Earth-717: One Shot
Viper's Vitrification
In March of 1933, the National Socialist German Worker's Party, commonly known as the Nazi Party, was given supreme totalitarian power over the country of Germany. Within a handful of years, the party's leader, Adolf Hitler, established the doctrine of Nazism via the construction of numerous concentration camps throughout his territory, all while preparing for a full-scale invasion of Europe in a bid for world domination.
To aid in his efforts, he and his officials determined that there needed to be a division of the party outside of the standard military used for black-ops, advanced scientific development, and paranormal research. Before the start of World War II, this division was kept a secret from all but the highest members of Germany's government. The division was given the name Hydra.
In July of 1937, near Weimar, Germany, the concentration camp known as Buchenwald was built, becoming one of the largest and most infamous camps in history. It was used as a labour camp and prison for numerous 'undesirable' groups, including Jews, Romani, Poles, Jehovah's Witnesses, homosexuals and prisoners of war.
It was also the camp assigned to providing slaves for Hydra.
April 14th, 1938
Dust and sand swelled into the air as the green military truck pulled in to the main gate. As the wheels of the truck crunched the pebbles of dirt, they released even more dust, as if trying to choke the oxygen out of the atmosphere. Once inside the main reception courtyard, the gate closed behind the truck, and it came to a stop in front of a concrete tower.
Standing out front of the tower was Karl-Otto Koch, in his SS uniform. He had his hands behind his back. Two lieutenants, one man and one woman, stood at his sides. Koch kept his eyes on the truck as it came to a stop. He looked at the side, which had a red emblem painted on. It was a skull, with six tentacles protruding from it.
Koch gulped before sniffling his nose. One of the lieutenants gestured as if to speak to him, but stopped before saying anything. The truck's passenger door opened, and a dark-green, leather jackboot appeared from behind it. A woman stepped out, in a uniform similar to the SS officers, except that hers was made of materials all coloured green, albeit of different shades.
Her single-coloured palette even extended to her hair, eyes and lipstick. Her flawless facial features and toned, athletic body gave her the appearance of a strikingly beautiful model of Aryan perfection. She had a set of twin lugers, one affixed to each hip. A tiny metal pin was attached to the centre of her collar, with the same emblem as the truck.
Koch turned his head slightly.
"Let me do the talking," he whispered. "Not a word."
The lieutenants nodded. The one who had gestured earlier had a few drips of sweat on his forehead. The woman marched toward Koch with her gloved hands formed into fists, and a stern, unbreakable glare. She exuded nothing but cold confidence and callous contempt.
She stopped a metre away from Koch, who took off his hat and bowed.
"Madame Sarkissian," said Koch. "Please, if you . . . ."
"It's Madame Hydra to you, Commandant," retorted Ophelia. "None may refer to me by my birth name."
Koch blinked and gulped again.
"F-Forgive me, Madame, I-I misspoke, eh heh."
Ophelia sneered, glaring into Koch's eyes until he lowered his gaze. Seemingly satisfied, she then blinked and looked to the left, at the main section of the camp, with hundreds of prisoners moving about and working.
Koch looked back up as she watched the prisoners.
"W-We were, told to uh . . . . expect you, t-today, Madame," stammered Koch. "Y-You had a p-prisoner request?"
"I did," answered Ophelia. "I understand that you received a shipment of children recently. I know you don't deal with such prisoners, and they were scheduled to be executed. I want to take a look at them for myself before you do so."
Koch nodded.
"Of course, Madame. The children are in one of our bunks. I can take you to them now."
"Please do."
Walking a few paces ahead of Ophelia, Koch reached the door to the cabin. It was a wooden structure, built to house a single room. It had no windows, and no other entrances. Two guards stood at attention, one on each side of the door.
"At ease," said Koch.
The guards nodded without looking at Koch, before standing to the side. Koch then stepped forward and unlocked the door with his key. After pushing it open, he walked inside, followed by Ophelia.
The room had a single bulb attached to the ceiling, flickering with its last vestiges of life. A set of bunk beds lined both walls perpendicular to the door. As Koch and Ophelia entered the room, there was a shuffling of bodies as the thirty children all scrambled to get as far away from them as they could.
Koch scowled at the children.
"Children, you have a . . . ."
Ophelia gently tapped Koch on the chest with the back of her left hand.
"That will be quite enough, Commandant," interrupted Ophelia. "Thank you."
Koch's eyes jarred open at her surprisingly soft tone. Nodding, he then stepped back to the door, putting his hands behind his back. Exhaling, Ophelia looked at the children before her. They ranged in ages from three to ten, all of them prepubescent. They were mostly in ragged, tattered clothes, with skin caked in grime and crumbs. They seemed to be holding their breath as she eyed them.
"Hello, children."
The only responses Ophelia received were gulps and hyperventilation. Putting on a smile, she took a few steps forward. Reaching into one of her coat pockets, she pulled out a small package of two square soda crackers, holding it in front of her. The breathing from the kids heightened even further, as they all stared at her gloved hand.
"I want you all to listen very carefully. My name is Ophelia. I am your friend. I am not here to hurt you. I have brought some gifts with me, with these crackers being just a small taste."
Koch raised an eyebrow, but did not speak.
"However, I do not have enough to go around. Therefore, I cannot just give the crackers out. If you wish to take them, you must promise to come with me. If you do, more food, and water, will follow."
The children stared at her, but none of them spoke. After half a minute, a girl, no older than five, took a step forward. She was wearing a torn, blue dress, and had shoulder-length black hair that covered part of her face. Her entire body was shaking. Ophelia knelt in front of her and smiled.
"What is your name, schnuckelchen?"
The girl licked the inside of her mouth, trying to coax words out of her dry oesophagus.
"Es . . . . Es . . . . E-Esther."
"Esther," repeated Ophelia. "A beautiful name, for a beautiful girl."
Ophelia held the crackers out with her hand. Esther looked at them, but did not move.
"Go on. Take them."
Esther cautiously reached out before quickly swiping the crackers out of Ophelia's hand and tearing the plastic packaging off, tossing it to the floor. Breathing quickly, she bit down into the first cracker, unconsciously moaning in delight as she chewed on the delicious treat.
Ophelia smiled again before pulling a small cloth from her breast pocket. Gently grabbing Esther's head, she pressed the cloth against her face, wiping away some of the dirt and muck. Esther barely noticed, focusing on eating her crackers. She greedily gobbled both of them and swallowed by the time Ophelia was done cleaning her face.
"There. That wasn't so bad, now was it?"
"N-no."
"Esther, I want you to come with me, now. We'll clean you up, and get you more to eat, and then, you'll stay with me. Alright?"
Esther nodded, but then shook her head.
"Is something the matter, schnuckelchen?"
"Wuh . . . . wuh . . . . w-why?"
"Why what?"
"Why . . . . d-do you . . . . uh . . . . do you w-want me to . . . . to . . . . c-come with you?"
Ophelia tilted her head before reaching out and tenderly grasping Esther's hand with hers. As she spoke, she softly rubbed Esther's hand with her thumb.
"Do you have a mother?"
"Yuh . . . . yuh . . . . yes."
"I bet she loves you very much."
Esther hastily nodded her head.
"But she's not around anymore, is she?"
Esther blinked and shook her head.
"I had a mother too. She told me how the happiest day of her life was when I was born. Ever since then, being a mother is something I've always wanted."
Esther narrowed her eyes in curiosity. Ophelia sighed.
"Unfortunately, I learned not long ago that I . . . ."
Ophelia let go of Esther's hand, before placing her own on her stomach.
"Cannot . . . . be a mother."
"Why?"
"My body can't do it," answered Ophelia. "So, while I cannot give birth, I hoped to find a young child whom I could adopt as my own. You miss your mother, do you not?"
Esther slowly nodded.
"You know she's not coming back, yes?"
Esther continued to nod.
"Would you come with me, if I said that I would be your new mother? Make sure you're cared for?"
Esther swallowed, blinking multiple times as she looked from Ophelia's gaze to the floor and back again. After a minute's hesitation, she nodded again. Ophelia warmly smiled.
"Good."
Ophelia stood up, before holding out her hand to Esther. She waited a couple seconds before blinking and grabbing it. Ophelia smiled and turned to leave.
"Wait!"
Ophelia turned back to look at Esther.
"You're a nice lady," said Esther. "I . . . . c-can my sisters come too?"
"You have sisters here?"
Esther nodded quickly again, before looking back at the group of children. Two more girls stepped out of the group, slightly older than Esther.
"What are your names?" asked Ophelia.
"Leah," said one.
"Ruth," said the other.
All three girls looked up into Ophelia's eyes. As she ran her gaze across each one, her smile slowly faded. Then, she shook her head and smiled again.
"Okay. Stick together now."
Esther grinned, before grabbing Leah's hand, who in turn grabbed Ruth's. Koch watched as this daisy chain of girls was lead outside by Ophelia. Before stepping past the threshold, Ophelia gave Koch a sideways glance.
"That's all," she said. "Do with the rest what you will."
"Understood, Madame."
Ophelia led the three girls out of the cabin, and back towards the reception courtyard. Koch exited behind her and looked over to the guards.
"Close it back up. Get them to the monoxide chambers. I want this cabin clear this time tomorrow. Understood?"
"Yes, Commandant."
Ophelia approached the truck, with the three girls following behind her. Stopping, she then turned around and crouched in front of them.
"Alright, listen," said Ophelia. "Stay here for a moment. I have to speak to someone. I will be right back."
The girls nodded. Ophelia stood back up and walked around to the driver's side door. A woman in a Hydra officer's outfit was sitting in the driver's seat, tapping her hands against the wheel and chewing on bubble gum. She looked over at Ophelia.
"I'm going to be in the back. We'll be heading out in three minutes."
"Yes, ma'am."
Ophelia walked back around the front of the truck, returning to the three sisters.
"Alright girls, let's go."
Ophelia led the three girls to the back end of the truck. Pulling down a stepping ramp, she watched as they clambered up and into the cargo compartment of the truck. Hopping in after them, she set the stepping ramp back in place before taking a seat on a bench, opposite the bench the girls were sitting on.
In the middle of the cargo compartment were several crates. Ophelia pushed one between her and the girls before cracking it open. Their eyes lit up with joy upon seeing that there were dozens of packs of crackers, loaves of bread, cans of meat and glass bottles full of water. Still, they did not reach forward, instead opting to look up at Ophelia, who chuckled and shook her head.
"Go ahead."
The girls started digging through the crate, indulging themselves in food and drink as they pleased. Without taking her eyes off them, Ophelia pounded the wall of the truck twice with the inside of her fist. The truck started up and began turning around to leave the camp.
"Thank you, ma'am," said Leah.
Ophelia responded only with a smile, which grew into a wider and wider grin as she watched the girls continue to eat.
Esther raised an eyebrow upon walking into the basement hall of the mansion. The hall was a large chamber, composed of stone bricks, with medieval steel torches fastened to the walls. A strange, red, multi-angled symbol was painted on the floor.
Esther, Leah and Ruth were all in pristine, freshly pressed clothing, and had washed faces, bodies and hair. Their cheeks were rosy with health, their forms meatier than before, and their breathing normalized.
Ruth looked back up at Ophelia.
"Mother? What is this place?"
Ophelia patted Ruth on the head in response.
"Do you remember the promise you all made? That you would help me, in exchange for my taking care of you?"
"Yes," answered the girls.
"This is how you're going to help me. It's just a small, little thing. Won't take any time at all, I promise. Stand on the symbol."
The girls hesitated for a moment, before relenting, nodding, and stepping onto the symbol. Leah blinked a few times as she looked across the floor with narrowed eyes. Ophelia stood right behind them.
"Stand together, please."
The girls stepped closer together, their arms pressed against each other.
"Good."
Esther started breathing faster as she looked left and right, at both her sisters. Closing her eyes, Ophelia began making gestures with her hands.
"By the seal, and the book of the great progenitor . . . . weave these offerings in webs of stasis . . . . by the seal, and the realm of eternal darkness . . . . I petition thee . . . . rend my barriers of reality asunder, by storms of ice and cracks of thunder . . . . by the Flames of the Faltine, I call upon thee!"
Ophelia opened her eyes as the room transformed, melting the walls as everything around the symbol on the floor morphed into a chaotic mesh of matter, colour and energy. Three transparent containment orbs formed around the girls, freezing them in place. After several moments of flurry, the movement ceased. Ophelia grinned upon seeing what was before her.
The symbol was now on a cragged rock leading up a throne. All around the cliff was a flowing, empty space, seemingly open to the cosmos as planets and bodies of energy swivelled around and within it. The throne itself was occupied by a humanoid form, wearing purple and orange armour. The most striking feature about it was its head, which was a floating, egg-shaped mass wreathed in flames.
"Mortal."
Ophelia smirked.
"Dormammu."
Dormammu folded his hands together as he tilted his head forward to look down upon Ophelia and the girls.
"Speak your name," said Dormammu.
"I am Ophelia Sarkissian."
"It has been some time since one of your kind has spoken the spell of the seal. Many of the cultures of Earth have dismissed the notions of the mystic realms as fantasy in recent centuries. But not you. Most interesting."
Ophelia started pacing side to side as she continued to speak.
"I had to perform quite a bit of research to find you. Many of my contemporaries didn't believe in what I was doing. They called me crazy to think that you could possibly exist. I'm glad I could prove them wrong."
Dormammu sneered.
"Why have you petitioned me?"
"I am of the understanding that you are open to bargains. I've read that mortals of the past have made offerings in exchange for mystic favours."
"Indeed. And what is it that you have to offer?"
Ophelia gestured to the three girls in their containment orbs.
"Three pure souls to add to the population of your realm, oh Dread Lord."
Dormammu's eyes narrowed as he took a few moments to look over the girls. He then looked back at Ophelia.
"And in return?"
"I have resources and power, and I want to obtain more on my own merits. But I'm afraid that the completion of my goals will take more time than . . . ."
Ophelia brushed her face with her open hand.
"Than I have."
Dormammu turned his head to the side slightly as he listened.
"What I want . . . . is eternity. My form as it is is perfect. I know the ravages of time will one day render it . . . . imperfect. I want my beauty to be untarnished. Forever."
Dormammu clicked his fingers together as he considered her for a minute. He then broke out into a laugh. Ophelia scowled at him.
"You find this funny, demon?"
Dormammu placed his hands on the arms of his throne.
"In all my time, I have never come across a mortal quite like you."
"I fail to understand."
"Most mortals offer me their own souls in exchange for bounties. But not you. No . . . . you would be willing to sacrifice the souls of three children who mean less than nothing to you so that you might indulge your own vanity."
Ophelia's scowl softened.
"You truly have not a shred of morality, do you?"
Ophelia snickered.
"No. Not at all."
"I admire that about you," said Dormammu.
Ophelia smiled at him.
"I accept your terms, Ophelia Sarkissian. You shall be vitrified; your skin made like glass. Your form will still be the same flesh in all aspects but one . . . . it shall not age under any circumstances. You will be, in essence, immortal. But be warned . . . . while you shall never sicken, maintain injury or be maimed via natural cause, I cannot grant invincibility. You can still be killed by exterior means. Do you wish to proceed?"
"Yes."
Dormammu closed his right fist, and the three girls were consumed by flames, reduced to ash in seconds as they let out a faint, final scream.
"I take these pure souls, and add them to my power . . . . eternal servants to my divine will . . . . and in honour of our pact, shall you be granted that which you desire."
With his left hand, Dormammu gestured to Ophelia.
"Consume Chaos!"
A field of crimson energy materialized around Ophelia, quickly enveloping and levitating her above the ground. She laughed with maniacal delight as the energy formed a cocoon around her. Within seconds, she felt her body being torn apart, infused with millions of miniscule droplets of chaos magic. The symphony of pain was both immensely pleasurable and maddeningly unbearable, and seemed to stretch on for an eternity.
Finally, the field disappeared, and Ophelia fell back to the ground, landing on one hand and one knee. As her eyes glowed red for a moment, she beamed with elation. The world morphed again, transforming back into the basement chamber. She then heard the faint voice of Dormammu in her mind.
"Go now in peace, Ophelia Sarkissian. Enjoy your blessing."
Ophelia shook with glee, her hands in fists, as she wildly cackled into the air.
THE END