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#2
DEC 11 |
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“Apocalypse Rising!” Part Two
M.O.R.D.O. Base had been constructed using some of the strongest and most durable metals on the planet Earth and some metals that had come from realms that had long considered being legends, such as Herculium and Urunium, since they were almost impossible to destroy. However, two minutes of pitched battle between the Red Skull and the out-of-control Ameridroid had laid waste to three subterranean levels of the base. Luckily there was still fourteen to go.
The Ameridroid picked up the Red Skull by one leg and viciously slammed him into a ferroconcrete wall that crumbled as if it were a cracker left out all day long in the desert sun. The Red Skull vainly tried to twist free but the grip of the Ameridroid was frighteningly powerful as it slammed him into the walls of the corridor again and again, filling the wide hallway with wreckage. Exposed wiring and circuitry sparked and burst into flame as the automatic fire suppression systems kicked in, filling the corridor with foam. It was a miracle that anything still worked. They had destroyed the Endothermic Phagosaturation Research Level as well as the Advanced Ancient Conjuration Chamber and the corridors were echoing with the shrieks and screams of whatever had been summoned from hellish forbidden realms for the purposes of being examined there and had taken advantage to escape.
By now, all of M.O.R.D.O. Base was on total lockdown. Nothing would be able to escape to the surface. An emergency signal would be sent to the Immortus Building to alert the Nightwatch that there was a major problem. Emergency signals would also be sent to the White House and the Pentagon, as well as Race Steelheart’s office building located in downtown Baltimore. But there was no guarantee that Race Steelheart would come to help and, as for Speedgear, the third member of the Iron Council…well, he came and went at his own whim. The Red Skull was on his own, but he preferred it that way. He was the Supreme Defender of Earth and he had more than enough power at his disposal to carry out his task. He just hadn’t used it yet.
He could have long ago blasted the Ameridroid to atoms with any one of a dozen spells or simply cut the giant robot in half with Agamotto, the Blade of Brass and Bone, that massive sword held on his broad back by a scabbard of reddish-black chains, but since the Ameridroid contained the soul of Jonas Harrow the Red Skull had been forced to hold back. Long ago it had been revealed to the Red Skull that the bloodline of the Harrow family would be vital to the survival of Earth at sometime in the future. It could very well be that Jonas Harrow believed that it was his destiny for his soul to power the Ameridroid, and thanks to the scheming of Professor Adam Warlock Harrow might have allowed himself to be coerced.
The Ameridroid tossed the Red Skull away as if he were worthless garbage and stalked off down the corridor. Such was the Ameridroid’s power that it could very well smash its way to the surface and most likely would unless the Red Skull stopped this fight and stopped it right now. There was no other way. There was an excellent chance that the spell he was about to unleash would destroy the soul of Jonas Harrow but there was other things to take into consideration. Ulysses Bloodstone was shattering dimensional barriers to materialize in M.O.R.D.O. Base’s Gamma Womb level and if he started doing damage there…catastrophic wouldn’t even begin to come close in describing the havoc that would occur. The Red Skull had to get down there NOW!
He extended a scarred arm and chanted his spell, the chains on his arm smoking and turning blood red as he did so:
“By The Terrible Tomes of Tartarus;
By The Noble Norns of Blessed Thrace
I bind this being body and soul!
I command thee STAY IN THY PLACE!”
An explosion of mystic energy burst from the Red Skull’s hand, arcing loops and swirls that covered the distance between him and the Ameridroid in an instant and engulfed the ten-foot tall golden robot in a shimmering pure white aura of blinding sparks. The Ameridroid dropped to its knees, hands reaching up as if asking for mercy and, even though it had no face, it somehow gave the impression it was screaming.
The shimmering aura faded, leaving behind the Ameridroid totally immobile in its kneeling position, arms outstretched with splayed fingers. The Red Skull strode over to the figure which was as still as an ancient statue. He placed a hand against the chest of the Ameridroid and the wrecked corridor was silent save for the hiss of flaming debris, the popping and hissing of exposed circuitry and wiring and the crackling of the occult ebony flames that formed a corona around the dark crimson skull. Something flickered deep within the black sockets as the otherworldly senses of the Red Skull probed deep into the technological behemoth searching for that spark of the divine that was a human soul.
And he sensed nothing save cold circuitry. The soul of Jonas Harrow was not there, and that meant that the Red Skull had destroyed it and, with it, quite possibly the future of humanity.
Captain Ultra paused as he came to a juncture in the circular corridor he had been walking in for the past five minutes. The oversized goggles that covered half of his face whirred as they automatically changed lenses and scanned the corridor. Thanks to his Multi-Optical Visualization Amplification Scanner he was able to see and identify 120 different frequencies, energy patterns and colors…and that was just on the lowest setting. But he still wasn’t able to find the mysterious source of the strange energy that was coming into M.O.R.D.O. Base. And for it to be coming into the Gamma Womb, which was perhaps the most heavily shielding lab in the entire facility…it bothered Captain Ultra to no end because he hated to let down Doc Talbot who had been a life-long friend of his foster parents, Leonard and Betty Samson.
The Samsons had been unable to have children of their own and so had given a home to Quincy Harker, whose mother had died giving birth to him. Tragically, the Samsons had themselves died some years later due to a gamma ray experiment gone wrong. Ever since then Quincy had lived with Doc Talbot who had been more like a big brother to him. Even though Doc Talbot had laughed when Quincy had started inventing gadgets to use in his superheroic identity of Captain Ultra, he’d chipped in and helped Quincy develop the gadgets in his spare time.
The corridors Captain Ultra made his way through branched off into other areas of the level that was devoted to secondary research but were still related to the Gamma Womb. Captain Ultra didn’t care for the Gamma Womb at all; it was, after all, gamma radiation that had taken his foster parents and he had a sneaking suspicion that it was far more dangerous to be working in the Gamma Womb than Doc Talbot let on. But still he was a plucky youth and as long as Doc Talbot said it was okay–
– the sudden explosion of displaced air knocked him off his feet and sent him tumbling down the corridor, lanky arms and legs going every which way. He reached into a pouch on his belt and withdrew a magnetic disk that he slapped onto the floor of the corridor and held him in place. The blast of displaced air faded and the ringing of boots on the floor of the corridor echoed and re-echoed in Captain Ultra’s ears.
The man walking down the corridor was impressive just by his very size alone. He looked powerful enough to uproot Sequoia trees right out of the ground, roots and all. Iron gauntlets covered his large, wide hands. His long, trailing crimson coat had wonderful embroidering with glittering gold thread at the thick cuffs and collars. Deep set blue eyes burned with a glacial fire. His long mane of golden hair swept back proudly from his high forehead to reveal that a round crimson gem about an inch in diameter was embedded in his skull between and a bit above his eyes.
Captain Ultra’s hand went to his hip and drew forth the oversized handgun he called the Ultrashooter and pointed it at the huge man who was walking straight at him as if Captain Ultra didn’t exist.
“You’re gonna hold it right there, Mister! You’re trespassing on a United States government property and I strongly advise you to – YOWTCH!!!”
A crackling bolt of crimson energy burst from the gem to engulf Captain Ultra. With a sigh, the youth slumped to the ground, tendrils of smoke curing upwards from his arms and legs. The huge man stepped over the youth, saying to his inert body, “And I would advise you that in the future you show ULYSSES BLOODSTONE the proper respect he deserves!”
Congresswoman Rosalind Sharpe looked over at where Lt. Amy Wong stood and, for perhaps the tenth time in the past five minutes, asked, “Has there been any word from inside the complex?”
“No, and stop asking me the same damn question every 60 seconds isn’t helping any.” Amy was striding back and forth among the various departments of the Operation Center where she and Rosalind had retreated to when all hell had broken loose and the Ameridroid had inexplicably reactivated itself. Amy had been busy making sure that the underground complex was sealed off and that the base wasn’t blown up due to numerous power feedbacks as a result of the battle being waged below.
“I just don’t understand why Hardbottle didn’t come out with you! Surely his place is here in Operations supervising this base!” Rosalind’s voice was loud enough to be clearly heard throughout the entire room. “You can’t expect me to believe that he entrusts this base during an emergency of this magnitude to a mere Lieutenant!”
“You mean you or Major Stark should be running things, is that it?”
“And why not? In fact, from here on out, I’m in command of this base!”
Amy whirled around and snarled, “Colonel Hardbottle’s orders were quite clear: I was to take charge here in Operations. Not Major Stark and not you.”
“Where is Major Stark?”
“Organizing a squad of Skullbusters. Once they’re ready to go I’ll utilize the override protocols to open up the underground levels and Major Stark will go in with his team to secure the complex.”
“I still don’t understand why a Lieutenant is entrusted with so much responsibility while the commanding officer of this base can never be found when there’s an emergency…which seems to be just about every hour around this place!” Rosalind’s narrow yet beautiful face broke into a malicious grin as she continued, “But that’s going to change…you can trust me on that!”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Amy wanted to know, listening with only half her brain. If they couldn’t figure out a way to shut down a number of backup reactors that had kicked in, thinking the main reactors were shut down, they’d lose Hyperspatial Statistics as well as the Quantum Electronics Lab. She was barely even paying attention to Rosalind Sharpe but the Congresswoman’s next words made her snap her head around in surprise.
“As soon as the President’s Chief of Staff faxes over my emergency command orders, I’ll have you relieved so fast your underwear is going to have to make an appointment to catch up with you. You and Hardbottle can ride desks side-by-side until I get to the bottom of what’s going on here, and when I do–”
“Sergeant Fitzgerald!” Amy bellowed. A fresh-faced young sergeant jogged over to where she stood and came to attention, smartly saluting. The most unusual thing about Sergeant Fitzgerald was that he sported full muttonchop sideburns, which was very noticeable what with his red hair.
“Lieutenant!”
“Congresswoman Sharpe is not feeling well. You will escort her to her quarters and you will personally stand guard and make sure that she is not disturbed for any reason whatsoever! Is that clear?”
“Yes, Lieutenant!”
Rosalind looked at Amy in complete and total amazement. “You must be completely mad. You are quite aware that you’ve just thrown your career right down the toilet?” Rosalind glared at Fitzgerald. “I’m extremely influential in Washington, young man. Unless you want to be on latrine duty in Abu Dhabi for the next thirty years along with this shit-for-brains bimbo, you’ll stand down and take your orders from me.”
Fitzgerald didn’t even bat an eye. “If you’ll come along with me, Congresswoman? Lt. Wong is quite right…you need a good lie down.”
Rosalind opened her mouth to protest but then a crafty look came into her eyes and she suddenly closed her mouth and nodded meekly, allowing Sergeant Fitzgerald to escort her from Operations. Amy knew quite well what she was thinking. Rosalind still had her cell phone and once she was in her quarters she planned to call Washington and scream bloody murder. It wouldn’t help. Once the base had gone on shut down, a special dampening field had been activated that would block all conventional means of transmissions and that meant cell phones. The only way to communicate in and out of M.O.R.D.O. Base was by means of the base’s own secure communications systems. Amy turned back to her work. Rosalind Sharp’s threats meant less than nothing to her. Unless the Red Skull subdued the Ameridroid and she was able to stabilize the base’s power systems, Rosalind Sharp was the least of her problems.
Dr. Glenn Talbot was at a loss to understand where the energy was coming from that was disrupting the normal operation of the Gamma Womb. The intelligent nanite colony he nurtured inside the Gamma Womb was growing at a frighteningly high exponential rate and if he couldn’t identify where it was coming from and somehow stop it the nanite colony would most likely burst free from the Gamma Womb and then the expression “goin’ buck wild” would take on an entirely new meaning.
So far, Talbot had no idea what the energy even was and that distressed him even more because it probably meant that it was mystical energy coming in straight from the Cauldron, but why it should be coming here was a complete mystery. The imperious voice that boomed from a circular doorway on the other side of the chamber cleared up that mystery. “Where be the soul of Jonas Harrow? What foul perversion of sorcery have you done that you dare to tamper with an Empyrean Soul? Know you not the chaos you would unleash?”
Talbot walked around the curving console, ignoring the metallic beeping and chirping that was the Gamma Womb’s control systems that were pleading for attention. Another man might have stopped in shock from seeing the towering apparition who stood in the doorway, eyes crackling with power but Talbot had worked at M.O.R.D.O. Base long enough to not be fazed by anything. He held up his hands and said urgently, “My name is Dr. Glenn Talbot and if you’ll just be good enough to let me explain–”
“The Right Hand of Universal Balance does not have to let you or any other insignificant mortal that crawls on this ball of mud explain aught!” Bloodstone thundered, his voice seeming to make the entire chamber vibrate. “I serve at the pleasure of Lord Odin, the Omniversal Majestor, and it is his will and word by which I hold and that will and word alone! Where be the soul of Jonas Harrow?”
Talbot spoke urgently and quickly, trying to compress as much information into as short amount of time as possible before Bloodstone did something Talbot was sure would be incredibly foolish. “One of our scientists, a man named Warlock, placed Harrow’s soul inside of a robot. But the Red Skull stopped the robot and turned it over to us and we’re going to restore the soul to his body. If you just wait–”
“Wait? WAIT?” Bloodstone raged. “Wait while utter madness reigns in this den of devils? How DARE you perform such unholy workings on an Empyrean Soul? And you say that Zarathos had a hand in this matter?”
“Didn’t you listen to a word I said?” Talbot snapped. “It wasn’t me who did it! It was one of our scientists! But he wasn’t supposed to do it! It was an accident!”
“Aye! Much like the accident that will now befall you, ignorant gnat!” The gem on Bloodstone’s forehead crackled and hummed with power…
The Red Skull tackled Bloodstone and they both went flying across the chamber to land on the gleaming floor with the Red Skull on top. “Bloodstone, you must listen to me–”
A blast of power from the gem engulfed the Red Skull, throwing him up and away from Bloodstone. The Red Skull came down heavily onto a bank of computers, the crash of outraged metal drowned out by the booming voice of Ulysses Bloodstone. “What insanity have you allowed these mortals that you so foolishly care for and protect to perpetuate? You, above all, know the dangers of tampering with any human soul, let alone that of Jonas Harrow!”
The Red Skull emerged from the wreckage, shoving it aside as if it were Styrofoam and even the aura of ebony flames around his skull seemed to be angry, burning with a fierceness that had not been there previously. “You incredible IDIOT! Think you not that I have been trying to preserve the soul of Jonas Harrow all this misbegotten day? And now I have you rampaging about and not listening or thinking as you always do!?”
Bloodstone’s reply was a howl of righteous indignation. “Think? Listen? What is there to think about or listen to? Already the fluctuations of the timelines have begun because Jonas Harrow’s soul is in a state of Limbo! It must be found at once and placed back into his body or there is no telling what calamity came occur!”
“And it will be done so! You have the word of Zarathos on it!”
“Bah! Your word means less than nothing to me! I will find the soul of Jonas Harrow myself and take it to Lord Odin that he may restore it to where it belongs!” Out of the corner of his eye, Bloodstone saw Talbot racing toward the Gamma Womb control consoles. “Halt, mortal! I would have words with you!” A blast of energy erupted from Bloodstone’s gem to strike Glenn Talbot, throwing him into the console. Talbot shrieked as the console’s electrical systems sent a surge of power through his body. The combination of the electric blast and the mystic energy was too much for the Gamma Womb and it exploded, a waterfall of emerald cardinal scanning fluid cascaded over Glenn Talbot, engulfing him totally. He was lost to the Red Skull’s sight as the Gamma Womb emptied out, filling the chamber with the fluid that was packed to bursting with intelligent nanite colonies.
Bloodstone started forward, his intention being to wade into the green soup and fish out Talbot by hand but the Red Skull held out a hand. “Stop! You have no idea what lives in yon concoction! Safer if you stay out of it until I have time to conjure a portal and remove all traces from it.”
Bloodstone shoved the hand away. “Your stupidities are of no interest to me, Zarathos. I see my duty and I do it. Stay out of my way.”
The Red Skull seized Bloodstone and twisted him around while at the same time bringing his fist looping around in a beautiful roundhouse that sent Bloodstone crashing through the nearest wall. The Red Skull could hear the diminishing sounds as Bloodstone kept going on and on, crashing through wall after wall. It would take him some time before he would return and by that time the Red Skull intended to have Glenn Talbot safe.
The Red Skull lifted his arm to begin an invocation when from the middle of the pool emerged a massive emerald arm with thick, talon like nails. He halted in surprise as a grossly misshapen muscled form emerged from the green sludge. This was not Glenn Talbot. This creature was easily seven feet tall, with huge ropes and slabs of muscles layering its chest, arms and legs. A pair of curving ram’s horns extended from this creature’s brutish forehead. It threw back its head and bellowed its birth to the world.
The Red Skull started forward, hesitantly. “Glenn?”
The creature looked at the Red Skull and grinned with a mouthful of razor sharp teeth that overlapped like the scales of a fish. “Glenn Talbot is no more! He was a weasel who had not the courage of a rabbit to stand up for himself. Oh, for so long have I been a prisoner of his cowardice! But no more!”
“Who ARE you?”
The creature threw wide his arms as he boomed. “I am that which lives inside all men just waiting to be let loose and have its way! I am the beast that hides beneath the lie men call civilization! But now I have been freed and I can share such exquisite chaos with the world that such carnage has not been seen since the days of the Great Old Ones! If you must have a name for me then call me by that which I shall loose upon the world! Call me…APOCALYPSE!”
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To Be Continued...
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