Back to GatefoldIssue #15 by Tobias Christopher
|
While Franklin Richards and Josh Guthrie are traveling through various dimensions, where they are currently trapped on a wilderness planet with no portal home, Valeria Richards has assumed control of the New Warriors.
With Machine Teen, Alpha, Sentinel, and Kittania behind her, Valeria seeks to become a better leader than Franklin. Unfortunately, Vincent Von Doom has chosen this time to strike against them. Infecting the Fantastic 4's robot, H.E.R.B.I.E., with a virus to make him Vincent's willing slave, the virus was then spread to Machine Teen.
Vincent has also managed to capture Josh's older brother, the X-Man known as Cannonball, with his sights now set on taking over the Baxter Building...
With Machine Teen, Alpha, Sentinel, and Kittania behind her, Valeria seeks to become a better leader than Franklin. Unfortunately, Vincent Von Doom has chosen this time to strike against them. Infecting the Fantastic 4's robot, H.E.R.B.I.E., with a virus to make him Vincent's willing slave, the virus was then spread to Machine Teen.
Vincent has also managed to capture Josh's older brother, the X-Man known as Cannonball, with his sights now set on taking over the Baxter Building...
"H.E.R.B.I.E. Goes Bananas"
"Where am I? Hello, is there anyone here?"
Adam Aaronson found himself floating in a vast void of nothingness, remembering nothing of how he got there. The last thing he remembered was upgrading his systems, then... he was here. Nothing around for miles but a black landscape that he found himself floating helplessly through.
"Andy? Juston? Can anyone hear me?"
Adam's voice just echoed through the void, which was when Adam felt something he'd never felt before. He could feel a cold chill running over his body.
# # # # #
Andy Maguire had returned home to the apartment where he lived with his parents. The elder Maguires both worked, often leaving Andy home alone. But this night, something was different as Andy walked through the door. The apartment was empty. No furniture, no belongings, nothing. Everything was gone. Even his bedroom had been cleared out.
"What the hell is this?" Andy asked, finally finding a note from his parents.
Andy,
We are sorry, but we had little time. We had to leave the country. We had run into a little problem with the IRS and owed them a considerable amount of money. We were facing jail time, so we made the decision of leaving for a while. We had to sell what we could, but couldn't get in contact with you before we left. We're sorry, son, we wish we could have taken you with us. Perhaps someday we can have you join us. We hope you can stay with your friend Franklin until we can find a way to bring you to us.
- Your parents
"It's a good thing my puppy is at Headquarters," Andy said, not even shedding a tear. He couldn't, not now. Andy had to be strong. He was all he had now.
# # # # #
Valeria returned to the headquarters of the New Warriors, which was an old mall that stood several stories. Valeria had purchased the mall just before taking over leadership of the New Warriors from her brother Franklin, driving the young man to quit the team with the newest member, Josh Guthrie.
"Tell me the others are here," Valeria said as she looked around the mall, finding Kittania. "Thank God, we have a problem."
"What's wrong?" Kittania, a cat-like princess from the planet Nelson, asked as she was practicing with a sword.
"Something's wrong with H.E.R.B.I.E.," she said. "He attacked Sam's brother and took him away. We have to help him."
"That doesn't sound like your little robotic friend," Kittania told her. "We shall investigate. Your brother knows more about H.E.R.B.I.E. than us, perhaps we should--"
"No," Valeria said as she shook her head. "Besides, Franklin's disappeared. I haven't seen him in two weeks. I think he took off through my father's dimensional gate. He could be on any world."
"And your parents aren't worried?" Kittania asked.
"They're too busy with Uncle Ben's funeral arrangements to even notice he's gone," Valeria said. "I kind of miss him, even if he is a pain. Maybe I should try to find him after we find out what's going on with H.E.R.B.I.E."
"Where ever he is, I'll help you locate him, he is my friend as well," Kittania said as they left the mall, just as Adam was walking toward Juston's workshop.
Juston was standing at his workbench, working on his suit of armor that was laying in pieces on the table in front of him. Adam walked in as Juston looked up from his project.
"Oh, hey, Adam," Juston said. "Just working on some upgrades to my armor. Putting in some failsafes to keep outside forces from hacking my systems. You need something?"
Juston suddenly felt Adam's hand on the back of his head, slamming him face first onto the table, leaving a smear of blood as the young man's body fell to the floor.
# # # # #
Latveria
Vincent Von Doom stood in his laboratory, looking over at the large glass cylinder that Sam Guthrie had been placed in. The alternate universe son of Dr. Doom walked over to the control panel and pushed a button, sending an electric charge into the cylinder, causing Sam to scream out in pain. Across the room, a gauge started increasing, showing how much power had been absorbed.
"10% power? I know we can do better than that," Vincent said as he looked at the cylinder. "All the kinetic energy you use to propel yourself is of far better use to me, Mr. Guthrie. I need lots of power to charge my super weapon, and the New Warriors little hideaway is the perfect place to make my palace once I'm ready to use it. With my weapon, my headquarters, and all the technology that the Baxter Building has to offer, I'll show my father who's ready to rule this pathetic planet. I don't hear any screaming, Mr. Guthrie."
Vincent pushed the button again as Sam screamed louder and in more pain.
"That's better."
# # # # #
Valeria and Kittania were on their way to the Baxter Building when they found Andy sitting on the doorstep of his former home.
"Andy, thank God," Valeria said. "We need some dumb muscle right about now."
"Valeria, he's in pain, look at his face," Kittania said. "Andy, what is wrong?"
"My parents are gone," Andy said in barely a whisper as he showed them the note. "They just... left without saying goodbye. They're not coming back for me."
Valeria looked at the note and sighed, grateful that she had parents that loved her. "At least you've still us, right? You've got a room at Headquarters, just like everyone else. But for right now, we need your help to figure out what's gotten into H.E.R.B.I.E."
"What about Adam and Juston? Where are they?" Andy asked.
"We'll call them once we get to the Baxter Building," Valeria said. "Once we know if H.E.R.B.I.E.'s a threat or not."
# # # # #
At the Baxter Building, H.E.R.B.I.E. was putting the final touches on a new security system, courtesy of Vincent Von Doom's upgrades. Reed Richards was too distracted to notice what was going on, and while he and the rest of the family were out, the robot was free to go about his new master's commands.
"The new security system is ready," H.E.R.B.I.E. said as he activated it. Outside of the building, a blue light flashed through every window as new, more deadly security measures were being implemented. Within minutes, every living being in the building was forced out onto the street, just as a force field surrounded the newly secure Baxter Building.
Valeria, Kittana, and Andy arrived just in time to see the force field be put up. Andy put his hand on it and got a slight shock, which would have killed a normal person instantly.
"The force field was to protect the city from anything that escaped the Negative Zone, it's not supposed to fry people," Valeria told her friends.
"I think your robot's gone psycho," Andy told her as he looked up at the building. He shot up into the sky to try to find a way in, and within seconds found himself face to face with a plasma cannon. "Yeah, right, like that's gonna--"
The cannon fired on Andy, engulfing him in its energy. Seconds later, Andy fell to the ground in a smoking crater. The young hero sat up, his clothes charred and his body covered in smoke and ash.
"I think he was trying to kill me," Andy said as he passed out, falling back into the crater.
"I think we're going to need Adam and Juston," Valeria said as Kittania helped her drag Andy out of the crater.
# # # # #
At the mall, Adam held a jar of nanites in his hand, courtesy of Vincent.
"Now, make me a home worthy of royalty," Vincent said as the portal closed in front of him. Adam just nodded with Sentinel standing behind him. He opened the jar and let the nanites roam through the mall, infusing it with Doom's technology while transforming it into a royal palace.
# # # # #
Valeria, Kittania, and Andy got back to the mall, just in time to see it being twisted and turned into the new home of Vincent Von Doom. Debris began falling toward them as Andy shielded the two girls.
"Now what?" Valeria asked as Kittania helped Andy up.
"Adam and Juston are in there!" Kittania shouted. "They could be hurt!"
A stray laser blast suddenly struck as Machine Teen and Sentinel walked out of the newly transformed headquarters. Both had glowing red eyes as they held their weapons toward the trio.
"This might just be the concussion talking, but I think we're screwed," Andy said.
TO BE CONTINUED...
"Where am I? Hello, is there anyone here?"
Adam Aaronson found himself floating in a vast void of nothingness, remembering nothing of how he got there. The last thing he remembered was upgrading his systems, then... he was here. Nothing around for miles but a black landscape that he found himself floating helplessly through.
"Andy? Juston? Can anyone hear me?"
Adam's voice just echoed through the void, which was when Adam felt something he'd never felt before. He could feel a cold chill running over his body.
# # # # #
Andy Maguire had returned home to the apartment where he lived with his parents. The elder Maguires both worked, often leaving Andy home alone. But this night, something was different as Andy walked through the door. The apartment was empty. No furniture, no belongings, nothing. Everything was gone. Even his bedroom had been cleared out.
"What the hell is this?" Andy asked, finally finding a note from his parents.
Andy,
We are sorry, but we had little time. We had to leave the country. We had run into a little problem with the IRS and owed them a considerable amount of money. We were facing jail time, so we made the decision of leaving for a while. We had to sell what we could, but couldn't get in contact with you before we left. We're sorry, son, we wish we could have taken you with us. Perhaps someday we can have you join us. We hope you can stay with your friend Franklin until we can find a way to bring you to us.
- Your parents
"It's a good thing my puppy is at Headquarters," Andy said, not even shedding a tear. He couldn't, not now. Andy had to be strong. He was all he had now.
# # # # #
Valeria returned to the headquarters of the New Warriors, which was an old mall that stood several stories. Valeria had purchased the mall just before taking over leadership of the New Warriors from her brother Franklin, driving the young man to quit the team with the newest member, Josh Guthrie.
"Tell me the others are here," Valeria said as she looked around the mall, finding Kittania. "Thank God, we have a problem."
"What's wrong?" Kittania, a cat-like princess from the planet Nelson, asked as she was practicing with a sword.
"Something's wrong with H.E.R.B.I.E.," she said. "He attacked Sam's brother and took him away. We have to help him."
"That doesn't sound like your little robotic friend," Kittania told her. "We shall investigate. Your brother knows more about H.E.R.B.I.E. than us, perhaps we should--"
"No," Valeria said as she shook her head. "Besides, Franklin's disappeared. I haven't seen him in two weeks. I think he took off through my father's dimensional gate. He could be on any world."
"And your parents aren't worried?" Kittania asked.
"They're too busy with Uncle Ben's funeral arrangements to even notice he's gone," Valeria said. "I kind of miss him, even if he is a pain. Maybe I should try to find him after we find out what's going on with H.E.R.B.I.E."
"Where ever he is, I'll help you locate him, he is my friend as well," Kittania said as they left the mall, just as Adam was walking toward Juston's workshop.
Juston was standing at his workbench, working on his suit of armor that was laying in pieces on the table in front of him. Adam walked in as Juston looked up from his project.
"Oh, hey, Adam," Juston said. "Just working on some upgrades to my armor. Putting in some failsafes to keep outside forces from hacking my systems. You need something?"
Juston suddenly felt Adam's hand on the back of his head, slamming him face first onto the table, leaving a smear of blood as the young man's body fell to the floor.
# # # # #
Latveria
Vincent Von Doom stood in his laboratory, looking over at the large glass cylinder that Sam Guthrie had been placed in. The alternate universe son of Dr. Doom walked over to the control panel and pushed a button, sending an electric charge into the cylinder, causing Sam to scream out in pain. Across the room, a gauge started increasing, showing how much power had been absorbed.
"10% power? I know we can do better than that," Vincent said as he looked at the cylinder. "All the kinetic energy you use to propel yourself is of far better use to me, Mr. Guthrie. I need lots of power to charge my super weapon, and the New Warriors little hideaway is the perfect place to make my palace once I'm ready to use it. With my weapon, my headquarters, and all the technology that the Baxter Building has to offer, I'll show my father who's ready to rule this pathetic planet. I don't hear any screaming, Mr. Guthrie."
Vincent pushed the button again as Sam screamed louder and in more pain.
"That's better."
# # # # #
Valeria and Kittania were on their way to the Baxter Building when they found Andy sitting on the doorstep of his former home.
"Andy, thank God," Valeria said. "We need some dumb muscle right about now."
"Valeria, he's in pain, look at his face," Kittania said. "Andy, what is wrong?"
"My parents are gone," Andy said in barely a whisper as he showed them the note. "They just... left without saying goodbye. They're not coming back for me."
Valeria looked at the note and sighed, grateful that she had parents that loved her. "At least you've still us, right? You've got a room at Headquarters, just like everyone else. But for right now, we need your help to figure out what's gotten into H.E.R.B.I.E."
"What about Adam and Juston? Where are they?" Andy asked.
"We'll call them once we get to the Baxter Building," Valeria said. "Once we know if H.E.R.B.I.E.'s a threat or not."
# # # # #
At the Baxter Building, H.E.R.B.I.E. was putting the final touches on a new security system, courtesy of Vincent Von Doom's upgrades. Reed Richards was too distracted to notice what was going on, and while he and the rest of the family were out, the robot was free to go about his new master's commands.
"The new security system is ready," H.E.R.B.I.E. said as he activated it. Outside of the building, a blue light flashed through every window as new, more deadly security measures were being implemented. Within minutes, every living being in the building was forced out onto the street, just as a force field surrounded the newly secure Baxter Building.
Valeria, Kittana, and Andy arrived just in time to see the force field be put up. Andy put his hand on it and got a slight shock, which would have killed a normal person instantly.
"The force field was to protect the city from anything that escaped the Negative Zone, it's not supposed to fry people," Valeria told her friends.
"I think your robot's gone psycho," Andy told her as he looked up at the building. He shot up into the sky to try to find a way in, and within seconds found himself face to face with a plasma cannon. "Yeah, right, like that's gonna--"
The cannon fired on Andy, engulfing him in its energy. Seconds later, Andy fell to the ground in a smoking crater. The young hero sat up, his clothes charred and his body covered in smoke and ash.
"I think he was trying to kill me," Andy said as he passed out, falling back into the crater.
"I think we're going to need Adam and Juston," Valeria said as Kittania helped her drag Andy out of the crater.
# # # # #
At the mall, Adam held a jar of nanites in his hand, courtesy of Vincent.
"Now, make me a home worthy of royalty," Vincent said as the portal closed in front of him. Adam just nodded with Sentinel standing behind him. He opened the jar and let the nanites roam through the mall, infusing it with Doom's technology while transforming it into a royal palace.
# # # # #
Valeria, Kittania, and Andy got back to the mall, just in time to see it being twisted and turned into the new home of Vincent Von Doom. Debris began falling toward them as Andy shielded the two girls.
"Now what?" Valeria asked as Kittania helped Andy up.
"Adam and Juston are in there!" Kittania shouted. "They could be hurt!"
A stray laser blast suddenly struck as Machine Teen and Sentinel walked out of the newly transformed headquarters. Both had glowing red eyes as they held their weapons toward the trio.
"This might just be the concussion talking, but I think we're screwed," Andy said.
TO BE CONTINUED...