Issue #24 (October 2018)
Written by John Cheese Featuring: Zombie Master
The Enforcer
Man Bull
Flintlock
Spear
Ghost
Thundersword
Headhunter
Sunset Bain
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"Aftermath"Golden flame erupted from the wreckage of the Mercedes as Toby, resplendent in her golden armour smashed her way out. Turning back to the mutilated body left behind she screamed, the sound coupled with the explosion caused by the grenade, rousing the villains in the house.
"Oh my god, what happened here?" Ronin asked as Sneed half dressed in a cut down version of his Shockwave armour bent down next to Gillette's broken body. "That doesn't matter, Gillette is still alive." He stated as the others all gasped. "We can't get her to a hospital or risk 911, but maybe something of Thundersword's power can help." "You mean I can heal her?" Toby gasped as she dropped down beside Sneed and looked at Headhunter's charred black skin. "No transport her, you’re fast enough to get her away from here to an emergency room." Sneed told her as he looked at the others. "Ghost go with her I want to make sure that the Conspiracy aren't waiting to finish the job there." "Your logic is sound." Ghost buzzed as the cyber terrorist's emaciated form phased into the concrete. Picking up Gillette, Toby delicately cradled the woman as she sprinted off towards the city centre. "What about us?" Daniels asked as he looked at the wreckage. "Nero, you and Sanada have no outstanding warrants, the police are coming and we need a face to meet them." Sneed sighed as he headed back towards the House of Twisted Roses. "During his time as team leader Cross turned this place into an espionage centre, we will find out who the Conspiracy sent after us!" "And then?" Daniels asked cautiously. "And then we bring the whole thing crashing down on the ones responsible," Sneed replied as he sent sparks flying off his half-repaired armour, "no more playing, it's time to finish this!" Baintronics Campus, Carson City, Nevada "We're burning our window before the heroes arrive!" The woman dressed in blue power armour stated as a pair of large men lifted a piece of machinery onto a truck supporting the logo of 'Peregrine Couriers' on the flanks. "Your armour makes you as strong as us Fireball." One of the men, this one dressed in a blue jumpsuit and massive metallic boots grunted. "If you wanted this done fast then you should have helped, if you want this done right then let me and Harrison do our jobs!" He groaned as together the two men loaded the machine into the truck. "Despite your moaning Thunderboot, we are on schedule." Fireball stated as she waved the driver to start his delivery. Responding the driver headed down the road, only for a fist of water to slam into the vehicle, knocking on its side. Climbing out, their sidearms already drawn, the two men were KO-d by their unseen enemy with a pair of long-range missiles. "Who the hell are these colourful twits?" 'Hammer' Harrison asked as he smoothed down his suit and slipped a pair of hammer like gauntlets over his fists. "We are the Sorrowful Seven and you have been caught stealing property belonging to Baintronics." The leader of the six costumed heroes, a man dressed in a blue jumpsuit, his fist shrouded by one formed of water ordered. "You are outnumbered, lets end this before someone gets hurt." "Outnumbered, I think not!" Fireball hissed as a portal opened and three more figures arrived. "I refuse to be taken by a bunch of no-name heroes who can't count!" She added as she fired a salvo of burning missiles at the heroes scattering them. "Scorecard." The figure in blue asked a figure dressed in a hockey uniform and mask, as the villains advanced on the recovering heroes. "Who have we got?" "Fireball from the AIM commando unit the Seekers, two strongmen in Hammer and Thunderboot, a martial artist called Tarantula and an energy projector called Troubleshooter." Scorecard replied as the last figure, a man wearing an insectoid costume with a tartan patterning engaged another member of the seven. "As for that one, I have no idea Harbour Master." "Firstly it's 'Hammer' Harrison, and we aren’t going to be taken down by heroes who can't count!" Harrison bellowed as he clashed with the Harbour Master. "Secondly Harbour Master?!" He asked as his fist met the watery one summoned by his opponent. "That's a job title not a super name!" "Perhaps," Harbour Master answered as his fist jetted into a stream of water that surrounded Harrison's head, the villain choking and spluttering, "but I'll take it and everything I've got as far as I can in the name of justice." He added as a shockwave sent the ground-based heroes staggering as Thunderboot slammed his foot into the ground as his blue skinned foe phased into the earth. "I hate ghost types!" Thunderboot snorted. "They never play fair!" "Neither do we Boot." Fireball stated as she disengaged from the blonde-haired hero spraying ice at her, landed and sent a thermal pulse through the ground forcing the intangible menace to surface. "Time to fry Ghost!" She added as she levelled her flame projector at the dazed hero. "What the...?" She gasped as her weapon failed to fire. "It's the Haunting, and you turned your back on Winter Woman." The blue skinned figure announced as the heroine in question froze the joints of Fireball's armour. "She knows what it takes to freeze even the aviation fuel you use for your weapons." "Smart or not, she stands little chance against us!" The Hispanic accented voice of Tarantula stated as he slashed towards the heroine, just as Thunderboot delivered his own kick to the woman. Grabbing his teammate 'the Haunting' phased the pair of them away, just as their foes blades and boot collided. Getting to his feet Tarantula snarled something in Spanish at Thunderboot who just stood there, his right boot sparking, effectively locking him in place. "That's two down." Scorecard announced as he dodged out the way of a lance of energy thrown at him by Troubleshooter. "Make that three." He added as the Harbour Master dropped the unconscious body of 'Hammer' Harrison to the floor. "You are so annoying!" Troubleshooter hissed as she fired a wide energy burst at Scorecard "Stop narrating and fight!" "Fair enough, but I insist you get through the Natural first." Scorecard answered as he threw a flattened disc over his shoulder, the projectile striking Tarantula in the back of his head as he aimed a strike at Winter Woman as she was icing Thunderboot's over foot for good measure. "Who struck me?" Tarantula spat as he turned around furiously as he watched the Plaid Bug throw a punch at the Haunting only for the blow to phase through his spectral opponent. "It wasn't me, but this was." A hissing voice sneered as a muscular tail appeared and constricted round him, before rising him up to a fanged reptilian face, venomous drool leaking from its lips. Unimpressed Tarantula struck, his blades stabbing into the reptile creature's mouth, causing the beast to drop him. "Iguanid! You monster he's just a child!" The gorgeous woman dressed in a dress made from beetle wings and flower petals and a crown of leaves yelled. "Watch yourself 'Natural'!" Troubleshooter warned as she fired a bolt into her enemy. Looking up at her, anger on her face the Natural held her hand out towards Troubleshooter, a green glow formed round her palms and around her villainous foe. "Mios Dieos!" Tarantula yelled as he and the Plaid Bug watched Troubleshooter's demise. Seconds later a blow from behind knocked both the villains down, with only the Plaid Bug getting back to his feet. "Alright yer laddies and lasses, I'll take you all on!" The bug themed villain balled his fists ready for a fit. "None of ye can take on the Plaid Bug and live!" "That won't be necessary," A voice announced over the loudspeaker, "this training session is over. Harbour Master a word regarding your team." It added as the seven strutted off one way, and stretcher carrying medical personnel raced in to remove the villains. Exiting the holo-chamber through a concealed door, the Harbour Master stood to attention as his three superiors walked into the room. While two of them; Blitzschlag and Killgrave, made him uncomfortable, they were helping him get what he wanted. "First of all, congratulations." The man dressed in military fatigues announced as the four men sat round the table. "To you too Baron, the enhancements are functioning at an optimal level." "Pah Sargent Roche, it was child's play really." Blitzschlag replied as he waved his hands, almost as if to show how small a contribution it was. "There are problems, tell me why are you here Mr McIver?" Killgrave asked his mauve skin making McIver feel a little ill. "Was it to kill Troubleshooter, let alone leave her family without a body?" "No sir, Rosa acted hastily and went too far." McIver replied. "I only want one-man dead sir." "And who would that be?" Killgrave asked. "Crossfire, I lost good men, friends and family because of him!" McIver snapped, his rage bubbling up like water from an underground aquifer. "I'll kill them all if I have to for what they did to me!" Dough, County Clare, Ireland The McIver family were considered heroes in <town name>. Whenever the seas got rough the band of brothers and their friends headed out in their lifeboat with only one concern, saving the lives of those in danger. This storm however, was different. “Now I know that no government wants to give up their hard-won taxation money, but I insist.” Crossfire’s voice stated over the radio. “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… (As seen in Villains for Hire #14) "Turn that off." William McIver told his nephew at the helm as the lifeboat bucked as it crossed another massive wave. "We don't need any distractions today." He added as the brothers Ryan and Salomon manned the spotlights as they desperately searched for the distressed trawler. "Somethings messing with the digital compass, it’s gone crazy!" Katy McIver, Ryan's wife called from the helm as beside her Thomas McIver wrestled with the wheel. "The manual compass is down too." "Oh my god!" Salomon yelled as his light showed the trawler up ahead entombed in spreading ice. "Do we stay the course Da?" "We must, those souls are depending on us lads." William stated as a massive wave propelled a chunk of ice into the side of the lifeboat, the missile gashing open the hull and sending shrapnel across the deck. Swinging his light around Salomon saw that Ryan was gone and that his father was lying on the deck, his forehead bleeding. "Da!" Salomon yelled. "Son, we're McIver's we save who we can." William sighed as the prow jutted downwards dragging those on board into the icy depths. House of Twisted Roses, Charleston, South Carolina Lancaster Sneed stood at the bank on consoles as he watched the grenade attack on the car Gillette and Toby had been. He'd watched it from so many angles that he no longer flinched when the rocket hit the car and that made him feel sick. "The armour looks like the ones worn by the Guardsmen." Chemistro's voice stated from the doorway where he was standing. "It's very similar but not the same as any model used by the Department of Corrections." Sneed told him as he turned the screen off. "Is everything okay Calvin?" He asked, even as he mentally kicked himself for asking. "We have two problems caused by Gillette's injuries when it comes to the Conspiracy." Calvin replied as he rubbed his forehead. "We don't have enough firepower and we don't know who else they're going to target. I've warned Lodestone to be on guard and she's booked a flight here. I was just hoping you'd called Makro." "I have and got no answer." Sneed replied as the Enforcer walked in. "I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not. How goes the questioning?" "Done for now." Mike answered. "I just received a message from Ghost to meet up here." "Indeed, you did." Ghost's voice echoed as the screen came onto reveal a camera feed into Gillette's hospital room. "Miss Wilkinson still sleeps, but this is no ordinary coma, the doctors are stating that it's almost unnatural." "Some effect of Toby's Thundersword powers perhaps?” Calvin asked. "Not likely." Ghost told them. "The readings are not consistent with those readings. While I'm loathed to admit it, it looks and feels like magic. Perhaps there was a curse enspelled on the warhead." "No, I was out there long enough I would have detected if any spell had been placed on the explosives.” Nero announced as he stroked his chin. “It’s possible that the Conspiracy had a magical agent at the hospital, maybe all of the local hospitals to cover their bases. If so, then Sarah is not going to wake from her coma until she’s magically woken from it. In either case she’s in more danger then you can imagine. While damage to her physical form won’t be a factor, she could easily wander to the ‘river’ and a final death, could be killed by a soul-eater so it can inhabit her form, even be followed into the astral plain by Conspiracy agents.” “Sarah?” Calvin asked. “I mean Gillette!” Nero snapped as he headed for the door. “I need to leave, to prepare to enter the astral plain and reverse the spell if I can.” “Is that wise, splitting up I mean?” Sneed asked. “If we don’t she’ll be lost.” Nero sighed. “And I won’t loose her again.” Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina Gillette sat up and stretched before opening her eyes to find herself in a dark room, one that smelt of charred flesh and disinfectant. Walking to the window she went to pull the curtains only to see her hand phase through the fabric. Panicking she turned around and saw Ghost slumped in the corner of the room, his eyes glowing red as he stared straight ahead. “Ghost where am I?” Gillette asked. Ghost didn’t respond, didn’t even turn his head to track the sound. “Very funny Ghost, now pay attention to me?” She hissed as the door swung open and a nurse walked in followed by Toby, the supermodel dressed in a burnt looking sundress, her face supporting a nasty scar. “There’s been no change in Miss Wilkinson’s condition, she’s still in a coma.” The nurse explained as Toby walked over to the bed, a body hooked up to life support lying there. Drifting over, Ghost placed a hand on Toby’s shoulder, the young woman shifting slightly before mouthing ‘thank you’. “What can you do to wake her up?” Toby asked. “We don’t know, she entered the coma herself and yet she’s not showing any signs of wasting.” The nurse explained, “We have experts coming in tomorrow to review her situation, but I should warn you that they may suggest turning off the life support.” “I understand.” Toby muttered as the nurse led her out of the room. “Well I don’t!” Gillette snapped as she looked down at her body before flinching as she looked down at her blackened skin, her cracked lips and the shrapnel cuts across her face. “What happens if I die?” She asked as she backed away, only to feel a hand cover her mouth and grab her round the waist as a shadowy figure appeared behind her. “Stay quiet.” The figure stated in a familiar voice as a red cross appeared in the figure’s eye. “And hopefully we won’t have to find out.” |