Issue #25 (January 2020)
Written by John Cheese Featuring: Zombie Master
The Enforcer
Man Bull
Flintlock
Spear
Ghost
Thundersword
Headhunter
Sunset Bain
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"ENIMIES ON ALL SIDES"Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina
Gillette struggled to break free, the hand across her mouth preventing her from screaming. Out of the corner of her eye she glimpsed someone moving in the corner and thrashed harder, breaking free of her assailants grasp and running to the door, only to be greeted by a hooded figure clad in grey armour holding a mean looking dagger. "Gillette get out the way." The familiar voice of her attacker ordered. Wheeling around the Headhunter saw Crossfire armed with a rifle, his finger depressing the trigger. Shocked by the sudden reappearance of her old, not to mention deceased, boss Gillette froze even as the rifle cracked, the bullet squeezing between the gap between her arm and torso, slashing into the hooded figure's chest, an inhuman wail sounding through the room. "Come on!" Crossfire snapped grabbing Gillette by the hand and jumping through the wall, the pair of them dashing through crowded wards, the screaming figure pursuing them. As he gained on them, Crossfire jerked right pulling Gillette behind him whilst phasing down through the floor into a lift shaft. After a long minute, Gillette broke the silence by slapping Crossfire round the face and asking. "What the hell have you done to me!" "Kept you from being killed. I understand this is quite shocking but you're on the astral plane trapped between life and death." Crossfire announced as he checked the safety on his rifle only to see Gillette turn and head back towards the nearest wall. "Where are you going?" He asked causing her to spin round. "Back to my body and away from you!" Gillette hissed as she stormed towards Crossfire. "What you think I'd be grateful for the save? You are the one that placed me on the Conspiracies hit list, after you lied to me and placed an implant in my head!" "I object to the implant, the rest us true, especially the interference to the Conspiracy trying to kill you. That creature is a wraith called Lord Quietus; he's been sent to hunt down your astral form." Crossfire announced as a lift came up the shaft, grabbing Gillette and pulling her inside the pair stood among the visitors and medical staff. "He can't touch your physical form however, as long as your spirit, your animus remains safe it's safe." "I'd be safer with the demon; I don't trust you and worse I know there's no limit to your mechanisations!" Gillette spat as the doors pinged open and the people inside disembarked. "If you think that's best." Crossfire announced as Gillette left the lift, his head sticking out of the doors as they closed. "But do that and you won't know why it all had to happen." "You don't share secrets, not ones that matter." Gillette grunted as she looked around the corridor for any sign of Ghost, Toby or Lord Quietus. "I'm dead, any secrets I have can't compromise me now." Crossfire announced a smirk spreading across his face. "Fuck." Gillette whispered as curiosity and a slither of her now long dormant respect for Cross stirred, her body already turning back to the lift. House of Twisted Roses, Charleston, South Carolina Nero drove over the scorch mark on the road in his old Toyota Hiluk, Sneed and Calvin sitting on the rear seats as he headed towards the airport. "Sheroke ordered us a rental at the airport, once we've met Andrea we'll head back and see how Gillette is doing." Sneed announced as he smoothed the polo shirt he was wearing, conspicuous of the limited protection he had. "Where are you going Mike?" Calvin asked as he flipped open a case of mints, the sweets removed and replaced with a series of miniature alchemy mines. "Something mystical is keeping Gillette locked in a coma, that magic is beyond what martial spells I can muster so I need someone who's wheel house it sits in." Mike answered as he shot the soapstone pendent hanging from the rear view mirror a look, the woman's face staring blankly at him. "Where is she?" Sneed asked. "Last I heard she was in Frankfort." Mike answered. "I hope it helps, something about this whole thing feels wrong." Calvin stated as he closed the case of 'alchemy pops'. "If the Conspiracy knew where we lived, why not hit us all at once? Why curse Gillette into a coma rather than kill her." "If you work on the first one, I'll deal with the second." Mike told them as he turned onto the freeway. "One thing is certain, the Conspiracy has switched to blunt force and found it worked, they will try again and soon." House across the street from the House of Twisted Roses, Charleston, South Carolina "Three of them left." Winter Woman stated as she turned to Score Card and the Iguanid, the three of them clustered around the window of the house opposite, the Baintronics security glass keeping those outside from seeing anyone inside. "Lancaster Sneed AKA Shockwave, Calvin Carr AKA Chemistro and Mike Nero AKA the Enforcer." Scorecard told her as he pulled up bios of the three criminals from the holographic projector on his shoulder. "Carr and Sneed were with Crossfire during their blackmail attempt, Nero seems to be a recent addition to the team." "I don't understand why we're waiting. We should go in and rip the creeps inside to pieces!" The Iguanid snarled as he turned from the window his skin blushing red as his ire rose. "They are behind everything that happened to us!" "That may be, but rushing in will only get us killed." Winter Woman told him as she reached out with a reassuring hand to the reptilian monster's shoulder. "Plus, it would alert the others to our presence." "Right." Scorecard added as he kept his eyes focused on the window. "Let the Natural take care of the electronic surveillance and defences. With those gone, our life will be much easier." "Then we rip them to shreds!" Iguanid hissed as he shrugged off Winter Woman's hand. "Kid you've got to calm down, rushing in will only end in complications." Scorecard stated as the Iguanid swung round and towered over him. "And what would you know about that?!" Iguanid snarled. "Complications are what killed my son and what brought me here." Scorecard answered as he turned back to the window. "Complications caused by Crossfire getting into a fight with the Avengers. (As seen in Villains for Hire #7-8) Hell’s Kitchen, New York - Seven Months Earlier "Billy, we need to pick a goalkeeper for the Fantasy...shit Billy come back from there!" Steven Baxter yelled as he burst onto the roof after his son, the young boy clutching the toy Yellow Cat in his hands as he stepped onto the edge of the building. Grabbing his son, Steven saw more children stepping onto the roof tops perused by desperate parents. Dragging Billy back he was surprised at how much resistance the seven-year-old was putting up, enough to make it difficult, even dangerous to pull him any further off the ledge. "If you value your children stay away." Crossfire's voice announced from the node stabbed into Billy's neck, the cross shaped symbol flashing red. "Any interference and they will carry out their final command, to jump off the rooftops they now stand on." "Billy, snap out of it please." Steven begged as he squatted down next to his son. "Please don't do this!" He added as he pulled out a team sheet. "Please not after your Mom..." He continued, tears of fear, of anguish ran down his cheeks as he reached out for the node. As he did a jolt of electricity ran through his body throwing him back. "Final orders given." Crossfire's voice announced as Billy jumped off the roof, plummeting the ten stories to the ground, his father darting forward in one last attempt to save him a second too late to make a difference, but just in time to see his child die. Charleston International Airport, Charleston, South Carolina Calvin couldn't help but smile as he saw Andrea Constanza walk towards him, her purple hair braided and slung over her tanned shoulder, the shorts and tank top she wore exposing a fair amount of skin including the skeletal black stone hand that served as a reminder of her former power. "Calvin!" Andrea squeaked as she walked over and hugged him. "I've missed you," "Right back at you." Calvin answered as he hugged his former teammate back, the gesture worth the pain from his stiches. "I just wish it was under better circumstances." "Calvin what happened after I left, how did this happen?" She asked as she gestured to his pained look. "How did it get this bad?" "It didn't start off bad, but then Gillette started getting these paralytic cramps after tangling with Electro." Calvin sighed as Andrea shifted the bag on her shoulder slightly. "Sneed lost his armour after the Serpent Society attacked, Makro vanished off the face of the Earth, I got tortured by Sunset Bain, as for Daniels, well he's the same which is actually a blessed relief to be honest." "I should never have left, god I feel so selfish running off like I did." Andrea lamented as the pair of them headed into the arrival hall concourse. "Don't be, you had your own problems." Calvin answered as the pair spotted Sneed leaning against a billboard advertising 'Derry Air' flights to Dublin. "Tell me you found Oriana." "I did, more than that I buried Ai Apaec in his own temple." Andrea answered as she waved at Sneed. "I fell in with some mercs and made friends. Turns out you were right, people like me when I'm not a hormonal bitch." "Told you." Calvin stated sneakily causing Andrea to laugh. "Anyway, one night I talked about Oriana and Ai Apaec. Turns out he his guys were more than a fringe loony cult, he was head of a new up and coming crime syndicate." Andrea continued as Sneed walked over to them. "To cut a long story short I ended up leading a merc crew against a Hydra backed god, took back Oriana and beat Apaec back into hibernation." "Sounds like I missed a good story." Sneed murmured as he and Andrea bumped fists. "Right now, though we have more pressing matters." He added as the three villains walked out of the airport and over to the tiny pink Honda Civic. "There are no words." Sneed spat as he unlocked the car. "Thank god we didn't bring Bill, that's all I'm saying." Calvin stated with a shrug as he took Andrea's bag and placed it in the boot. House of Twisted Roses, Charleston. South Carolina "Ai, no Yellow Cat do not pull that lever!" A frog dressed in a sombrero and waistcoat yelled as the small aforementioned feline took a swig from its flask and started pulling down the lever. "Hmph feline fool." A rather grumpy caterpillar announced as the crow standing behind him pulled its beret over his eyes. "TV doesn't get much better than this." Jasper Daniels sighed as he reclined on the sofa and took a handful of popcorn out of the bowl balanced on his knees, a content smile on his face. "It's utter garbage." Man Bull snorted as he walked past and snatched the remote, the TV changing to a pair of hairy men dressed in shirts and jeans bringing a saucepan of bisk out of an oven. "Now this, this is good entertainment." "Gross, you like the Furry Stockcar Drivers." Daniels said as he made a grab for the remote, only for Man Bull to rise it out of reach. "I mean who thought excess hair, motor oil and cooking were a good mix?" "Those two." Man Bull snorted as Ronin walked past dressed in a black and yellow kimono, her hand tapping the hilt of the katana slung from her waist. "Darrell and Sly are geniuses." "You two gaijin sicken me; our boss lies in a coma and you argue over TV," Ronin spat as she walked up to the sofa and flicked the bowl of popcorn off of Daniel's legs, "not to mention gorge on salty snacks." "Hey I was eating that!" Daniels yelled as he grabbed the bowl and threw it at Ronin, the swordswoman slashing it into two with her sword. "Shut it both of you, Sly is making his famous steak medallions!" Man Bull snorted as Daniels picked up a piece of ceramic from the bowl and tossed it over his shoulder, the shard ricocheting off the ceiling and smacking into the mute button on the remote. "Quiet enough for you?" Daniels asked as the picture on the screen exploded into static. "What did you do?!" Man Bull bellowed as he threw the remote down onto the sofa. "Fix it!" "I didn't do this!" Daniels yelled as he grabbed the remote and frantically tapped the buttons to no avail. "Ghost we're going to need some technical support...here." Ronin called only to stop, ear splitting static answering her. "We're being jammed on everything, we’re under attack!!" Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina The rip in space opened and the Hooded Haunt glided through, it's scythe glowing as the life force of the patients and nurses in the hospital ward was drained out of their bodies leaving nothing but lifeless husks behind. Standing among the now lifeless bodies, Lord Quietus bowed in reverence to his master. "My patron, thank you for coming." Lord Quietus whispered as the Haunt hooked the blade of its scythe under his chin and forcing his thrall to look him in the eye. "Things have become complicated." "Explain complicated." The Hooded Haunt replied, its voice formed of the screams of the dying. "Wilkinson's spirit is here, but it is bound to a more powerful animus." Lord Quietus explained as the Hooded Haunt's scythe glowed red, causing wisps of mist to roll off his body. While painful Lord Quietus continued stoically on. "At first, I thought it was some protection the Enforcer had given her, but it's not, it’s his spirit!" "Who's spirit?" The Hooded Haunt asked as Lord Quietus's entire right cheek evaporated. "Crossfire." Quietus moaned, trying to keep from screaming. "I can break the connection I just need time." "You mean bodies to throw at him." The Hooded Haunt wheezed as it removed the scythe from Quietus's throat and clicked his skeletal fingers, three body bags floating through the still open portal. "These three failed me in life, perhaps in death they'll be properly motivated to succeed." He added as he drifted back to the portal. "Should you fail, the four of you will learn how cruel death really is." "We won't." Lord Quietus whispered as smoke billowed out of the body bags. "That I can guarantee." |