Back to GatefoldIssue #14 by John Cheese
November 2017 |
“Eye of the Storm”
Crossfire ran his hand over the chest high stone alter jutting from the ice, the inscribed runes gleaming a cold blue as they detected the warmth of living flesh passing over them. Smiling he turned to the Mauler standing behind him, the hyper communications pack strapped to his armour, a solid beam of light lancing up through the ice and into the sky above.
“Do we have connection with the satellite?” He asked softly as he placed his hand on the alter, the stone giving way allowing him to gain access to the interior of the stone, ice climbing up his arm.
“Sure boss.” The Mauler stated as he watched the bizarre behaviour of the stone. “Uplink is green across the board, not to mention the parasite network we embedded into the major news networks and intelligence agencies communications systems.”
“Then let’s broadcast.” Crossfire hissed, as the lights on the Mauler’s armour turned blue, as did the beam connecting him to the satellite network. “My name is William Cross, a name that some of you may know, and I bring a request to the people of the world.” He added, as he spoke to the people of the world, his words sounding from every radio, appearing on every TV and virally infiltrating every social network. “I am in need of funding, and I want the governments of the world to provide it to me. I’m thinking of a donation at 2.5% of each nation’s GDP should suffice.” He stopped and let his words take effect.
“Now I know that no government wants to give up their hard won taxation money, but I insist.” Crossfire stated, as he shot the cameras a smile. “But I suspect what I’m about to reveal may make the decision a little easier. For the next half an hour the world will be gripped with extreme weather phenomenon, floods on the equator, snow storms across Asia, Europe and North America, as for Australia…well I expect an ice sheet will freeze its seas in place. After half an hour I will begin to reverse the effects, but be warned I can activate them anywhere and anytime I choose, ultimately I would prefer not to, but if after my second broadcast nations deny my generous request…well I expect you can imagine.” He stopped and smiled a cruel smile for the cameras. “For now hunker down and consider my offer, I will contact you all soon.”
“And we’re out.” The Mauler sighed as the entire temple rattled from a massive explosion. “That looks like it hurts boss, can I do anything to help?”
“Only help me pass the time.” Crossfire told him. “I want to know the man in that armour like I know myself?”
“But you do, you have all my files.” The Mauler protested. “Nothing overly secret about old Doyle here.” He added.
“That would be true,” Crossfire answered calmly as he pulled a single shot pistol out from a chest holster with his free hand, “if you were the real Brenden Doyle.”
# # # # #
A loud pop sounded, and without warning Lodestone grabbed Headhunter, with her powers, by her belt and knives and shoved her to the floor, the bullet heading for her head slamming into Shockwave’s armour and vapouring from the electrical discharge the suit put out. Reacting to the attack, Spear returned fire just as another pop rang out, the spear he fired scything through the bullet and jamming into the position the shooter was firing from.
“What the hell?” Headhunter hissed, as she got to her feet, just in time to see an arctic patterned tarp thrown up and five additional super villains come charging out. Crossfire’s men never had enough to identify their attackers, before the intruders were among them, fighting aggressively with each other in hand to hand combat. The largest of the newcomers, dressed in red and yellow armour slashed out at Shockwave forcing him back as chaos erupted around them.
“You’re Razorwire from the Wicked Brigade right?” Shockwave asked, as his opponent slashed out with a massive piece of wire, one that went wide as Sneed jetted backwards to avoid being struck. “Who hired you to come after us?”
“The same person who hired us to kill that drunken piss-pot Doyle.” Razorwire replied as he followed up his initial strike with a stab, the attack slicing up the arm of Shockwave’s suit, sparks flying and ceramic plating buckling from the blow. “But don’t worry we’re here to reunite you with your dead friend.” He added, as Firefight opened fire with an assault rifle, his attack causing Headhunter and Chemistro to slip under the C17 for cover.
“Hold your tongue Razorwire, we needn’t explain out motives to these hirelings!” Firefight bellowed as Makro lunged for his back, only to be intercepted by a man who appeared to be half leopard, his pale fur marked with rosettes. Groaning Makro threw her attacker off, before snaking her tendrils out to grab her opponent, his lithe form slipping through her barrage of attacks until he was close enough to deliver a clawed slash to her face.
“My brother Snow Leopards bay for your blood child, but it was I who was selected to rip your throat out.” The Snow Leopard hissed, as he lunged at Makro again, only for his target to duck and grab his feet with her tentacles and swing him away to where Lodestone was locked in combat with a woman who was the mirror image of who she had been just days before. Skin clad in black lodestone overlaid with a white leotard, hair swaying thanks to the effect of the magnetic field on the slivers of silver wrapped around her blonde locks, she was both sensual and formidable not to mention powerful to boot, as she ripped pieces off of the C17 and flung them at her enemies.
“Who are you?” Lodestone grunted, sweat running down her brow as she struggled to deflect a magnetically propelled jet turbine away from her.
“I’m the first of the Poledancer project.” The woman replied proudly as she ripped the landing gear off the jet, the metal sharpening before being flung at her opponent. “The Baron’s work on you impressed my master, now he’s ordering us in bulk.”
“This is ridiculous!” Lodestone yelled as she crumpled the landing gear thrown at her into a relatively harmless ball. “Do you know why he changed me?”
“For the progress of science!” Poledancer purred as plating was ripped off the jet and spun towards Lodestone. “You are just jealous that you are not only obsolete, but not even special anymore.” She added as her progenitor deflected the majority of the plates, but not all, as the spray of blood and the scream in pain rising from Lodestone’s arms and mouth respectively was evidence off. “Not to mention that you won’t be alive for much longer.” She added as Spear fired a pair of shots at Firefight, only for his projectiles to crash into each other.
“Hey stop that!” Spear yelled, as Firefight tapped his gauntlet, the green canister unlocking and a thick green mist flooding out over the battlefield. “Uh Calvin is this stuff harmful?” Spear asked, as Chemistro fired his alchemy pistol at a woman dressed in a blue bodysuit and hooded cape, only for beams of super-chilled air to meet his weapon’s discharge in a vivid purple explosion.
“Don’t think so.” Chemistro groaned, as he quickly checked the heat levels of his pistol before being struck by a hail of frozen projectiles, each one leaving a dent in the Kevlar weave of his armour.
“It stinks like hell.” Spear stated as he saw Firefight back off to where Headhunter and Snow Leopard were engaged in combat, an amused look on his face. “It’s almost as bad as the stench cloud that Dontrell had round him. Almost but not quite.” He confirmed as something shadowy loped out of the canister, its sudden appearance causing both Headhunter and Snow Leopard to stop their duel and look on in horror as something large emerged from the fog.
“I’m so glad you remember me Daniels.” A clicking, lisping voice stated from behind Spear. “I remember you playa, I remember what I owe you.” He hissed, as Spear turned round and looked up at the insectile creature towering above him, brown armour glinting from the light deflecting off the gas cloud, his mandibles shearing against each other, antennae twitching as he tasted the air around him.
“D…Dontrell?” Spear gasped as he reached for his trident, only for the newcomer to spit a stream of acid at him, the chemical melting through Daniels’s glove and the shaft of his weapon, effectively cleaving it in two.
“Not anymore, they changed me, evolved me into something beyond human!” Dontrell sneered, as he picked Spear by the nape of his neck so he could look the squirming mercenary in the face, his mandibles opening wide to reveal a fanged maw. “You are an evolutionary dead ugh!” With a swift stab Spear jammed the severed boss of his trident into Dontrell’s mouth, blood and acid pouring out of the wound, and onto Daniel’s arms as he fell to the floor. “You’ll bleed for that!” Dontrell snarled as he doubled over and pinned Spear to the floor.
“Hey Hamilton, get off my partner!” The Headhunter yelled as she threw a knife at Dontrell, before being tackled to the floor by Snow Leopard, the blade stabbing into the cockroach mutates face, causing him to howl in pain and clutch at his wound, as Spear squirmed out from under him.
“That was a bold move, but who’s going to save you?” Snow Leopard sneered as he slashed Headhunter’s coat open, blood seeping from the shallow claw marks cut into her pale skin.
“That would be me!” Chemistro replied as he kicked Snow Leopard off of Headhunter, and straight into the beam of ice fired at him, by the as yet unnamed villain. “Come on, we need to rally round these guys are tough.” He added, as he pulled Gillette to her feet as Snow Leopard writhed in his icy restraints in an attempt to get free.
“You take Ice Princess.” Headhunter ordered, as she watched Razorwire knock Shockwave down. “I’ll get everyone else on target.” She added, as Makro scuttled up behind Razorwire and snaked two of her tentacles out and grabbed the strand of wire he was armed with. Moving to help, Headhunter had just enough time to twist and deliver a knife chop to Firefight’s hand, the shotgun he was armed with clattering to the floor, as he popped up from a disturbed patch of snow.
“I heard you like knives.” Firefight announced, as he pulled a KBAR knife from his belt and held it in a defensive position ready to strike. Sliding a pair of straight razors from the small of her back, Gillette smiled before holding one in each hand in a matching stance.
“You heard right.” She purred, just as an explosion rocked the snowfield, before vanishing into the thick black veil of smoke that now enveloped them. “I also learned a few things from my teammates.” She added, her eyes flashing red for the slightest moment. “Like how to disappear.” She finished her voice echoing round Firefight, his eyes narrowed for any sight of his opponent who had so expertly damaged. It was only when the first cut to his left arm was landed, that he swung, but by then it was too late, since another shallow cut had appeared on the back of his leg. Each reactionary swung brought him closer to unconsciousness, and soon his vision began to fade and he collapsed, bleeding from at least fifty shallow cuts to form a red halo on the polluted snow were he lay.
Makro strained as she tried to cease Razorwire’s advance on Shockwave, his armour stalled and the pilot inside desperately trying to eject, to reboot to do anything. Keeping one eye on the red glint to her left, she was silently proud that Headhunter was using the tactic she had taught her, and that pride gave her strength, snaking another pair of tentacles to reinforce the two already clamped onto Razorwire’s weapon she pulled back, the servos in her arms and those in her opponents armour whining in unison as they fought each other.
“Give it up little girl!!” Razorwire snarled through gritted teeth as he pulled his weapon forward. “You can’t win!!”
“Yes…”Makro grunted as she snaked the last pair of tentacles forward to reinforce the others, “…I…” she continued as she pulled the massive strand of wire back, the bracers in Razorwire’s arms exploding in a shower of sparks, “…can!” She snarled in a voice louder than she had ever used before, the wire stabbed through the armour plating and into his chest. Seconds later the servos in her own arms depowered, their energy cells depleted.
“I’ll gut you girl!” Razorwire grunted as he turned around and walked towards her, his left hand quivering with the last reserves of power. Looming over her he reached down and broke off part of his weapon and bent down to deliver a killing blow, his helmet half melted off by a former attack by Shockwave. And then with a sickening click, one Makro knew too well, he collapsed, the vertebrae in his neck forced out the front of his body and crushed against his armour.
“Not when I’m around.” Shockwave panted as he stiffly drew back the extended hand he’d used to break Razorwire’s neck. “If what you gloated about was true, that was for Doyle.”
“Doyle?” Makro asked as she got to her feet.
“I guess we know who the mole is now.” Shockwave replied as Headhunter trotted up, her left arm cradled by the right, the skin above the elbow cut off.
“I guess so.” Headhunter replied. “Firefight was good, but he’s down and so is Razorwire but we need to end the others now. Cross is in danger and he doesn’t know it.” She added, as Snow Leopard held Chemistro against him whilst Ice Princess lined up a shot, his target’s alchemy pistol glowing as it overheated, unbeknownst to any but his captive. Struggling, Chemistro activated the last defence his armour had, a pair of alchemy mines integrated into the weave of his costume, with a pop both detonated, micro channels forcing the trans-mutating explosion upwards and directly into Snow Leopard’s grasp, his hands crystallising and collapsing as they were turned into salt.
“Enough games!” Ice Princess snapped, as Snow Leopard backed off clutching the stumps where his arms had once been. “Your weapon, throw is away and I make it quick.” She added, as she saw Chemistro’s hand heading for his alchemy pistol. Nodding Chemistro threw the weapon down at Ice Princess’s feet, the weapon exploding as it overheated, the blast knocking his opponent backwards. Getting swiftly back to her feet, an ice stiletto in her hand, the Princess advanced on Chemistro, a cruel look on her face.
“Hey Elsa, let it go!!” Spear yelled as he opened fire, his projectile stabbing through Ice Princess’s hands and pining the together, her powers doing the rest and freezing her arms in a solid pair of manacles. “And er anyone help!” He yelled as Cockroach Hamilton leapt the twenty feet to him, before ripping his weapon out of his hands.
“Shockwave help Spear.” Headhunter yelled as she looked over to where Lodestone was buckling under the onslaught of Pole Dancer. “We’ll help Lodestone.”
“What help could you be?” Pole Dancer asked in a sarcastic voice. “The others are fierce, but I, I am a goddess!!” She snorted as she ripped a missile pod of the Crossfire Crew’s stolen RAID gunship and levitated above her opponent. “Face it, you’re all outclassed.”
“Maybe but I know one thing you don’t.” Lodestone gasped as she covertly froze the missiles inside the pod in place before activating their fuses, a twelve second countdown activating.
“What’s that?!” Pole Dancer hissed, not noticing as Lodestone used her powers to push herself across the snow away from the impending disaster.
“What heat does to a magnet?” Lodestone replied in a smug tone as the missiles launched and then detonated, a boiling wall of heat washing over Pole Dancer, her scream lost in the explosion, as liquid lodestone slithered over the snow like a black tide and as the smoke settled they were joined by a blackened skeleton, the only remains of the woman once known as Pole Dancer. “I’m sorry.” She whispered as she turned away from the woman she had killed, and looked over to where Cockroach Hamilton was slashing at Spear, her mercenary teammate just about keeping out of his range.
“You’re mates are dead or broken Dontrell!” Spear yelled, as his former friend spat a stream of acid at him, the chemical causing the snow to melt and sizzle. “Surrender before it gets worse.”
“I’ll surrender when you’re dead!!” Dontrell sneered, as Spear slipped on the melted snow and landed hard on his coccyx. “That shouldn’t take long. Any last slurs or anecdotes?”
“I’m sorry.” Spear mumbled. “Sorry that I pushed you to become this.” He added gesturing to Dontrell as he dropped his long barrel launcher and tapped his sidearm, the weapon going off and the tiny projectile whizzing over Dontrell’s shoulder and far into the distance.
“Pathetic!!” Dontrell spat as he bent over Spear, only to see his prey loop a length of cable round his arm. “What!!” He hissed as he looked down at the cable snaking away before the cable retracted, dragging him away towards the remains of the C17, his body smashing into one of the jet turbines and exploding. Getting to his feet, Spear looked at the bodies lying across the tundra; Firefight unconscious and bleeding, Pole Dancer melted into slurry, Snow Leopard disarmed, Ice Princess frozen up to her shoulders and Razorwire his neck broken.
“We have to go.” Chemistro stated. “We have to find Cross and deal with whoever is pretending to be Doyle.” He added as he headed towards the collapsed temple front.
“Yeah, but first I want us to agree on something.” Headhunter announced, a sombre tone on her voice. “It’s time he explained what he really is up to.”
“Sounds right by me.” Spear replied as the jet turbine exploded open and Cockroach Hamilton came running at them, acid spraying from his burnt mouth. “The sooner we leave here, the better.” He added as he spun round and fired a bolt at Hamilton, his body falling forward with a heavy thud.
# # # # #
“How did you know?” The Mauler asked, as he levelled his own weapons at Crossfire. “What about my performance gave me away?”
“Doyle’s weakness.” Crossfire explained as he kept his pistol levelled at his treacherous hireling. “Doyle drunk until he passed out almost every night, and while you did the same, there was something different about your binge. That thing was your blood-alcohol limit, Doyle’s was far higher than yours. I suspect that you aren’t a big drinker normally since you were passing out so early in the night.” He added as he shot the Mauler a wicked smile. “Everything else was perfect, I would applaud you on that but I have my hands full.”
“Thank you for your analysis.” The Mauler stated. “It’s time to end this.” He added, as his weapons spun up only to smoke and explode.
“Oh your weapons won’t work, that hyper communications array spread a virus into your systems, effectively immobilising them.” Crossfire explained. “You’ll have to get out and deal with my personally.” He added, as the rear of the Mauler amour opened and the pilot stepped out. Crossfire was still shocked at how much he looked like Doyle, even though his hypothesis on who the mole had been was proven correct.
“I’m not adverse in getting my hands dirty.” The pilot stated as he advanced on Cross, only to be staggered as his potential victim opened fire, his shot hitting his face-plate and causing his face to pixilate and flicker where the impact had struck. “As I expected, one final desperate attempt. My comrades have killed your underlings and now I finish you.”
“And if your friends fail to kill them, how do you plan to evade them?” Crossfire asked.
“Why?” The pilot stated, his voice and appearance shifting to become a mirror image of Crossfire, “By becoming you.”
“Do we have connection with the satellite?” He asked softly as he placed his hand on the alter, the stone giving way allowing him to gain access to the interior of the stone, ice climbing up his arm.
“Sure boss.” The Mauler stated as he watched the bizarre behaviour of the stone. “Uplink is green across the board, not to mention the parasite network we embedded into the major news networks and intelligence agencies communications systems.”
“Then let’s broadcast.” Crossfire hissed, as the lights on the Mauler’s armour turned blue, as did the beam connecting him to the satellite network. “My name is William Cross, a name that some of you may know, and I bring a request to the people of the world.” He added, as he spoke to the people of the world, his words sounding from every radio, appearing on every TV and virally infiltrating every social network. “I am in need of funding, and I want the governments of the world to provide it to me. I’m thinking of a donation at 2.5% of each nation’s GDP should suffice.” He stopped and let his words take effect.
“Now I know that no government wants to give up their hard won taxation money, but I insist.” Crossfire stated, as he shot the cameras a smile. “But I suspect what I’m about to reveal may make the decision a little easier. For the next half an hour the world will be gripped with extreme weather phenomenon, floods on the equator, snow storms across Asia, Europe and North America, as for Australia…well I expect an ice sheet will freeze its seas in place. After half an hour I will begin to reverse the effects, but be warned I can activate them anywhere and anytime I choose, ultimately I would prefer not to, but if after my second broadcast nations deny my generous request…well I expect you can imagine.” He stopped and smiled a cruel smile for the cameras. “For now hunker down and consider my offer, I will contact you all soon.”
“And we’re out.” The Mauler sighed as the entire temple rattled from a massive explosion. “That looks like it hurts boss, can I do anything to help?”
“Only help me pass the time.” Crossfire told him. “I want to know the man in that armour like I know myself?”
“But you do, you have all my files.” The Mauler protested. “Nothing overly secret about old Doyle here.” He added.
“That would be true,” Crossfire answered calmly as he pulled a single shot pistol out from a chest holster with his free hand, “if you were the real Brenden Doyle.”
# # # # #
A loud pop sounded, and without warning Lodestone grabbed Headhunter, with her powers, by her belt and knives and shoved her to the floor, the bullet heading for her head slamming into Shockwave’s armour and vapouring from the electrical discharge the suit put out. Reacting to the attack, Spear returned fire just as another pop rang out, the spear he fired scything through the bullet and jamming into the position the shooter was firing from.
“What the hell?” Headhunter hissed, as she got to her feet, just in time to see an arctic patterned tarp thrown up and five additional super villains come charging out. Crossfire’s men never had enough to identify their attackers, before the intruders were among them, fighting aggressively with each other in hand to hand combat. The largest of the newcomers, dressed in red and yellow armour slashed out at Shockwave forcing him back as chaos erupted around them.
“You’re Razorwire from the Wicked Brigade right?” Shockwave asked, as his opponent slashed out with a massive piece of wire, one that went wide as Sneed jetted backwards to avoid being struck. “Who hired you to come after us?”
“The same person who hired us to kill that drunken piss-pot Doyle.” Razorwire replied as he followed up his initial strike with a stab, the attack slicing up the arm of Shockwave’s suit, sparks flying and ceramic plating buckling from the blow. “But don’t worry we’re here to reunite you with your dead friend.” He added, as Firefight opened fire with an assault rifle, his attack causing Headhunter and Chemistro to slip under the C17 for cover.
“Hold your tongue Razorwire, we needn’t explain out motives to these hirelings!” Firefight bellowed as Makro lunged for his back, only to be intercepted by a man who appeared to be half leopard, his pale fur marked with rosettes. Groaning Makro threw her attacker off, before snaking her tendrils out to grab her opponent, his lithe form slipping through her barrage of attacks until he was close enough to deliver a clawed slash to her face.
“My brother Snow Leopards bay for your blood child, but it was I who was selected to rip your throat out.” The Snow Leopard hissed, as he lunged at Makro again, only for his target to duck and grab his feet with her tentacles and swing him away to where Lodestone was locked in combat with a woman who was the mirror image of who she had been just days before. Skin clad in black lodestone overlaid with a white leotard, hair swaying thanks to the effect of the magnetic field on the slivers of silver wrapped around her blonde locks, she was both sensual and formidable not to mention powerful to boot, as she ripped pieces off of the C17 and flung them at her enemies.
“Who are you?” Lodestone grunted, sweat running down her brow as she struggled to deflect a magnetically propelled jet turbine away from her.
“I’m the first of the Poledancer project.” The woman replied proudly as she ripped the landing gear off the jet, the metal sharpening before being flung at her opponent. “The Baron’s work on you impressed my master, now he’s ordering us in bulk.”
“This is ridiculous!” Lodestone yelled as she crumpled the landing gear thrown at her into a relatively harmless ball. “Do you know why he changed me?”
“For the progress of science!” Poledancer purred as plating was ripped off the jet and spun towards Lodestone. “You are just jealous that you are not only obsolete, but not even special anymore.” She added as her progenitor deflected the majority of the plates, but not all, as the spray of blood and the scream in pain rising from Lodestone’s arms and mouth respectively was evidence off. “Not to mention that you won’t be alive for much longer.” She added as Spear fired a pair of shots at Firefight, only for his projectiles to crash into each other.
“Hey stop that!” Spear yelled, as Firefight tapped his gauntlet, the green canister unlocking and a thick green mist flooding out over the battlefield. “Uh Calvin is this stuff harmful?” Spear asked, as Chemistro fired his alchemy pistol at a woman dressed in a blue bodysuit and hooded cape, only for beams of super-chilled air to meet his weapon’s discharge in a vivid purple explosion.
“Don’t think so.” Chemistro groaned, as he quickly checked the heat levels of his pistol before being struck by a hail of frozen projectiles, each one leaving a dent in the Kevlar weave of his armour.
“It stinks like hell.” Spear stated as he saw Firefight back off to where Headhunter and Snow Leopard were engaged in combat, an amused look on his face. “It’s almost as bad as the stench cloud that Dontrell had round him. Almost but not quite.” He confirmed as something shadowy loped out of the canister, its sudden appearance causing both Headhunter and Snow Leopard to stop their duel and look on in horror as something large emerged from the fog.
“I’m so glad you remember me Daniels.” A clicking, lisping voice stated from behind Spear. “I remember you playa, I remember what I owe you.” He hissed, as Spear turned round and looked up at the insectile creature towering above him, brown armour glinting from the light deflecting off the gas cloud, his mandibles shearing against each other, antennae twitching as he tasted the air around him.
“D…Dontrell?” Spear gasped as he reached for his trident, only for the newcomer to spit a stream of acid at him, the chemical melting through Daniels’s glove and the shaft of his weapon, effectively cleaving it in two.
“Not anymore, they changed me, evolved me into something beyond human!” Dontrell sneered, as he picked Spear by the nape of his neck so he could look the squirming mercenary in the face, his mandibles opening wide to reveal a fanged maw. “You are an evolutionary dead ugh!” With a swift stab Spear jammed the severed boss of his trident into Dontrell’s mouth, blood and acid pouring out of the wound, and onto Daniel’s arms as he fell to the floor. “You’ll bleed for that!” Dontrell snarled as he doubled over and pinned Spear to the floor.
“Hey Hamilton, get off my partner!” The Headhunter yelled as she threw a knife at Dontrell, before being tackled to the floor by Snow Leopard, the blade stabbing into the cockroach mutates face, causing him to howl in pain and clutch at his wound, as Spear squirmed out from under him.
“That was a bold move, but who’s going to save you?” Snow Leopard sneered as he slashed Headhunter’s coat open, blood seeping from the shallow claw marks cut into her pale skin.
“That would be me!” Chemistro replied as he kicked Snow Leopard off of Headhunter, and straight into the beam of ice fired at him, by the as yet unnamed villain. “Come on, we need to rally round these guys are tough.” He added, as he pulled Gillette to her feet as Snow Leopard writhed in his icy restraints in an attempt to get free.
“You take Ice Princess.” Headhunter ordered, as she watched Razorwire knock Shockwave down. “I’ll get everyone else on target.” She added, as Makro scuttled up behind Razorwire and snaked two of her tentacles out and grabbed the strand of wire he was armed with. Moving to help, Headhunter had just enough time to twist and deliver a knife chop to Firefight’s hand, the shotgun he was armed with clattering to the floor, as he popped up from a disturbed patch of snow.
“I heard you like knives.” Firefight announced, as he pulled a KBAR knife from his belt and held it in a defensive position ready to strike. Sliding a pair of straight razors from the small of her back, Gillette smiled before holding one in each hand in a matching stance.
“You heard right.” She purred, just as an explosion rocked the snowfield, before vanishing into the thick black veil of smoke that now enveloped them. “I also learned a few things from my teammates.” She added, her eyes flashing red for the slightest moment. “Like how to disappear.” She finished her voice echoing round Firefight, his eyes narrowed for any sight of his opponent who had so expertly damaged. It was only when the first cut to his left arm was landed, that he swung, but by then it was too late, since another shallow cut had appeared on the back of his leg. Each reactionary swung brought him closer to unconsciousness, and soon his vision began to fade and he collapsed, bleeding from at least fifty shallow cuts to form a red halo on the polluted snow were he lay.
Makro strained as she tried to cease Razorwire’s advance on Shockwave, his armour stalled and the pilot inside desperately trying to eject, to reboot to do anything. Keeping one eye on the red glint to her left, she was silently proud that Headhunter was using the tactic she had taught her, and that pride gave her strength, snaking another pair of tentacles to reinforce the two already clamped onto Razorwire’s weapon she pulled back, the servos in her arms and those in her opponents armour whining in unison as they fought each other.
“Give it up little girl!!” Razorwire snarled through gritted teeth as he pulled his weapon forward. “You can’t win!!”
“Yes…”Makro grunted as she snaked the last pair of tentacles forward to reinforce the others, “…I…” she continued as she pulled the massive strand of wire back, the bracers in Razorwire’s arms exploding in a shower of sparks, “…can!” She snarled in a voice louder than she had ever used before, the wire stabbed through the armour plating and into his chest. Seconds later the servos in her own arms depowered, their energy cells depleted.
“I’ll gut you girl!” Razorwire grunted as he turned around and walked towards her, his left hand quivering with the last reserves of power. Looming over her he reached down and broke off part of his weapon and bent down to deliver a killing blow, his helmet half melted off by a former attack by Shockwave. And then with a sickening click, one Makro knew too well, he collapsed, the vertebrae in his neck forced out the front of his body and crushed against his armour.
“Not when I’m around.” Shockwave panted as he stiffly drew back the extended hand he’d used to break Razorwire’s neck. “If what you gloated about was true, that was for Doyle.”
“Doyle?” Makro asked as she got to her feet.
“I guess we know who the mole is now.” Shockwave replied as Headhunter trotted up, her left arm cradled by the right, the skin above the elbow cut off.
“I guess so.” Headhunter replied. “Firefight was good, but he’s down and so is Razorwire but we need to end the others now. Cross is in danger and he doesn’t know it.” She added, as Snow Leopard held Chemistro against him whilst Ice Princess lined up a shot, his target’s alchemy pistol glowing as it overheated, unbeknownst to any but his captive. Struggling, Chemistro activated the last defence his armour had, a pair of alchemy mines integrated into the weave of his costume, with a pop both detonated, micro channels forcing the trans-mutating explosion upwards and directly into Snow Leopard’s grasp, his hands crystallising and collapsing as they were turned into salt.
“Enough games!” Ice Princess snapped, as Snow Leopard backed off clutching the stumps where his arms had once been. “Your weapon, throw is away and I make it quick.” She added, as she saw Chemistro’s hand heading for his alchemy pistol. Nodding Chemistro threw the weapon down at Ice Princess’s feet, the weapon exploding as it overheated, the blast knocking his opponent backwards. Getting swiftly back to her feet, an ice stiletto in her hand, the Princess advanced on Chemistro, a cruel look on her face.
“Hey Elsa, let it go!!” Spear yelled as he opened fire, his projectile stabbing through Ice Princess’s hands and pining the together, her powers doing the rest and freezing her arms in a solid pair of manacles. “And er anyone help!” He yelled as Cockroach Hamilton leapt the twenty feet to him, before ripping his weapon out of his hands.
“Shockwave help Spear.” Headhunter yelled as she looked over to where Lodestone was buckling under the onslaught of Pole Dancer. “We’ll help Lodestone.”
“What help could you be?” Pole Dancer asked in a sarcastic voice. “The others are fierce, but I, I am a goddess!!” She snorted as she ripped a missile pod of the Crossfire Crew’s stolen RAID gunship and levitated above her opponent. “Face it, you’re all outclassed.”
“Maybe but I know one thing you don’t.” Lodestone gasped as she covertly froze the missiles inside the pod in place before activating their fuses, a twelve second countdown activating.
“What’s that?!” Pole Dancer hissed, not noticing as Lodestone used her powers to push herself across the snow away from the impending disaster.
“What heat does to a magnet?” Lodestone replied in a smug tone as the missiles launched and then detonated, a boiling wall of heat washing over Pole Dancer, her scream lost in the explosion, as liquid lodestone slithered over the snow like a black tide and as the smoke settled they were joined by a blackened skeleton, the only remains of the woman once known as Pole Dancer. “I’m sorry.” She whispered as she turned away from the woman she had killed, and looked over to where Cockroach Hamilton was slashing at Spear, her mercenary teammate just about keeping out of his range.
“You’re mates are dead or broken Dontrell!” Spear yelled, as his former friend spat a stream of acid at him, the chemical causing the snow to melt and sizzle. “Surrender before it gets worse.”
“I’ll surrender when you’re dead!!” Dontrell sneered, as Spear slipped on the melted snow and landed hard on his coccyx. “That shouldn’t take long. Any last slurs or anecdotes?”
“I’m sorry.” Spear mumbled. “Sorry that I pushed you to become this.” He added gesturing to Dontrell as he dropped his long barrel launcher and tapped his sidearm, the weapon going off and the tiny projectile whizzing over Dontrell’s shoulder and far into the distance.
“Pathetic!!” Dontrell spat as he bent over Spear, only to see his prey loop a length of cable round his arm. “What!!” He hissed as he looked down at the cable snaking away before the cable retracted, dragging him away towards the remains of the C17, his body smashing into one of the jet turbines and exploding. Getting to his feet, Spear looked at the bodies lying across the tundra; Firefight unconscious and bleeding, Pole Dancer melted into slurry, Snow Leopard disarmed, Ice Princess frozen up to her shoulders and Razorwire his neck broken.
“We have to go.” Chemistro stated. “We have to find Cross and deal with whoever is pretending to be Doyle.” He added as he headed towards the collapsed temple front.
“Yeah, but first I want us to agree on something.” Headhunter announced, a sombre tone on her voice. “It’s time he explained what he really is up to.”
“Sounds right by me.” Spear replied as the jet turbine exploded open and Cockroach Hamilton came running at them, acid spraying from his burnt mouth. “The sooner we leave here, the better.” He added as he spun round and fired a bolt at Hamilton, his body falling forward with a heavy thud.
# # # # #
“How did you know?” The Mauler asked, as he levelled his own weapons at Crossfire. “What about my performance gave me away?”
“Doyle’s weakness.” Crossfire explained as he kept his pistol levelled at his treacherous hireling. “Doyle drunk until he passed out almost every night, and while you did the same, there was something different about your binge. That thing was your blood-alcohol limit, Doyle’s was far higher than yours. I suspect that you aren’t a big drinker normally since you were passing out so early in the night.” He added as he shot the Mauler a wicked smile. “Everything else was perfect, I would applaud you on that but I have my hands full.”
“Thank you for your analysis.” The Mauler stated. “It’s time to end this.” He added, as his weapons spun up only to smoke and explode.
“Oh your weapons won’t work, that hyper communications array spread a virus into your systems, effectively immobilising them.” Crossfire explained. “You’ll have to get out and deal with my personally.” He added, as the rear of the Mauler amour opened and the pilot stepped out. Crossfire was still shocked at how much he looked like Doyle, even though his hypothesis on who the mole had been was proven correct.
“I’m not adverse in getting my hands dirty.” The pilot stated as he advanced on Cross, only to be staggered as his potential victim opened fire, his shot hitting his face-plate and causing his face to pixilate and flicker where the impact had struck. “As I expected, one final desperate attempt. My comrades have killed your underlings and now I finish you.”
“And if your friends fail to kill them, how do you plan to evade them?” Crossfire asked.
“Why?” The pilot stated, his voice and appearance shifting to become a mirror image of Crossfire, “By becoming you.”