The goon dropped into the alley, following Omega's orders to a T. Never knew he wasn't going to walk after this assignment. The goon stood, turning his neck oddly, a cracking noise resonating in the confined space. Walking forward slowly, his legs wide, the goon surveyed the entire alley, looking for the bitch that jacked up the mood enhancer without paying.
"Looking for me?" Daredevil spun, launching himself into the air from behind a garbage bin. Somersaulting over the goon, Daredevil rolled to a stop a few feet behind the goon. Jumping to his feet quickly, Daredevil forced his heel into the lower back of the hired muscle. Meaty arms and legs flailed about as the Mafia gun fell to the ground... well, actually, where he thought the ground should be.
"Now Blink!" Daredevil yelled, crouching on the ground. Jumping up, Daredevil's body began to arch, his left leg being brought up in a roundhouse style kick. Blink appeared from behind a different dumpster, energy flashing in her eyes. The goon never hit the ground, instead falling into one of Blink's portals. Which opened at the crescent of Daredevil's roundhouse. Ouch.
The goon fell after being hit with the kick, again falling into a waiting portal. Daredevil spun, still in the motions of the original roundhouse, bringing his right arm up in opposite of his outstretched left leg. Another energy pool opened into black, the sweaty Italian mess of muscle rocketing at Daredevil a second time. Right hand connected to the skull, Daredevil's lips curling in delight. Head first, the hired gun fell again, and again a portal awaited. This seemed to go one for minutes, Daredevil arching here, vaulting there, spinning all the time. Each time one of his appendages was at it's apex, a portal would open, the Mafia hitman spewing forth into the hail of attacks. I say again, Ouch.
One figure watched the dance below him with interest. When the Barnes family had called the Boss, Omega had laughed at the idea of taking the hit. Now that he had seen the sport, he could tell the targets were worthy. Rising slowly, undead muscles scratching against bones old enough to be dust, Omega stood at his full 6'. While being undead would normally suck for a hitmen. Omega and his crew were different. Powerful, strong, in the zone if you will. Flakes of skin fell from Omega's forehead as he continued to watch the goon get beat. Soon he would dance with the devil.
The portal opened, and Daredevil was there, like he had been all the other times. It's the tentacle wrapped around the body that he was about to hit that surprised Daredevil. Then he was shocked when said tentacle threw the goon at Blink, who fell under the unconscious three hundred pound fool. Daredevil landed, his dance ending. Eyes darting above him quickly, Daredevil took stock of the scene above him. A thin and gaunt form vaulted from the rooftop, tentacles birthing from his palms, snaking around fixtures and poles as the toothpick of a man swung to the ground. Landing a few feet from Daredevil, the gaunt man wasted no time. Launching into a Caponieia move, Toothpick dropped to one hand, his legs in the air, landing two harsh kicks to Daredevils solar plexes. 'That's gonna bruise' Daredevil thought as his back came to rest against the opposite wall. The next thought was 'That much force from Toothpick-Guy?' followed by the black spots signaling unconsciousness.
"Care to Dance Devil-Boy?" Omega Red asked, sick tentacles wrapping around him as he smiled at his triumph.
X-MEN Underground #5 "Dance With the Devil... it's fun" Written by: Alex "BioHaz" Cook Edited by: Jac Milenstien
"This was a great idea, Connor," Blink yelled as she opened a portal below here, dropping into it by the laws of gravity. Too bad for the unconscious goon she shut it when only half his body was in it. A second later, a similar portal opened above and behind Daredevil, who quickly backflipped into it's dark embrace.
Energy arched and spiked on the rooftop Omega Red had just sat on. The two X-Men fell out, peering into the alley below. Omega Red still stood their, his dead eyes looking at them as well. The tentacles he spawned from his hands slithered back into his palm. "Not the best place to port girl." Omega said calmly. "Not a good place at all."
The reason slashed at Blink from the shadows, talons racking across her back. "AIEEEE" She screamed in pain, falling to the ground. The moon lit sky pierced the shadows of the roof, giving the hairy form walking towards Daredevil a spotlight almost. A 7 foot tall wolf came stalking towards the hero, sniffing the air around him. Once the wolfman got closer, Daredevil leapt for a chimney near by, bouncing between the werewolf and Blink. "Talk to me girl! Are you okay?" Daredevil said, watching the wolfs movements.
A gasp was all Blink could manage, the pain in her back unbearable. "Can't... port..." She pushed through clenched teeth.
"Oh.."
***********
"...shit" Daredevil sighed. All he had done was take a simple mood enhancer, the kind that jacked you into Cyberia and flooded you with information, laced with brain wave pattern induces that caused the mind to act as if it were on LSD. Thing has a charge on each setting, and he paid for a 4. Once the girl he bought it from walked away he jacked it to 8. Now, little did he know the inducer was broadcasting a signal back to a mainframe. The mainframe was being watched by certain people, of the connected kind if you follow. Noticing the raise in level, they checked the accounting database, looking at the users original order. Damn, they thought, girl's walked away again without watching the client. Bitch is fired! Alerts were raised, and a security guard shadowed Daredevil.
Once Daredevil came off the initial jolt, he noticed the security guard. Moving about the rave, he soon figured out he was being followed. Two girls on similar inducers lead to the perfect distraction. DD performed a simple round-off, coming to rest between the girls. Each arm reached for the inducers dials, turning them to ten. The girls were rejacked into Cyberia, experiencing the trip again even after they we're coming down. The girls going nuts and latching onto the nearest person was no surprise. Too bad the nearest one was the security guard.
Grab Blink, dash out of the club, boom, Goon in the alley. The rest of the events were fresh in Daredevil's mind. Even after sitting here and rethinking the course of actions, he can't find a part where he did something wrong.
Glancing down at his wrist, DD sees the ropes tied tight, cutting off circulation to his hands. Flexing his fingers again, he looks at his feet. Yep, still bound. Turning his head to the right, Blink sat, equally tied up. She was unconscious though. Did Daredevil a lot of good. "Shit" he sighed again. A Door slid open, undead feet scraping past it. The figure walked with a slight shuffle, but stood tall and strong, as if the shuffle was no problem. When you've died and come back, it really isn't. Again, Omega red looked at the two children tied up in the room. "Man, I hate doing kids," the zombie said. He still moved towards the pair, tentacles sliding from his hands, not paying attention to the small conscience in the back of his head.
One tentacle was longer then the other, and it was gaining speed. The point latched onto Blink's neck, circling around it. The girl made on odd pain sound, even in her unconscious state. Daredevil screamed "NOO!", straining against his bounds. Daredevil thrashed as best he could, finally pitching to the side, Knocking Blink over. Blink came to rest on the ground, the tentacles grasp on her knack loosened. Air rushed into her lungs, her eyes opening in shock. The portal she open around her closed before Blink really knew she was even conscious. Omega Red knew she was awake though, the charred end of his tentacle snaking back into his hand as he howled in pain. "Bitch!" and other such words rained out of Omega's mouth until the tentacle was inside his palm once again.
Daredevil was still on his side though. The bonds on his wrist and feet were still there too. And Blink was gone. 'Damn...' DD thought to himself.
***********
Blink landed with a crash. She'd planned such a landing, but it still hurt. The shards of wood that had made up the chair surrounding her testified to the strength of the impact. However, shards of wood meant no chair. And no chair meant Blink was free.
Scrambling to get her bearings, Blink found herself on the same rooftop the werewolf had racked his claws against her back was. Thinking about the gash she had made her wince in pain. The wound was still raw. She ported on instinct, going to some place she had been. Of course she landed on this roof. '"Now where is Daredevil?' Blink thought. She had no clue where the teen was. She half thought about leaving him there.
First, he cons her into porting them to some rave. Sure, the music was great, and it was a great feeling to be away from the subway. Of course, Daredevil got into trouble. Of course, the trouble was big. and of course, Blink now had a wound to attest to that. 'Damn...' Blink thought to herself.
***********
Omega was still reeling in pain. It had dulled, true, but it still throbbed like a bitch. Damn girl. The zombie turned his eyes towards the captured X-Men, although Omega wasn't aware of his team affiliation. "Spunky bitch." Omega said flatly. ',This guy has the no-emotion voice down,' Daredevil thought.
"Move him." Yet again, no emotion. Daredevil would have began thinking on a tangent about the reanimation process ripping all trace of emotion from the victim. The claws of the werewolf picking up the chair he was bound to killed that train of thought. Effortlessly the hairy monstrosity picked Daredevil up. "I hate doing kids." The wolf said, a strong Irish accent in the words. Fitting, DD thought, the wolf is a surly drunk.
"With the girl gone, we don't have time to waste." Omega walked to the far end of the room, the sound of a door opening again marking exit. WolfBoy followed, Daredevil and chair slung over his back. The wolf was seven feet, so he had to be crouched slightly to get through the door.
The wolf must have not thought about DD. Once the wolf crouched, Daredevil shoot his legs forward, breaking the bonds enough to use the archway of the door to propel himself back. Propel the wolf to the ground as well. WolfBoy lost his grip, and the chair fell. Picking his giant self up, the wolf looked for the captive. The captive who had broken on of the arm rest of the chair he was tied to. The captive who had now untied the rest of his appendages. The captive who pounced on the wolf, plummeting him with the remains of the chair. Damn, DD thought as the wood hit furred flesh, the sick wet sound echoing in the hall, Felicity would be proud.
Daredevil leapt off the wolf's broken body in time to dodge the tentacle arching for his back. Landing in mid run, Daredevil bolted towards Omega, at the last second sliding under the zombie. The tentacles were still tracking DD, Flying under their owners legs as well. Once the tentacles pulled the arms they were connected too, Omega knew he had a problem. He didn't feel the fall, not even phasing his heightened endurance. Sure made him look like an idiot though, his tentacles not spawning from his body fast enough, causing them to trip their owner while chasing the kid. Daredevil smirked as he thanked Groucho Marx for that move.
Running again, Daredevil made some distance between Omega and himself. Now looking were he was, he saw the telltale signs of a factory. A fireworks factory. Daredevil smiled, thinking to himself, this is too easy. The irony was hilarious though.
Daredevil ran towards the crates, shoving them open to see the contents in side. M4000, various sonic rockets, roman candles that would blind you, and a few other smaller explosives. Daredevil whistled as he grabbed as many as his hands could carry. Throwing them about, Daredevil ran for the ladder bolted to the side wall. Every factory has a catwalk. Racing on the rickety metal plank, Daredevil dropped more bombs. Once he was at the exit doorway, access to the roof mere inches away, he sparked a match against the wall. The flame burst to life, lighting Daredevil's glee as he throw it off the balcony. On firecracker sparked to life, lighting another. The chain effect grew, more and more explosives going off due to each previous detonation. Daredevil kicked the door in, running through the broken remains. The booming sounds in his ears were deafening. He just hoped that zombie bastard was in there to enjoy them on a first hand basis.
"Hehehehe..." The dry laughter proved to Daredevil otherwise. Spinning to the right, Daredevil dodged the tentacle heading for the ground he used to occupy. DD didn't look for the second tentacle, which was now rapping around his foot. He noticed it when it jerked up, his leg flying out from under him. Remembering it was the question once he felt his head hit the ground. Hard.
***********
"... Man, missed them!" Blink sighed in frustration. The charred remains of the factory were obviously Daredevil's work. Blink was positive. Now were did he go? There were now bodies in the building, so the two attackers and their prey were still alive. Then she saw the van pulling away from factory. Damn, Blink thought to herself. Before porting after them.
***********
"... Man, kid can sure take a beating." The Irish voice again. Daredevil recognized it immediately. Meaning the past hours events weren't a dream. 'Damn,' Daredevil thought to himself. Before slipping under again.
***********
"..hit! There's a hole!!!" The scream was what woke daredevil. Followed by the crushing of the front of the van. The van dropped forward, as if the tires were gone. they were.
Blink looked at the damage done. She had ported in front of the van, hiding as it approached. Thank god they weren't trying to attract attention, Blink thought. She would have never made the port if they had been much farther from her. But no matter, she knew her next course of action. The portal opening on the ground as the front two wheels passed shocked the driver. When it shut, the rubber disappeared dropping the van on the ground. Blink hoped she didn't hurt Daredevil... actually, she did, she just didn't want to have to answer for it.
Daredevil was fine, the lurch sending him forward and down. The momentum threw him against the wall, the wooden chair not withstanding the force. Shattered wooden chair leads to one pissed of mutant. Wasting no time on the people who captured him, Daredevil burst open the back door, jumping down on the ground from the still moving van.
"Daredevil! Over here!" Blink screamed once she saw him exit the van. Daredevil ran towards the girl. Daredevil didn't see what ripped apart side of the van behind him, sprinting towards the teleporter. Blink saw, saw the tentacles buckle and rip the metal as if it was nothing. Blink wasn't wasting time, opening the portal in between her and Daredevil. Omega Red launch a tentacle at the girl, hoping to take out their teens means of escape. The tentacle did latch onto Blink, the smile of joy playing on Omegas dead lips. Too bad it was in mid leap. A leap that landed in the portal. Ouch.
Daredevil jumped high, dramatic exits always something he reveled in. Flipping twice in the air while making one revolution on the x-axis, Daredevil passed into the portal with his knees still folded beneath him. One of Omegas tentacles had latched onto Daredevil as well. Again in mid flight. Again following the teen into the portal. I say again, Ouch.
The scream Omega Red let from the atrophied throat was a high noise, almost girlish. WolfBoy snickered slightly, remembering that sound. Boy oh boy, the crew is gonna love this story, the Werewolf by Night thought to himself. Jon Russell couldn't stop snickering.
***********
Flash of energy and two teens feel to the ground. Actually, on the roof. Again. "Damn! I'm tired of this damn place!" Jenni screamed, shocked she instinctively went back to the roof that started this little jaunt. Connor couldn't help to laugh at the irony of it.
"Shut up you little bastard! If you hadn't jacked up the damn inducer, I wouldn't have gotten three scars on my back!" Jenni howled in Connors direction. All Connor could do was hold his mouth to stop smirking.
"You pulled of the dance perfect though." Conner stated his voice still full of humor. "What, are you surprised I have a little rhythm!?!" Jenni asked, too upset by the night's events to take a compliment. "We practiced enough times I could do it in my sleep!"
"Feisty when you're mad. How did you find me?" Connor finally asked, the laughter slipping from him.
"Deduction dear Watson. Big explosion, captive partner. Put two and two together." Jenni finished confidently. "Glad you know my style." Connor said with a grin, "Wanted the exit to be big."
"I know the flames from the wreckage were huge, I'll give you that" Jenni replied, the humor of the evening finally hitting her. "Thanks Connor." Jenni said softly.
"My pleasure Jenni." Connor replied. "Let's get home." He finished, turning around to look at the Boston skyline.
The energy shutting the portal marked their exit.
*********** EPITAPH ***********
Well, another MFS tale under my belt. Been a wild ride here, and I'm not getting off anytime soon. ;)
Now, thoughts on this issue? What about the enemies of the week? Interested in more of them? hehehe.. wait till the years end..
Drop me a line at hazardous_designs@yahoo.com. Thanx for reading!
-ALEX