Back to GatefoldIssue #9 by Mike Exner III
THE BEGINNING OF THE END Part 4: "The Mouth of The Beast" |
Previously in Thunderbolts: The Man-Beast was revealed as the mastermind behind most of the trouble the Thunderbolts have been getting into as of late. With the Masters of Evil firmly under his thrall, the Man-Beast sent the super-villains out to defeat the Thunderbolts. Once inside his lair, Moonstone manipulated the Man-Beast into giving the Thunderbolts one chance for escape. Defeat Firelord in a one on one battle to the death.
It was dark within his lair now. The Man-Beast had desired it to be so, and so it was. The woman whom he had allowed to leave her cell and speak with him was now safely tucked back within.* But the conversation they had shared still picked at his mind. Her incessant prattling had manipulated him into giving her and her colleagues a way out, the prattling of a woman, no less. Just the thought of it was enough to make him sick to his many stomachs.
[* Happened last issue - David]
But it hardly mattered in the end. He was the Man-Beast. Who on this pitiful planet could hope to stand against him and succeed after all he had accomplished? There was a glimmer of light from within his chambers and the Man-Beast smiled. His razor-sharp teeth gleamed with a blood red light as the face of Firelord came into view.
"Demonstrate your power for me, slave," commanded the Man-Beast and Firelord rose into the air. He held hands out that seemed frail in the dim light of flame cast from Firelord's mane. Then the power of the cosmos exuded from them, and the Man-Beast narrowed his eyes at the quantity of light that filled his chambers. It struck every shadow and dispelled it. The illumination was so intense, the light of fire burning in the eyes of Firelord so bright, that the Man-Beast felt a moment of weakness, when he thought Firelord might destroy him. Better to surrender then, rather than face that fury. But no, never would he be reduced to that. He was the Man-Beast, and Firelord was his to command.
The Man-Beast's smile grew wider. A sickening pop from his jaws sounded as he began to laugh. If even he, the Man-Beast, was nearly stilled by the power of Firelord, then surely no human could withstand the cosmic fury. The Man-Beast raised his hand, and Firelord immediately stopped, lowering himself silently to the ground.
"Continue your patrol," said the Man-Beast and Firelord turned on his heels and walked slowly from the room. The Man-Beast watched the flames dance upon his slave's head. The flame was almost hypnotizing in it's beauty.
Perhaps you should leap into the flame.
The Man-Beast paused, confused. It seemed as if the voice had spoken from inside his head, but it was not his voice. He probed with his mind, reaching out over his vast complex in the Earth-land known as Death Valley.
Nothing.
He was certain that the voice had not come from within him. To leap into the flame, to end his own existence was unthinkable. Laughable. But if it had not come from himself, and it had not come from someone within his chambers, then from whence had it arisen?
"No matter. No concern of mine. I am the Man-Beast," he stated to the empty room and squeezed his hands into fists. "And tomorrow I will tread upon the bones of the Thunderbolts."
# # # # # # # # # #
Abe Jenkins was tired. He felt weaker than he'd ever been in his life. His limbs barely pushed him along as he crawled through the ventilation shafts of the master's complex. He still didn't know who the guy was that was making his life a living hell. All he knew was that he hadn't been able to sleep once for nearly two days now, and it was starting to catch up with him.
Suddenly his armor's scanners flared to life and a miniature screen popped up in front of Abe's eyes. The armor had detected some sort of psychic probe passing throughout the entirety of the complex. Abe froze as he listened to the armor make minor adjustments next to his ears. Abe knew from examining the schematics stored in the armor's memory banks that there was a form of psi-shielding built into his helmet. It was apparently working overtime now as whatever probed the complex swept back and forth over Abe's location.
What was he dealing with here? Obviously whoever was at the bottom of all this had mental capabilities, or at least someone with mental capabilities under his power. Abe wasn't sure which option he liked less.
The flashing screen in front of Abe dimmed and blurred slightly as Abe lay motionless. His eyelids were so heavy, his body so worn.
No time to rest thought Abe as he shut his eyes and the comfort of sleep rose to greet him. Something was happening to him and he didn't understand it. He'd never felt this exhausted before. Thoughts of Melissa flashed in front of him. He couldn't let her down. He'd been away for so long.
You'll be no use to her in this state said a voice and Abe listened to it. He pressed a panel on his forearm and set a trigger on his armor that would awaken him within four hours. It was late, and the complex was silent. Early in the morning Abe would continue his strike. But for now, he needed to sleep.
# # # # # # # # # #
Songbird couldn't sleep. She kept thinking about the things Moonstone had told them when she had come back. I managed to talk the Man-Beast into giving us a chance to get out of here Moonstone had said, but that was a lie. All Moonstone had managed to do was arrange a way to get herself. And perhaps all the rest of them killed as well.
Songbird hadn't been involved in the conversation. She'd never been very good when decisions had to be made. Not that it would have mattered much if she'd had something to add. Moonstone had made her decision. The Man-Beast had given the Thunderbolts the option of fighting their way to freedom. The only problem was that they had to fight the cosmically-powered Firelord.
Are you insane, Moonstone? She-Hulk had immediately called out in protest and Songbird had wanted to agree with her. She'd wanted to voice her opinion. But she just couldn't seem to find the courage to speak. Not that She-Hulk gave her much time to say anything.
There's no way we can go toe to toe with Firelord and actually beat him. You said it yourself. We all beat him on a fluke last time and Songbird couldn't argue with that. Charcoal had been the one to defeat Firelord last time. Charcoal had drained him somehow. In some way even he didn't understand.
I don't plan for all of us to face him, She-Hulk Moonstone had said and Songbird had arched her eyebrows at that. Maybe Moonstone had a plan after all. Her next words washed all that away. I plan to fight him myself.
Then She-Hulk and Moonstone had really argued with each other. Moonstone had eventually won out, but only because everyone was so strangely exhausted. It was like someone in her head kept telling Songbird to sleep. She couldn't be sure but everyone else seemed to be going through the same thing.
The plan was for Moonstone to fight Firelord and try to buy the others some time to think of another way to escape. She-Hulk thought it was suicide and so did Songbird. But there was nothing else they could do.
She-Hulk had suggested a full-out assault once the guards came for Moonstone but Moonstone had simply disregarded that as a foolish idea.
The Man-Beast would attack using all of his resources. We wouldn't last two minutes in a battle with all of their forces. Believe me, I've thought this through. It's the only way.
With those words, the decision had been all but made. Songbird hadn't said anything and when she'd looked over to She-Hulk all she saw was frustration. At that moment, Songbird wished Abe had been there. If he had been, he might have been able to think of some other way out of the situation. But Abe wasn't there, and the Thunderbolts had all found corners within the cell to rest. Soon they were all asleep, save for Songbird, who sat staring up at the ceiling long into the night.
# # # # # # # # # #
"Baron, you really should try to sleep. I find that killing the man that tried to kill you is much more satisfying after a good night's rest," said Techno as he regarded the man sitting across from him. Techno had set up a heat generator that provided warmth for the Baron in the cold desert night. But the man sat somewhat away from it. As if admitting that he needed such a comfort was some sign of weakness.
"Um, Baron. Are you all right?" asked Techno when Zemo didn't answer. For the past couple of hours, Zemo had been staring off into the distance at the complex the Thunderbolts had been taken into. Techno wasn't sure what Zemo was thinking about, and he wasn't sure he wanted to know. There had been a change in Zemo ever since the Taskmaster had infiltrated his compound and tried to kill him. A change that Techno wasn't sure he liked.
"Baron, about this infiltration plan of yours. Are you sure it's the wisest idea? I mean, what if we just let the T-Bolts do the dirty work and then pick up the pieces? It'd be much simpler and then..." Techno had planned to continue. Talking the Baron out of this insane assault upon the compound in front of them seemed like a good idea when it fluttered into Techno's brain.
But when Zemo turned towards Techno, his mouth shut with a metallic snap. The look in the man's eyes was one of utmost rage. Techno had never seen Zemo so incensed before. Instead of speaking, Zemo regarded Techno with his eyes, burning like coals in the firelight. Then, without a word, the man simply turned and looked once more at the complex in front of them.
Techno silently sighed a breath of relief within his mechanical body. He too looked towards the complex the Masters of Evil had taken the Thunderbolts into. It was a V-Battalion base. Apparently the main base the V-Battalion had within the United States according to the files he'd hacked. Techno could only assume that somehow the V-Battalion were either behind the Masters of Evil, or being manipulated like everyone else seemed to be.
Techno was betting on the latter.
# # # # # # # # # #
After Techno had shut down, Baron Zemo stayed awake. Techno had thought that Zemo was looking blindly at the V-Battalion complex and stewing in his own juices, but that was far from the truth.
Someone else was here.
Zemo wasn't sure how he knew, but he knew. Was this mysterious someone on his side? No, not exactly that. But whoever it was wasn't on the side of the person that had tried to kill Baron Zemo. That much was certain.
"The friend of my enemy, is my friend," said Baron Zemo as he continued to watch the V-Battalion base in the twilight.
# # # # # # # # # #
They could hear it even before the guards entered the main corridor. The clomping of feet as they approached the cell the Thunderbolts were being held in clanged along the corridors and echoed within the walls of their cell. With but a look Moonstone expressed the order that the Thunderbolts were to stand back, to let her be taken.
The guards came into view then, and when Moonstone saw them, she turned quickly in Citizen V's direction. Citizen V regarded her without looking away or lowering her head, but the look on Moonstone's face was echoed with Atlas' words.
"Those guards. They've got outfits and insignia just like yours," he said as all of the Thunderbolts turned to look at Citizen V.
"They're members of the V-Battalion. The organization I formally worked for," replied Citizen V to the unspoken question. There was no point in lying to the Thunderbolts now. She had been running for far too long. It was time to reveal the truth.
"The V-Battalion and I parted ways the moment I was called before the High Council and asked to perform murder," said Citizen V as she regarded the Thunderbolts coldly. "I suspected that they were being controlled somehow and as soon as the thought left my head I could feel someone prying at my mind. I fled, and I've been pursued by the V-Battalion ever since."
"So the Man-Beast has control of the V-Battalion as well," said Moonstone as the guards approached through the doors of the cell and clamped restraints on her arms. "Perfect."
"I still don't like this, Moonstone," said She-Hulk and Moonstone glowered at her.
"Neither do I. But we agreed that it's the best chance we've got, the only chance. Stick with the plan," said Moonstone as the guards pulled her from the cell. Soon she was out of sight, and the Thunderbolts were left alone.
"Why didn't the Man-Beast just take control of your mind like all the others?" asked Living Lightning when the Thunderbolts were finally alone.
"Moonstone and I were talking about that very thing," replied Citizen V. "I believe that the Man-Beast isn't strong enough yet to control all he says he does. Keeping a rein on Firelord must be an awesome strain. Holding his thrall over the Masters of Evil and the V-Battalion are equally daunting. I think the Man-Beast is beginning to reach his limit. And if there's any point of weakness in his defenses we can attack, we've got to do it now."
Living Lightning opened his mouth to reply. But suddenly the walls shook as the transparent cell the Thunderbolts were inside rose from the ground and began flying through the halls of the V-Battalion complex. The Thunderbolts were cast to the ground, but they could see. When the cell finally stopped and dropped to the ground, they were inside an arena.
"Welcome Thunderbolts," said the Man-Beast as he stood next to his throne. The Thunderbolts looked around at the scene before them. They were within some sort of stadium-like area, probably a practice ground for training troops. There were seats, and Citizen V quickly pointed out the members of the V-Battalion's Penance Council sitting to the right of the Man-Beast. Firelord stood to the left of the Man-Beast. Across the massive expanse of the arena stood Moonstone, alone.
"Let the games begin," said the Man-Beast, and Firelord attacked.
# # # # # # # # # #
Abe woke up with a start. He had been dreaming of Melissa, as he was wont to do more often than not over the last few months of his life. In the dream he had been lying with her in some park. The grass had been soft and sweet beneath his body. But when Abe had looked up, a man had been looking down at him, a dark man surrounded by an aura of purplish-gray light, a man who had told him to wake-up. He wasn't lying on grass now. His body ached from sleeping in the armor. He stretched himself out, and his armor screeched on the metal of the ventilation shafts. Abe winced.
Hope nobody heard that was his last thought before the ventilation shaft tore apart from beneath him.
He fell roughly to the ground and immediately jumped to his feet. Whoever had assaulted him hadn't bothered to press the attack and they were going to pay big time.
"All right, whoever did that is in big troub..." the words died as easily as the bravado Abe felt upon seeing what was before him. Gray Gargoyle, Mr. Hyde, Whirlwind, Blizzard, Coachwhip, and Constrictor all stood there looking at him. All of them had smug looks on their faces and Constrictor was shredding what remained of the ventilation shaft between his adamantium coils.
Abe regarded the scene in wonder and astonishment. Fear hadn't quite settled in yet, so he gave it no time to start.
"Let's party," he stated with a surprisingly even voice and activated his boot thrusters along with the main jet thruster attached to his back. Mach-1 shot forward and collided with Constrictor and then he slammed on the brakes. Constrictor flew back and collided with Blizzard and Whirlwind, knocking them all unconscious.
"You little punk!" yelled Mr. Hyde and lunged for Mach-1. Hyde used his strength to pull Mach-1 down from the air and the Gray Gargoyle lunged for the both of them. Mach-1 activated his wings, which automatically spread and popped loose Mr. Hyde's grip. Mach-1 grabbed the stunned super-villain and tugged with all his might. The Gray Gargoyle's hands connected with Hyde, and turned him to stone.
Mach-1 wasted no time in firing at the Gray Gargoyle. A small disc launched from his gauntlet, connecting with the villain. At first it seemed to have no effect, and then the Gray Gargoyle fell as the disc increased his personal gravity field by ten fold.
Suddenly something wrapped itself around Mach-1's throat. He immediately thought of the Constrictor, but could see that the villain was still unconscious.
"You may have defeated my compatriots, but you won't beat me," said a feminine voice and Mach-1 recognized it as Coachwhip. He turned around, gripping the lash around his neck and struggling to breath.
"You're impressive with those toys of yours, Coachwhip. But my toys," said Mach-1 as he mentally activated a feature from his armor. Lances of electricity erupted from the suit, carrying along the path of the whip and striking Coachwhip with enough force to send her hurtling back several feet. "Are even better."
Mach-1 regarded the unconscious and debilitated villains in front of him. He had taken out seven super-villains all by himself. He wasn't quite sure how he had done it so easily, but he had.
"I won. I actually won the fight. I won. I'm a winner. I am the king of superheroes. I rule all," shouted Mach-1 and the Gray Gargoyle groaned. Mach-1 looked down at him. The gravity disc was going to keep him rooted to the spot for quite a while. Mach-1 had to find the other Thunderbolts. He took to the air and began flying through the corridors silently. The smile never left his face.
I won. I won. I...
# # # # # # # # # #
I'm losing thought Moonstone as she dodged another strike from Firelord. It left another large crater in the ground where it struck and Moonstone cringed. If one of those hit her it might not kill her. But she wouldn't have nearly enough time to recover from the blast long enough to survive another.
I can't make a single mistake rang through her head as she fired a blast of her own energy that rocked Firelord back a few paces. The cosmic juggernaut hadn't even left his feet yet. Moonstone wasn't sure how well he could fly, but she hoped his arrogance kept him on the ground for the entirety of the battle.
"What else is new though?" muttered Moonstone to herself as she completed her thought aloud. She had always pushed herself to be perfect, especially lately with leading the Thunderbolts. Things weren't going quite how she planned, of course. First Hawkeye had left and then She-Hulk and Living Lightning joined the team and made things even more convoluted. Now Jolt was missing and Charcoal had left the team because of the way she had dealt with the problem.
A cosmic blast of fire swept in front of Moonstone, nearly cutting her off from her flight path as she moved to dodge debris from the previous shot.
Not the time to be thinking about these things Karla-girl thought Moonstone to herself and gritted her teeth. She let fly with a few more blasts and they ricocheted harmlessly off of Firelord's body. The cosmic being, finally seeming to be frustrated with Moonstone, growled low in his throat. Moonstone could hear the growl in her mind.
Suddenly, Firelord wasn't there anymore. Moonstone scanned the arena, but she couldn't see him.
"Behind you, blond one," said a voice and Moonstone whirled around. Firelord was behind her. Somehow he had transported there faster than her eye could follow. Moonstone raised her arms to shield herself, but it had little affect. Firelord brought his fists crashing down on Moonstone and she hit the ground hard, and didn't get up.
# # # # # # # # # #
The Man-Beast watched the battle with nothing but sick, twisted pleasure etched on his features. Firelord would win the battle easily. In fact, the cosmic being could have won the battle within seconds if the Man-Beast had willed it so. But Man-Beast wanted to be entertained today, and so he had allowed Moonstone to resist for a while. But only for a while.
"You are weak, Man-Beast," said a voice that seemed to come from his right. The Man-Beast stood up from his throne immediately and glowered at the members of the High Council sitting in the stands to his right. But instead of fear in their eyes upon seeing his eyes filled with hate, all the Man-Beast saw in their faces were mocking expressions, and disgust.
"You are weak and pathetic and ugly," said another of the High Council of the V-Battalion and the Man-Beast scanned their minds with his telepathy. There was nothing there except an unparalleled hatred for him.
"You're not even human. Look at you. You're nothing but a dog with the body of a man," said another of the members and the Man-Beast could see the menace that lined each one of their faces. Ameiko Sabuki, Robert Frank, Jr., Helmut Gruler, Roger Aubrey, Isadora Martinez, Darren Mitchell, Fred Davis, and Elisabeth Barstow. All the members of the so-called Penance Council sat there and looked on at the Man-Beast in disgust.
"Yes, nothing but a dog," said another of the Penance Council and the Man-Beast had heard enough. He squeezed their minds with his powers and all of the Penance Council cried out, as one.
"I will show you how much of a dog I am!" stated the Man-Beast. Fear and confusion masked the faces of the Penance Council as the hate and animosity flooded out of them. The Man-Beast smiled. The V-Battalion had been useful to him, but with the Penance Council destroyed, they would crumble just as AIM, the Secret Empire, the Zodiac, and all the others had before them.
Citizen V cried out for her former mentors as the members of the Penance Council died. Those men and women had taught her everything and had taken her in when she had nowhere else to go, nobody else to turn to. To be snuffed out like that. As if they were nothing but the light of a candle. It didn't seem fair.
"Now you see, Thunderbolts. I am invincible," roared the Man-Beast. But the roar was not one of confidence. It was one of fury. Uncontained rage seemed to leap from the Man-Beast and assault the Thunderbolts' senses. It was hard to resist that madness.
"You are nothing," said a voice that made itself heard clearly over the din of Man-Beast's roar. The Man-Beast stopped and looked down to the arena in shock. Too many things were surprising him on this day.
"Zemo," said the Man-Beast in disgust and Baron Zemo inclined his head slightly. Techno stood at Zemo's side and both of them had weapons trained upon the Man-Beast. The Man-Beast inclined his head slightly so that at first, Zemo thought it was a sign of respect. Then as the light behind him grew stronger, Zemo whirled around and watched as Firelord approached.
"Kill them," the Man-Beast ordered and Firelord swept down upon Zemo. Techno shot into the line of fire and deflected Firelord with a power blast that spun Firelord around.
"Time to put out the fire," said Techno as Firelord picked himself up, and attacked anew.
# # # # # # # # # #
The Man-Beast couldn't understand what was happening. He couldn't register any of the minds within his complex save for Firelord's who he dared not let go of. All of his minions appeared to be free. They were more than likely fleeing the complex as he sat here, watching Firelord do battle with Zemo and his mechanical underling.
They are indeed fleeing, as you should said a voice from within the Man-Beast's head and he recognized it as the voice that had suggested he jump into the flame of Firelord the night before.
"Who are you?" the Man-Beast asked and instead of answering him, Man-Beast felt the intruder in his mind pull at him, and suddenly the Man-Beast wasn't in his arena any longer.
This new world was strangely suffused with darkness, and there was a glow about the Man-Beast's body. The glow was reddish in nature and seemed to come from within the Man-Beast himself.
"Where am I?" asked the Man-Beast to the darkness, and though he hadn't expected an answer, he got one.
"You are on the astral plane, Man-Beast. You are my guest," said the voice from within Man-Beast's mind and as he regarded the darkness, it twisted, and out from it walked a man dressed in black robes, with a purple-gray light exuding from his own body.
"Who are you?" roared the Man-Beast in rage and confusion. The man in front of him simply smiled and sighed.
"You are a telepath, Man-Beast. But you lack focus. You stretch your boundaries until they are brittle. It was easy for one such as I to enter your mind, and cause them to crumble," said the man and he lifted his hands and the Man-Beast rose into the air, with no control over his body whatsoever.
"You have not answered me, demon. Who are you?" growled the Man-Beast and the man's smile grew wider.
"Yes, I suppose you have the right to know," said the man as he lowered his hands. The Man-Beast stayed motionless in the air, no matter how hard he fought the invisible bonds that held him. "My name is Amahl Farouk. I am the Shadow King."
"If you have done what you say you've done, Shadow King. Then I demand to know why. Why would you disturb what I have strove to accomplish? Are you some sort of hero?" asked the Man-Beast, frustration beginning to set into his body. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't break the transparent chains around him.
"Hardly. My reasons are my own. Let's just say that you have something that I desire. Now I have it back. The only way to appropriate it was to make you falter. I have done so. Now the only way to keep you from remembering what I have done is to kill you. Steps are being made towards that end as we speak," the Shadow King said and the Man-Beast finally understood. He understood why he couldn't move and why the Shadow King seemed so powerful. They were in some sort of mind-state. The Shadow King had called it the astral plane but that was just a word. The Man-Beast was a telepath, and if this was a realm of the mind, he had power.
"I will never be defeated again," snarled the Man-Beast and suddenly a wall of stone erupted from the ground. The cylindrical mass of rock surrounded the Shadow King and trapped him within. The Man-Beast dropped to the ground and smiled, flicking his tongue across his razor sharp teeth.
Impressive. But not impressive enough said the voice of the Shadow King in the Man-Beast's mind and suddenly the pillar of stone burst into flames. The Shadow King walked through the flames, unscathed by the burning heat. Let me peer into your mind and see what you fear.
"No!" cried the Man-Beast as he felt the Shadow King open his mind and delve within. He tried to fight it, but the Shadow King was stronger than him. Here it seemed as if the Shadow King was a god.
Ah, interesting was all the Shadow King said when he found what he was looking for and then he vanished in a cloud of purplish-gray smoke. The Man-Beast stood motionless. He had no idea what had happened or how to get away from the world he was trapped in.
Then the hand closed around his ankle.
It was a human hand, sprouting from the earth of this strange place of the mind. Another shot from the ground and wrapped itself around the Man-Beast's other ankle. He fell to his knees then, and other hands ripped from the ground and took hold of him. The hands were unbelievably strong, and the Man-Beast could not pull free. He struggled against them, but soon the hands pulled their masters out of the ground. The humans regarded him silently. As he looked into their faces, he could see that they were all the humans he had ever killed. And he could see that there was death in their faces.
"Nothing but a dog," they said as one, and then they were on him.
# # # # # # # # # #
When the Man-Beast screamed, everyone turned to look. Moonstone had regained consciousness and she watched as the Man-Beast tore at his own body in confusion, rage and fear. She had seen patients act much in the same way. The Man-Beast was going mad.
"Like a rabid animal," said Zemo as he watched the Man-Beast slobber and scream and fight his own hands as they tore at his flesh. Techno grabbed the Baron then, and began to take him away.
"Techno! What are you doing? Unhand me, now!" yelled the Baron at the top of his lungs. His suit was seared in places from the battle with Firelord but he was in fine shape, and he struggled mightily against Techno's grip. The Man-Beast was suffering, and he wanted to see it.
"No time to explain, boss. Trust me though. We've got to get out of here. Can't you feel the heat?" said Techno and Zemo could feel the increased temperature in the room. He looked over his shoulder at that moment and realized what Techno had already seen.
Firelord was free of his mental paralysis.
# # # # # # # # # #
Moonstone opened the cell door and the Thunderbolts piled out. She turned towards the arena and saw Zemo and Techno fleeing. There would be other days for them she knew. The main concern was Firelord. He was glowing with cosmic fury now. Apparently while under the control of the Man-Beast, some of his power had been in check. That wasn't the case now.
"I am myself again," roared Firelord and looked at the Thunderbolts. Moonstone clenched her fists, as did the entire team. They were all beginning to sweat.
"I suggest you leave, Thunderbolts," said Firelord and then turned to face the Man-Beast. "Things are about to get ugly."
"Firelord. You can't kill him!" yelled a voice from behind them and the Thunderbolts turned. Mach-1 stood with Whirlwind and Mr. Hyde on his shoulders. The strain in his eyes was evident, but he still looked like a godsend.
"I got most of the villains out of here and wrapped up for the authorities, T-Bolts," said Abe and smiled as Songbird rushed up to embrace him. "But we've still got to get Firelord and the Man-Beast out of here."
"There is no need for that," said Firelord as he turned towards the Thunderbolts once more. He raised his hand in the air and snapped his fingers. In an instant, the Thunderbolts and everyone else within the complex were transported elsewhere.
"Now," Firelord said as he turned back towards the maddened expression of the Man-Beast. "Where were we?"
# # # # # # # # # #
The Thunderbolts were disoriented for a few moments when Firelord transported them outside of the V-Battalion's base. But heads were gathered quickly. Members of the V-Battalion guard were running through the desert to escape and the Thunderbolts let them go. They had no organization left to fight for, after all. The villains Mach-1 had defeated were neatly subdued. Arnim Zola and the Living Laser however, were nowhere to be seen.
The explosions that rocked the V-Battalion base were tremendous. In the end, the entire complex crashed in on itself and the sand of the desert rose into a great pillar that took a long time to settle. As it did, the Thunderbolts spoke with each other. Mach-1 explained what had happened since he had been taken from prison, and the Thunderbolts shared with him everything that had happened to them.
"Hawkeye leaving the team. Jolt and Charcoal gone missing. I can hardly believe it," said Mach-1 when everything else seemed to have been said.
"They're our next priority, Abe. Whoever took Jolt will be found," replied Moonstone and Abe looked at her in shock. She seemed like a different person from the one she'd been when he went to jail. Maybe she was going to make a good leader after all.
"And now that you're back, Abe. Maybe we can finally start earning our keep as heroes," said Songbird and hugged him tight again. She-Hulk caught Atlas' eye and smiled. None of them noticed Citizen V slip away into the night.
# # # # # # # # # #
Next Issue: The Thunderbolts begin investigating the disappearance of Jolt. But will they be able to handle what they find? And now that Citizen V no longer has a V-Battalion to call home, what will she do?
It was dark within his lair now. The Man-Beast had desired it to be so, and so it was. The woman whom he had allowed to leave her cell and speak with him was now safely tucked back within.* But the conversation they had shared still picked at his mind. Her incessant prattling had manipulated him into giving her and her colleagues a way out, the prattling of a woman, no less. Just the thought of it was enough to make him sick to his many stomachs.
[* Happened last issue - David]
But it hardly mattered in the end. He was the Man-Beast. Who on this pitiful planet could hope to stand against him and succeed after all he had accomplished? There was a glimmer of light from within his chambers and the Man-Beast smiled. His razor-sharp teeth gleamed with a blood red light as the face of Firelord came into view.
"Demonstrate your power for me, slave," commanded the Man-Beast and Firelord rose into the air. He held hands out that seemed frail in the dim light of flame cast from Firelord's mane. Then the power of the cosmos exuded from them, and the Man-Beast narrowed his eyes at the quantity of light that filled his chambers. It struck every shadow and dispelled it. The illumination was so intense, the light of fire burning in the eyes of Firelord so bright, that the Man-Beast felt a moment of weakness, when he thought Firelord might destroy him. Better to surrender then, rather than face that fury. But no, never would he be reduced to that. He was the Man-Beast, and Firelord was his to command.
The Man-Beast's smile grew wider. A sickening pop from his jaws sounded as he began to laugh. If even he, the Man-Beast, was nearly stilled by the power of Firelord, then surely no human could withstand the cosmic fury. The Man-Beast raised his hand, and Firelord immediately stopped, lowering himself silently to the ground.
"Continue your patrol," said the Man-Beast and Firelord turned on his heels and walked slowly from the room. The Man-Beast watched the flames dance upon his slave's head. The flame was almost hypnotizing in it's beauty.
Perhaps you should leap into the flame.
The Man-Beast paused, confused. It seemed as if the voice had spoken from inside his head, but it was not his voice. He probed with his mind, reaching out over his vast complex in the Earth-land known as Death Valley.
Nothing.
He was certain that the voice had not come from within him. To leap into the flame, to end his own existence was unthinkable. Laughable. But if it had not come from himself, and it had not come from someone within his chambers, then from whence had it arisen?
"No matter. No concern of mine. I am the Man-Beast," he stated to the empty room and squeezed his hands into fists. "And tomorrow I will tread upon the bones of the Thunderbolts."
# # # # # # # # # #
Abe Jenkins was tired. He felt weaker than he'd ever been in his life. His limbs barely pushed him along as he crawled through the ventilation shafts of the master's complex. He still didn't know who the guy was that was making his life a living hell. All he knew was that he hadn't been able to sleep once for nearly two days now, and it was starting to catch up with him.
Suddenly his armor's scanners flared to life and a miniature screen popped up in front of Abe's eyes. The armor had detected some sort of psychic probe passing throughout the entirety of the complex. Abe froze as he listened to the armor make minor adjustments next to his ears. Abe knew from examining the schematics stored in the armor's memory banks that there was a form of psi-shielding built into his helmet. It was apparently working overtime now as whatever probed the complex swept back and forth over Abe's location.
What was he dealing with here? Obviously whoever was at the bottom of all this had mental capabilities, or at least someone with mental capabilities under his power. Abe wasn't sure which option he liked less.
The flashing screen in front of Abe dimmed and blurred slightly as Abe lay motionless. His eyelids were so heavy, his body so worn.
No time to rest thought Abe as he shut his eyes and the comfort of sleep rose to greet him. Something was happening to him and he didn't understand it. He'd never felt this exhausted before. Thoughts of Melissa flashed in front of him. He couldn't let her down. He'd been away for so long.
You'll be no use to her in this state said a voice and Abe listened to it. He pressed a panel on his forearm and set a trigger on his armor that would awaken him within four hours. It was late, and the complex was silent. Early in the morning Abe would continue his strike. But for now, he needed to sleep.
# # # # # # # # # #
Songbird couldn't sleep. She kept thinking about the things Moonstone had told them when she had come back. I managed to talk the Man-Beast into giving us a chance to get out of here Moonstone had said, but that was a lie. All Moonstone had managed to do was arrange a way to get herself. And perhaps all the rest of them killed as well.
Songbird hadn't been involved in the conversation. She'd never been very good when decisions had to be made. Not that it would have mattered much if she'd had something to add. Moonstone had made her decision. The Man-Beast had given the Thunderbolts the option of fighting their way to freedom. The only problem was that they had to fight the cosmically-powered Firelord.
Are you insane, Moonstone? She-Hulk had immediately called out in protest and Songbird had wanted to agree with her. She'd wanted to voice her opinion. But she just couldn't seem to find the courage to speak. Not that She-Hulk gave her much time to say anything.
There's no way we can go toe to toe with Firelord and actually beat him. You said it yourself. We all beat him on a fluke last time and Songbird couldn't argue with that. Charcoal had been the one to defeat Firelord last time. Charcoal had drained him somehow. In some way even he didn't understand.
I don't plan for all of us to face him, She-Hulk Moonstone had said and Songbird had arched her eyebrows at that. Maybe Moonstone had a plan after all. Her next words washed all that away. I plan to fight him myself.
Then She-Hulk and Moonstone had really argued with each other. Moonstone had eventually won out, but only because everyone was so strangely exhausted. It was like someone in her head kept telling Songbird to sleep. She couldn't be sure but everyone else seemed to be going through the same thing.
The plan was for Moonstone to fight Firelord and try to buy the others some time to think of another way to escape. She-Hulk thought it was suicide and so did Songbird. But there was nothing else they could do.
She-Hulk had suggested a full-out assault once the guards came for Moonstone but Moonstone had simply disregarded that as a foolish idea.
The Man-Beast would attack using all of his resources. We wouldn't last two minutes in a battle with all of their forces. Believe me, I've thought this through. It's the only way.
With those words, the decision had been all but made. Songbird hadn't said anything and when she'd looked over to She-Hulk all she saw was frustration. At that moment, Songbird wished Abe had been there. If he had been, he might have been able to think of some other way out of the situation. But Abe wasn't there, and the Thunderbolts had all found corners within the cell to rest. Soon they were all asleep, save for Songbird, who sat staring up at the ceiling long into the night.
# # # # # # # # # #
"Baron, you really should try to sleep. I find that killing the man that tried to kill you is much more satisfying after a good night's rest," said Techno as he regarded the man sitting across from him. Techno had set up a heat generator that provided warmth for the Baron in the cold desert night. But the man sat somewhat away from it. As if admitting that he needed such a comfort was some sign of weakness.
"Um, Baron. Are you all right?" asked Techno when Zemo didn't answer. For the past couple of hours, Zemo had been staring off into the distance at the complex the Thunderbolts had been taken into. Techno wasn't sure what Zemo was thinking about, and he wasn't sure he wanted to know. There had been a change in Zemo ever since the Taskmaster had infiltrated his compound and tried to kill him. A change that Techno wasn't sure he liked.
"Baron, about this infiltration plan of yours. Are you sure it's the wisest idea? I mean, what if we just let the T-Bolts do the dirty work and then pick up the pieces? It'd be much simpler and then..." Techno had planned to continue. Talking the Baron out of this insane assault upon the compound in front of them seemed like a good idea when it fluttered into Techno's brain.
But when Zemo turned towards Techno, his mouth shut with a metallic snap. The look in the man's eyes was one of utmost rage. Techno had never seen Zemo so incensed before. Instead of speaking, Zemo regarded Techno with his eyes, burning like coals in the firelight. Then, without a word, the man simply turned and looked once more at the complex in front of them.
Techno silently sighed a breath of relief within his mechanical body. He too looked towards the complex the Masters of Evil had taken the Thunderbolts into. It was a V-Battalion base. Apparently the main base the V-Battalion had within the United States according to the files he'd hacked. Techno could only assume that somehow the V-Battalion were either behind the Masters of Evil, or being manipulated like everyone else seemed to be.
Techno was betting on the latter.
# # # # # # # # # #
After Techno had shut down, Baron Zemo stayed awake. Techno had thought that Zemo was looking blindly at the V-Battalion complex and stewing in his own juices, but that was far from the truth.
Someone else was here.
Zemo wasn't sure how he knew, but he knew. Was this mysterious someone on his side? No, not exactly that. But whoever it was wasn't on the side of the person that had tried to kill Baron Zemo. That much was certain.
"The friend of my enemy, is my friend," said Baron Zemo as he continued to watch the V-Battalion base in the twilight.
# # # # # # # # # #
They could hear it even before the guards entered the main corridor. The clomping of feet as they approached the cell the Thunderbolts were being held in clanged along the corridors and echoed within the walls of their cell. With but a look Moonstone expressed the order that the Thunderbolts were to stand back, to let her be taken.
The guards came into view then, and when Moonstone saw them, she turned quickly in Citizen V's direction. Citizen V regarded her without looking away or lowering her head, but the look on Moonstone's face was echoed with Atlas' words.
"Those guards. They've got outfits and insignia just like yours," he said as all of the Thunderbolts turned to look at Citizen V.
"They're members of the V-Battalion. The organization I formally worked for," replied Citizen V to the unspoken question. There was no point in lying to the Thunderbolts now. She had been running for far too long. It was time to reveal the truth.
"The V-Battalion and I parted ways the moment I was called before the High Council and asked to perform murder," said Citizen V as she regarded the Thunderbolts coldly. "I suspected that they were being controlled somehow and as soon as the thought left my head I could feel someone prying at my mind. I fled, and I've been pursued by the V-Battalion ever since."
"So the Man-Beast has control of the V-Battalion as well," said Moonstone as the guards approached through the doors of the cell and clamped restraints on her arms. "Perfect."
"I still don't like this, Moonstone," said She-Hulk and Moonstone glowered at her.
"Neither do I. But we agreed that it's the best chance we've got, the only chance. Stick with the plan," said Moonstone as the guards pulled her from the cell. Soon she was out of sight, and the Thunderbolts were left alone.
"Why didn't the Man-Beast just take control of your mind like all the others?" asked Living Lightning when the Thunderbolts were finally alone.
"Moonstone and I were talking about that very thing," replied Citizen V. "I believe that the Man-Beast isn't strong enough yet to control all he says he does. Keeping a rein on Firelord must be an awesome strain. Holding his thrall over the Masters of Evil and the V-Battalion are equally daunting. I think the Man-Beast is beginning to reach his limit. And if there's any point of weakness in his defenses we can attack, we've got to do it now."
Living Lightning opened his mouth to reply. But suddenly the walls shook as the transparent cell the Thunderbolts were inside rose from the ground and began flying through the halls of the V-Battalion complex. The Thunderbolts were cast to the ground, but they could see. When the cell finally stopped and dropped to the ground, they were inside an arena.
"Welcome Thunderbolts," said the Man-Beast as he stood next to his throne. The Thunderbolts looked around at the scene before them. They were within some sort of stadium-like area, probably a practice ground for training troops. There were seats, and Citizen V quickly pointed out the members of the V-Battalion's Penance Council sitting to the right of the Man-Beast. Firelord stood to the left of the Man-Beast. Across the massive expanse of the arena stood Moonstone, alone.
"Let the games begin," said the Man-Beast, and Firelord attacked.
# # # # # # # # # #
Abe woke up with a start. He had been dreaming of Melissa, as he was wont to do more often than not over the last few months of his life. In the dream he had been lying with her in some park. The grass had been soft and sweet beneath his body. But when Abe had looked up, a man had been looking down at him, a dark man surrounded by an aura of purplish-gray light, a man who had told him to wake-up. He wasn't lying on grass now. His body ached from sleeping in the armor. He stretched himself out, and his armor screeched on the metal of the ventilation shafts. Abe winced.
Hope nobody heard that was his last thought before the ventilation shaft tore apart from beneath him.
He fell roughly to the ground and immediately jumped to his feet. Whoever had assaulted him hadn't bothered to press the attack and they were going to pay big time.
"All right, whoever did that is in big troub..." the words died as easily as the bravado Abe felt upon seeing what was before him. Gray Gargoyle, Mr. Hyde, Whirlwind, Blizzard, Coachwhip, and Constrictor all stood there looking at him. All of them had smug looks on their faces and Constrictor was shredding what remained of the ventilation shaft between his adamantium coils.
Abe regarded the scene in wonder and astonishment. Fear hadn't quite settled in yet, so he gave it no time to start.
"Let's party," he stated with a surprisingly even voice and activated his boot thrusters along with the main jet thruster attached to his back. Mach-1 shot forward and collided with Constrictor and then he slammed on the brakes. Constrictor flew back and collided with Blizzard and Whirlwind, knocking them all unconscious.
"You little punk!" yelled Mr. Hyde and lunged for Mach-1. Hyde used his strength to pull Mach-1 down from the air and the Gray Gargoyle lunged for the both of them. Mach-1 activated his wings, which automatically spread and popped loose Mr. Hyde's grip. Mach-1 grabbed the stunned super-villain and tugged with all his might. The Gray Gargoyle's hands connected with Hyde, and turned him to stone.
Mach-1 wasted no time in firing at the Gray Gargoyle. A small disc launched from his gauntlet, connecting with the villain. At first it seemed to have no effect, and then the Gray Gargoyle fell as the disc increased his personal gravity field by ten fold.
Suddenly something wrapped itself around Mach-1's throat. He immediately thought of the Constrictor, but could see that the villain was still unconscious.
"You may have defeated my compatriots, but you won't beat me," said a feminine voice and Mach-1 recognized it as Coachwhip. He turned around, gripping the lash around his neck and struggling to breath.
"You're impressive with those toys of yours, Coachwhip. But my toys," said Mach-1 as he mentally activated a feature from his armor. Lances of electricity erupted from the suit, carrying along the path of the whip and striking Coachwhip with enough force to send her hurtling back several feet. "Are even better."
Mach-1 regarded the unconscious and debilitated villains in front of him. He had taken out seven super-villains all by himself. He wasn't quite sure how he had done it so easily, but he had.
"I won. I actually won the fight. I won. I'm a winner. I am the king of superheroes. I rule all," shouted Mach-1 and the Gray Gargoyle groaned. Mach-1 looked down at him. The gravity disc was going to keep him rooted to the spot for quite a while. Mach-1 had to find the other Thunderbolts. He took to the air and began flying through the corridors silently. The smile never left his face.
I won. I won. I...
# # # # # # # # # #
I'm losing thought Moonstone as she dodged another strike from Firelord. It left another large crater in the ground where it struck and Moonstone cringed. If one of those hit her it might not kill her. But she wouldn't have nearly enough time to recover from the blast long enough to survive another.
I can't make a single mistake rang through her head as she fired a blast of her own energy that rocked Firelord back a few paces. The cosmic juggernaut hadn't even left his feet yet. Moonstone wasn't sure how well he could fly, but she hoped his arrogance kept him on the ground for the entirety of the battle.
"What else is new though?" muttered Moonstone to herself as she completed her thought aloud. She had always pushed herself to be perfect, especially lately with leading the Thunderbolts. Things weren't going quite how she planned, of course. First Hawkeye had left and then She-Hulk and Living Lightning joined the team and made things even more convoluted. Now Jolt was missing and Charcoal had left the team because of the way she had dealt with the problem.
A cosmic blast of fire swept in front of Moonstone, nearly cutting her off from her flight path as she moved to dodge debris from the previous shot.
Not the time to be thinking about these things Karla-girl thought Moonstone to herself and gritted her teeth. She let fly with a few more blasts and they ricocheted harmlessly off of Firelord's body. The cosmic being, finally seeming to be frustrated with Moonstone, growled low in his throat. Moonstone could hear the growl in her mind.
Suddenly, Firelord wasn't there anymore. Moonstone scanned the arena, but she couldn't see him.
"Behind you, blond one," said a voice and Moonstone whirled around. Firelord was behind her. Somehow he had transported there faster than her eye could follow. Moonstone raised her arms to shield herself, but it had little affect. Firelord brought his fists crashing down on Moonstone and she hit the ground hard, and didn't get up.
# # # # # # # # # #
The Man-Beast watched the battle with nothing but sick, twisted pleasure etched on his features. Firelord would win the battle easily. In fact, the cosmic being could have won the battle within seconds if the Man-Beast had willed it so. But Man-Beast wanted to be entertained today, and so he had allowed Moonstone to resist for a while. But only for a while.
"You are weak, Man-Beast," said a voice that seemed to come from his right. The Man-Beast stood up from his throne immediately and glowered at the members of the High Council sitting in the stands to his right. But instead of fear in their eyes upon seeing his eyes filled with hate, all the Man-Beast saw in their faces were mocking expressions, and disgust.
"You are weak and pathetic and ugly," said another of the High Council of the V-Battalion and the Man-Beast scanned their minds with his telepathy. There was nothing there except an unparalleled hatred for him.
"You're not even human. Look at you. You're nothing but a dog with the body of a man," said another of the members and the Man-Beast could see the menace that lined each one of their faces. Ameiko Sabuki, Robert Frank, Jr., Helmut Gruler, Roger Aubrey, Isadora Martinez, Darren Mitchell, Fred Davis, and Elisabeth Barstow. All the members of the so-called Penance Council sat there and looked on at the Man-Beast in disgust.
"Yes, nothing but a dog," said another of the Penance Council and the Man-Beast had heard enough. He squeezed their minds with his powers and all of the Penance Council cried out, as one.
"I will show you how much of a dog I am!" stated the Man-Beast. Fear and confusion masked the faces of the Penance Council as the hate and animosity flooded out of them. The Man-Beast smiled. The V-Battalion had been useful to him, but with the Penance Council destroyed, they would crumble just as AIM, the Secret Empire, the Zodiac, and all the others had before them.
Citizen V cried out for her former mentors as the members of the Penance Council died. Those men and women had taught her everything and had taken her in when she had nowhere else to go, nobody else to turn to. To be snuffed out like that. As if they were nothing but the light of a candle. It didn't seem fair.
"Now you see, Thunderbolts. I am invincible," roared the Man-Beast. But the roar was not one of confidence. It was one of fury. Uncontained rage seemed to leap from the Man-Beast and assault the Thunderbolts' senses. It was hard to resist that madness.
"You are nothing," said a voice that made itself heard clearly over the din of Man-Beast's roar. The Man-Beast stopped and looked down to the arena in shock. Too many things were surprising him on this day.
"Zemo," said the Man-Beast in disgust and Baron Zemo inclined his head slightly. Techno stood at Zemo's side and both of them had weapons trained upon the Man-Beast. The Man-Beast inclined his head slightly so that at first, Zemo thought it was a sign of respect. Then as the light behind him grew stronger, Zemo whirled around and watched as Firelord approached.
"Kill them," the Man-Beast ordered and Firelord swept down upon Zemo. Techno shot into the line of fire and deflected Firelord with a power blast that spun Firelord around.
"Time to put out the fire," said Techno as Firelord picked himself up, and attacked anew.
# # # # # # # # # #
The Man-Beast couldn't understand what was happening. He couldn't register any of the minds within his complex save for Firelord's who he dared not let go of. All of his minions appeared to be free. They were more than likely fleeing the complex as he sat here, watching Firelord do battle with Zemo and his mechanical underling.
They are indeed fleeing, as you should said a voice from within the Man-Beast's head and he recognized it as the voice that had suggested he jump into the flame of Firelord the night before.
"Who are you?" the Man-Beast asked and instead of answering him, Man-Beast felt the intruder in his mind pull at him, and suddenly the Man-Beast wasn't in his arena any longer.
This new world was strangely suffused with darkness, and there was a glow about the Man-Beast's body. The glow was reddish in nature and seemed to come from within the Man-Beast himself.
"Where am I?" asked the Man-Beast to the darkness, and though he hadn't expected an answer, he got one.
"You are on the astral plane, Man-Beast. You are my guest," said the voice from within Man-Beast's mind and as he regarded the darkness, it twisted, and out from it walked a man dressed in black robes, with a purple-gray light exuding from his own body.
"Who are you?" roared the Man-Beast in rage and confusion. The man in front of him simply smiled and sighed.
"You are a telepath, Man-Beast. But you lack focus. You stretch your boundaries until they are brittle. It was easy for one such as I to enter your mind, and cause them to crumble," said the man and he lifted his hands and the Man-Beast rose into the air, with no control over his body whatsoever.
"You have not answered me, demon. Who are you?" growled the Man-Beast and the man's smile grew wider.
"Yes, I suppose you have the right to know," said the man as he lowered his hands. The Man-Beast stayed motionless in the air, no matter how hard he fought the invisible bonds that held him. "My name is Amahl Farouk. I am the Shadow King."
"If you have done what you say you've done, Shadow King. Then I demand to know why. Why would you disturb what I have strove to accomplish? Are you some sort of hero?" asked the Man-Beast, frustration beginning to set into his body. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't break the transparent chains around him.
"Hardly. My reasons are my own. Let's just say that you have something that I desire. Now I have it back. The only way to appropriate it was to make you falter. I have done so. Now the only way to keep you from remembering what I have done is to kill you. Steps are being made towards that end as we speak," the Shadow King said and the Man-Beast finally understood. He understood why he couldn't move and why the Shadow King seemed so powerful. They were in some sort of mind-state. The Shadow King had called it the astral plane but that was just a word. The Man-Beast was a telepath, and if this was a realm of the mind, he had power.
"I will never be defeated again," snarled the Man-Beast and suddenly a wall of stone erupted from the ground. The cylindrical mass of rock surrounded the Shadow King and trapped him within. The Man-Beast dropped to the ground and smiled, flicking his tongue across his razor sharp teeth.
Impressive. But not impressive enough said the voice of the Shadow King in the Man-Beast's mind and suddenly the pillar of stone burst into flames. The Shadow King walked through the flames, unscathed by the burning heat. Let me peer into your mind and see what you fear.
"No!" cried the Man-Beast as he felt the Shadow King open his mind and delve within. He tried to fight it, but the Shadow King was stronger than him. Here it seemed as if the Shadow King was a god.
Ah, interesting was all the Shadow King said when he found what he was looking for and then he vanished in a cloud of purplish-gray smoke. The Man-Beast stood motionless. He had no idea what had happened or how to get away from the world he was trapped in.
Then the hand closed around his ankle.
It was a human hand, sprouting from the earth of this strange place of the mind. Another shot from the ground and wrapped itself around the Man-Beast's other ankle. He fell to his knees then, and other hands ripped from the ground and took hold of him. The hands were unbelievably strong, and the Man-Beast could not pull free. He struggled against them, but soon the hands pulled their masters out of the ground. The humans regarded him silently. As he looked into their faces, he could see that they were all the humans he had ever killed. And he could see that there was death in their faces.
"Nothing but a dog," they said as one, and then they were on him.
# # # # # # # # # #
When the Man-Beast screamed, everyone turned to look. Moonstone had regained consciousness and she watched as the Man-Beast tore at his own body in confusion, rage and fear. She had seen patients act much in the same way. The Man-Beast was going mad.
"Like a rabid animal," said Zemo as he watched the Man-Beast slobber and scream and fight his own hands as they tore at his flesh. Techno grabbed the Baron then, and began to take him away.
"Techno! What are you doing? Unhand me, now!" yelled the Baron at the top of his lungs. His suit was seared in places from the battle with Firelord but he was in fine shape, and he struggled mightily against Techno's grip. The Man-Beast was suffering, and he wanted to see it.
"No time to explain, boss. Trust me though. We've got to get out of here. Can't you feel the heat?" said Techno and Zemo could feel the increased temperature in the room. He looked over his shoulder at that moment and realized what Techno had already seen.
Firelord was free of his mental paralysis.
# # # # # # # # # #
Moonstone opened the cell door and the Thunderbolts piled out. She turned towards the arena and saw Zemo and Techno fleeing. There would be other days for them she knew. The main concern was Firelord. He was glowing with cosmic fury now. Apparently while under the control of the Man-Beast, some of his power had been in check. That wasn't the case now.
"I am myself again," roared Firelord and looked at the Thunderbolts. Moonstone clenched her fists, as did the entire team. They were all beginning to sweat.
"I suggest you leave, Thunderbolts," said Firelord and then turned to face the Man-Beast. "Things are about to get ugly."
"Firelord. You can't kill him!" yelled a voice from behind them and the Thunderbolts turned. Mach-1 stood with Whirlwind and Mr. Hyde on his shoulders. The strain in his eyes was evident, but he still looked like a godsend.
"I got most of the villains out of here and wrapped up for the authorities, T-Bolts," said Abe and smiled as Songbird rushed up to embrace him. "But we've still got to get Firelord and the Man-Beast out of here."
"There is no need for that," said Firelord as he turned towards the Thunderbolts once more. He raised his hand in the air and snapped his fingers. In an instant, the Thunderbolts and everyone else within the complex were transported elsewhere.
"Now," Firelord said as he turned back towards the maddened expression of the Man-Beast. "Where were we?"
# # # # # # # # # #
The Thunderbolts were disoriented for a few moments when Firelord transported them outside of the V-Battalion's base. But heads were gathered quickly. Members of the V-Battalion guard were running through the desert to escape and the Thunderbolts let them go. They had no organization left to fight for, after all. The villains Mach-1 had defeated were neatly subdued. Arnim Zola and the Living Laser however, were nowhere to be seen.
The explosions that rocked the V-Battalion base were tremendous. In the end, the entire complex crashed in on itself and the sand of the desert rose into a great pillar that took a long time to settle. As it did, the Thunderbolts spoke with each other. Mach-1 explained what had happened since he had been taken from prison, and the Thunderbolts shared with him everything that had happened to them.
"Hawkeye leaving the team. Jolt and Charcoal gone missing. I can hardly believe it," said Mach-1 when everything else seemed to have been said.
"They're our next priority, Abe. Whoever took Jolt will be found," replied Moonstone and Abe looked at her in shock. She seemed like a different person from the one she'd been when he went to jail. Maybe she was going to make a good leader after all.
"And now that you're back, Abe. Maybe we can finally start earning our keep as heroes," said Songbird and hugged him tight again. She-Hulk caught Atlas' eye and smiled. None of them noticed Citizen V slip away into the night.
# # # # # # # # # #
Next Issue: The Thunderbolts begin investigating the disappearance of Jolt. But will they be able to handle what they find? And now that Citizen V no longer has a V-Battalion to call home, what will she do?