars welded on all four sides. Cells not wide enough to hold six people were crammed with a dozen men and women. They were shoved inside like livestock, and it made Sabre’s blood boil.
“Alright everyone, this’ll take only a second,” Sabre took a few steps, reaching into her belt and removing her brass knuckles, “literally. Step back from the bars, please.”
Sabre took a calming breathe, and then took off at Mach-3. She kept a tight focus on the electro-magnetic field around her that minimized the effects of her speed, and on her hands. She held them out, and they sliced through the metal as if it were tissue.
One trip forward, one trip back, and the metal bars well apart like Jenga blocks.
Dozens of men and women carefully stepped out, baffled by what they had just (barely) seen.
Thank you so much, God be praised, said a voice inside of Sabre’s head.
“Hey, whoa!” Sabre said.
A young woman, her head shaved, and dressed in a grey prison suit, stepped forward and offered Sabre her hand on friendship.
My name is Zora, she said.
“First, stay out of my head,” Kim said. She regretted it instantly, when she observed the scar across Zora’s throat, “second, you can use your powers? Why didn’t you just leave.”
I couldn’t leave them, Zora motioned towards her fellow prisoners, and where would we go, besides?
The ground began to rumble, and Sabre smirked as a prison van pulled up behind her.
“We got ya covered. We spoke to some charity groups, and got some safe houses set up. All goes well, you’ll be in South Africa by the end of the week.”
The doors opened, and a very cross Technocrat was sitting at the driver’s seat, an amused Mirage leaning against the driver’s seat.
“Shall we get this over with?” said Technocrat, “there are better uses for my genius than a bus driver.”
There was a burst of light as bright as the sun itself, and an explosion that shook the ground beneath them.
“Not at the moment,” Mirage said, “Sabre, get everyone on board. Wolfsbane, keep in touch, I’m going to go help the others!”
“So God, in his infinite wisdom, has givin’ me another chance to smite the unbelievers who brought me so low,” Reverend Days said, his hands smoldering with energy, “ya’ll gonna regret this trip.”
“We shall regret nothing,” Vibraxis declared. He pointed his gauntlets at Reverend Days and unleashed enough power to move a mountain.
The Reverend raised a field of blue energy that blunted the attack.
“Then yer a fool, young man, and I’ll cast ya down to hell itself!”
Reverend Days pointed his hands at Vibraxis, and a wave of orange flame flew from his fingers.
“Vibraxis, down!” Nova flew in front of his teammate, and gritted his teeth as the flame scorched his skin.
“You ain’t got no idea of how many people I done saved,” Reverend Days said, “don’t think you can just walk away.”
“So where are your grunts?” Nova needled, “you’re missing your muscle, they wise up?”
“My flock was forced into hidin’, because of yer slander,” growled Reverend Days.
So focused on the Human Rocket, Reverend Days never saw X-Treme coming from behind, until the alien mutant swept his swords across the Reverend’s ankles, hamstringing him and forcing him to his knees.
“When facts are your foe, the world is your enemy,” X-Treme said, “old Shi’ar saying. Surrender now, you’ve done enough harm to yourself and your faith.”
“I won’t be commanded by faithless heathens!”
Energy exploded out of Reverend Days in every direction, knocking X-Treme backwards.
“Of course he has a healing factor,” X-Treme groaned.
Wolfsbane bit her lip as she saw the burst of energy in the distance.
“Think they’re doing okay?” said Sabre, “I could be back there in a blink, if you want me to.”
“Don’t say blink,” Wolfsbane sighed, “Dani’s wit’ them, that’ll have to be enough. We have to get these poor people to safety.”
“Hey, I’m fast enough to do both,” Sabre said.
Wolfsbane just rolled her eyes. Why was it that speedsters had to be so insufferable?
“Do ye really want ta miss a moment of Taki being forced to taxi us?” Wolfsbane said.
“No, no I do not,” Sabre said.
“Nice to know my humiliation serves a purpose,” Technocrat groused.
The police! Said Zora, they are coming!
“Handled,” Technocrat said dismissively, “transmuting materials from one thing into another is my basic mutant ability. Observe…”
Technocrat flipped a switch and the bus they were riding in shimmered and seemed to ripple. Sabre and Wolfsbane looked out the window, and found that they could no longer see the back of the bus, from the exterior.
“We now look like Jeep pulling scrap,” Technocrat said, “no problem.”
“For us,” Wolfsbane said, “the others are about to be up their bloody necks in cops.”
Reverend Days grabbed Nova by the throat, and slammed him into the ground, creating a crater the size of a small car.
“Days!” Tarene’s war mallet smashed across Reverend Days’ face, and sent teeth flying, “you will pay for abusing the faith of others!”
“A pagan ain’t gonna tell me the word of God,” Tarene swung her weapon again, but it harmlessly passed through her.
“Stand and fight like a man!” Vibraxis demanded, as he unleashed his power on Reverend Days, his attack no more effective than Tarene’s.
Nova climbed to his feet, picking himself up out of the crater as his teammates struggled to hurt Reverend Days.
“We got a problem, Rich,” Mirage said.
“We do,” Nova rolled his shoulder, trying to handle the soreness, “I told you to stick with the others.”
“I’m improvising,” Mirage said with a smirk, “you guys did it to me often enough.”
“Fair enough,” Nova said, “make it quick, I need to cave Days’ head in.”
“He has too many powers, and local law enforcement is coming,” Mirage said, “short enough?”
“Damn it, yeah,” Nova considered their options.
As a general rule, he didn’t want to fight law enforcement, no matter how corrupt or racist. Because that would escalate things in all kinds of different and troubling ways.
“Okay, we need to pull back,” Nova said, “we’re already in murky waters. Last thing we need is them calling in Excalibur. Get ready to cover us.”
“Force Works! Plan Guile, then bail!” Nova shouted.
“Plan Guile?” Reverend Days, still phased, tried to think what Nova’s tactic might be.
Nova didn’t allow him much time, flying at Reverend Days, and breaking Mach-1 seconds before he would have connected.
The sonic boom was deafening, and Reverend Days struggled to think past the pain and the ringing in his ears.
“Lets go!” Nova snapped.
“Not again,” Reverend Days saw red, as he watched Force Works turn to leave, “y’all ain’t gonna bushwack me again!”
Reverend Days reached inside himself, and called forth the most dangerous ability he had taken. A sphere of crimson red energy began forming in his hands, and Days poured all his anger and hatred into it.
With a silent prayer, Reverend Days willed it towards his enemies.
“Nova?” X-Treme glanced backwards, “we got a problem. Look back!”
Nova glanced over his shoulder, and what he saw made the HUD on his helmet start screaming.
“Go limp, and keep running,” Nova said, “Tarene, we got incoming!
”
“What is that?” Tarene said, as she set Vibraxis down.
“Superheated plasma bubble that’ll only get hotter the longer it goes unpopped,” said Nova, “brace, kiddo, this is gonna hurt.”
Several miles away, Wolfsbane felt a rush of panic through the psi-link and she looked back in the direction of her friends.
A bright, nearly blinding light flashed across the horizon, and a cloud of smoke climbed into the air.
“God in heaven…”
United States…
“So, ready?” said Namorita.
“Ready,” Charlie Burlingame replied.
The two superheroes stepped out of the cab and into the parking lot. The building before them was at least twenty stories of smooth, clear glass. Charlie craned his head upwards until he saw the corporate billboard ‘Chicken-B-Good’.
“Just one question?”
“How do we beat up a company?”
Next Issue: Force Works find themselves in dire straits with members captured, separated or on the run!