Chapter 3: Never Ask a Scorpion
The floatplane glides above The Last Frontier, as Alaska is known. Out of the window, Mac Gargan beholds Katmai National Park and its sylvan beauty. Goon Gargan is not a sensitive man, but he must admit that the green soothes after a battle. At his feet, Snake Marston lies prostrate, a captive. In fact, Scorpion places both boots upon the flattened Snake. The battered fighter appears still k. . Bound, he appears still immobile. After helping her husband, Martha Connors insisted upon bandaging Snake's bleeding shoulder. The Catholic woman stated that mercy is a cardinal virtue. Like Scorpion gives a s**t! Next time, the killer criminal might go after Martha and the Lizard just like Toad's gang did. This time, Scorpion saved them. But, he was hired to interrogate them. That is what happened. Greed and wrath are "virtues" too. Scorpion has impersonated Spider-Man in the past, but no one should ever think him a hero.
Mac sucks smoke from a meerschaum pipe. Before take off, he asked Hugh jokingly if there was smoking on this flight. America does not allow smoking anywhere anymore. The pilot said that he had no cigars to celebrate Scorpion's recent tour de force. However, he did smoke pipes, and there was one, never used, available. Scorpion is now smoking that meerschaum contentedly. However, he notices something odd. The pipe's gift case is from the Baxter Building tobacco shop. So, that is interesting. But, that detail might not mean anything.
Hugh sees that his aircraft approaches Kodiak Island, east of Katmai's forest. His group has no plan to stop in Kodiak, but it is on the way to Anchorage. The blue of Shelikof Strait, west of the island, appears beneath the plane. Now is a good time to report to certain parties. Hugh speaks into his headset, confident that no passengers overhear him.
"Col. Harris, I have no Centipor sighting to report. Toad Toynbee's machinations have been unsuccessful," Hugh reports, "Truth be told, Scorpion made sure that the efforts failed. Unexpectedly, he went berserk on his outlaw buddies."
"Jeezus. What set-off the man?" Harris inquires.
Hugh replies, "He found Toad and Snake using strongarm tactics on Dr. Connors. The ex-detective felt that they should just use their words. As you know, interrogation and coercion can be an art. We certainly thought so at SHIELD, back when I worked there. So anyway, the former Lethal Protector slaughtered four of Marston's men."
Harris harumphs, "Who can predict a psychopath? I am surprised that Gargan judges his fellow human animals such as Toad Toynbee and Snake Marston. Normally, Scorpion is a bête noire himself."
The pilot chuckles, "Agreed, Scorpion is a monster. I flew him from Anchorage to Naknek after he arrived. He ain't right upstairs. No surprise."
"And, you know your monsters," the colonel comments, "You have even seen them in Alaska before."
The pilot recounts, "It was my pleasure to serve SHIELD under Dum Dum Dugan. He, several others (the Fantastic Four among them), and I chased around Godzilla for a while. I even got to see the giant Centipor's carcass soon after Godzilla killed it. That was in the Aleutians, in Alaska, as you indicate. Specifically, we were on Unalaska Island where Dr. Demonicus operated and where he created the big, damn Centipor."
"U.S. intelligence keeps an eye on aspiring dictator Demonicus," Col. Harris explicates, "Therefore, we noticed when someone hacked him. That hacker—likely Toad—accessed information on the mad scientist's Alaska operations."
"Therefore, you dispatched me," Hugh recalls, "I infiltrated Toad's plot as Scorpion's pilot." The floatplane continues forward over northern Kodiak Island.
Toward the craft's tail, the Connors recuperate from their ordeal. Both rest beneath space blankets set side-by-side. Curt murmurs semi-conscious in Martha's ear. She tries to listen. Being the Lizard's wife is not easy. On occasion, she has left him. However, she has always returned, for mercy is a virtue, and she supposes that good spouses stay together.
"Curtis," she addresses her man stoically, "be strong."
The infirm man reaches for her hand, "You know, Toad is crazy. He actually believes that a herpetologist—albeit a damn good one—can somehow, someway mutate a common chilopoda into a Centipor. That mad mutant is simply bizarre."
"Mortimer Toynbee is imaginative, inventive, and insane," Sylvester Marston tells Mac Gargan elsewhere in the aircraft, "He believes all sorts of things. He thinks up all sorts of plans and things."
Snake has awoken. And, Scorpion has the prisoner up on his knees for interrogation. Scorpion grimaces into the thug's face, "Who thought-up torturing the Connors. I don't like being associated with that kind of s**t!"
Snake smiles, "I did. Ammo did. The Wildboys and Baby Elmo followed. We're savages. We're merciless Enforcers. We're devils straight out of Hell's Kitchen. What are you, gutless Gargan?"
Gargan blows thick, foul pipe smoke into the devil's face, ""Was Toad the Evil Mutant overseeing it all? What part did he play?"
"Toad organized this job. He hired me, and I contacted everyone else," Snake tells Scorpion about the animal cracker Toad who kidnapped Lizard.
Like his namesake, Scorpion tightens his clamps on his quarry, "Did Toad torture Connors? Give me a straight answer. Did he tarnish my rep? I'll make head cheese of the head cheese if he did!"
"You should consume Toad's brains, you addled idiot," Snake Marston retorts, "You know that Toynbee roughed-up Curt Connors even while you were there. He did beforehand too."
"Mutie mutha****a!" Scorpion exclaims.
Marston answers with a serpent's tongue, "Say, I have a question for you, Scorp. Did you remember to disable the mutie mutha****a before fleeing from him?"
"Fleeing? I ain't afraid of nobody, boy," Scorpion shakes Snake, "However, no, I did not cripple Toad before leaving. Lizard might have."
"Oh," Snake smirks.
"Why are you even asking?" Gargan wonders, "Toad is hundreds of miles back, and he ain't gonna jump on this plane. The little loser will have to track down Dr. Connors and me in New York if he wants a piece."
"Oh, but he won't have to," Snake sneers.
"How's that?" Scorpion sneers back.
"You see, good ol' Mortimer did not fly into Alaska with the others and me," Marston says.
"Yeah so? How'd Toad get here? Hop a cruise?" Mac practices sarcasm.
"The mad inventor has his own rocket suit complete with explosive missiles," the Enforcer answers, "He has used weaponized exoskeletons in the past on missions, and he has one with him now."
Scorpion is a veteran supervillain, and the Master of Evil knows that the Evil Mutant is on his way. He does not anticipate Snake's next move though. In an instant, the crafty contortionist slips his bonds, and his palmstrike slams the smoking pipe into Gargan's mouth. Anyone's tongue and gums are sensitive. Mac spits the hot object. But, Marston already has the drop on him. Sly Sylvester jumps upon Scorpion's back, pinning his tail. Like an anaconda, the rubber man wraps around the prey and squeezes. Thewy arms encompass the captive's neck and expertly cut his air.
"I have choked-out Spider-Man. Give up, Gargan!" the Snake sharply susurrates into an ear.
Scorpion rasps, "Like hell you have. I don't believe that. Typically, you have four f***ing helpers, and Spidey still kicks your asses."
Snake snarls, "I'm an expert grappler who fatally crushed gangster Duke Dawson [see Machine Man #16]."
"Whoever the f**k that is," Scorpion comments.
"I was working for Baron Brimstone at the time, and I shall now send you to Hell!" the grappler brags and intimidates.
"Whoever the f**k that is," Scorpion comments some more. His eyes roll, but he can breathe pretty well.
Perspiring profusely, Snake pulls back upon his prey. With high hopes, the arching villain should snap Scorpion in half. With great force, Scorpion's tail easily flicks the Enforcer backward into the plane's steel interior. It hurts. Scorpion is free, and he turns to face Snake Marston.
"Dammit, I had leverage," Marston bemoans on the deck.
"No, my tail had leverage. And, I had more strength in my butt than you had in your whole body too," Gargan mocks, "The only leverage that you could have had was taking the pilot hostage just now. That is what I would have done, ya Ani-Man wannabe."
Yards away, Martha Connors shields her hurting husband. She sees the cracked window behind where Snake slammed. There is no breach in the vessel, but one would be a disaster. She prays that none occur while the villains brawl.
Scorpion takes another stab at Snake. Once again, the enhanced fighter pops his tail's sticker. Swiftly, it stabs Snake's limbs several times in succession. The contortionist's arms and legs wrap his face and torso, but they provide porous protection as the predator persistently punctures them.
"You had better hope that Toad arrives soon," Scorpion admonishes.
Right on cue, Toad comes crashing through the plane's hull. Like a cannonball, he perforates the tail section. And, a wicked wind pours through. It rips the protective blanket and comforting slippers from Martha's person. The shrieking wind overawes Martha's own screams. In the terrible torrent, she grabs for the bench bolted to the plane's steel interior. Her other hand reaches for her swooning husband spinning and rising into mid-air. Suddenly, the air sucks dear Curtis into the empty sky above the deep blue sea. Again, Martha screams, and her shriek almost pierces the howl.
Whooshing, Toad propels past pilot Hugh's window. "A rocketeer!" Hugh exclaims in surprise.
The mad mutant streaks far before the shaking craft's nose. Then, he turns back around and charges. Hugh gets a good look at him. Like a fighter pilot, Toad wears a jumpsuit, a helmet, and a facemask. Upon his back, he has a rocket pack. Upon the pack's sides, there are arms for six small missiles. Toad fires an explosive when he is nearly atop his target. It should be a direct hit.
However, master pilot Hugh banks the floatplane down and to the right. Miraculously, he evades the munition. The maneuver levitates Scorpion and Snake—still brawling—from the cabin floor. Hugh knows that he bank back toward Kodiak Island. Perhaps, he can make land. Perhaps, he can land on the water. But, no matter what, his party must get out of the sky. They have a huge honking hole in the plane and a flying maniac fixing to explode them. Hugh has uncommon skill, and he has true grit. He fixes upon the green foliage and brown firmament of Kodiak Island re-appearing before him. Behind him, the two thugs hit the floor harshly. Then, Hugh drops the nose for a sharp descent. The two stooges solidly hit steel ceiling. Martha remains clinging to life in the back. The cold air lashes her skin and clothes. The rushing air current yanks the breath from her breast.
Sans mercy, Toad fires upon his target again. To Toads' knowledge, Curt Connors is still on that plane. By his rash thinking, the madman must shoot down the aircraft to retrieve the mad scientist. The hostile missile streaks. Again, Hugh displays incredible skill. Ingeniously, the pilot calculated when his bogie would fire again. The diving craft avoids a direct hit. The armament blows-off the right wing instead. The concussion even shatters the windows on that side. More air rushes from the cabin, and the passengers might pass-out from oxygen deprivation. However, they have an even more immediate danger about which to worry. Without a wing, the floater begins corkscrewing its screwed crew through the heavens. Even Hugh can no longer control the plane. Scorpion adheres his feet to the floor, one of his powers. Unsecured, Snake Marston ricochets all around the cabin. But, the plastic rogue can kind of take the pell-mell bouncing, one of his abilities. Momentarily, stationary Scorpion targets tumbling Snake. Scorpion's tail smacks Snake like a squash ball. Scorpion smiles. That looked like it hurt. The plane crashes.
The fuselage splits, and Marston goes hurdling through the harsh brush. The floor crumples, and Scorpion goes ass over teakettle over the rough ground. The back section bounces along the earth, and Martha Connors bounces around within. With a jolt, she comes to rest. Miraculously, she is not hurt. The aircraft's front section skips through the dirt leading to stout trees. Thick branches stab through the windshield and shatter things. Eying the wreckage, Martha wonders what has become of Hugh.
Over rough ground, the wary woman wobbles her way through the crash site. She considers her fellow passengers' fates. Alive or not, Scorpion and Snake can go to Hell. But, what has become of valiant Hugh? Martha approaches the deformed cockpit. On the grass, she sees something temporarily shocking. Hugh's scalp and beard appear to lie there, torn from his dome. However, Martha notices a lack of expected blood upon the "macabre" finds. In fact, they appear to be props from a disguise. Stepping barefoot upon splintered wood, Martha Connors gazes into the cockpit and gasps. Hugh's crushed and impaled chest is not in a good way. His bones and innards are mangled for real. With concern, Martha gazes into Hugh's visage. Blood flows from the mouth of a middle-aged, handsome, mustachioed face. Hugh grabs at her blouse bosom.
"I'm Hugh Howards, the aviator," the man croaks. Then, he dies. Mrs. Connors knows world-famous Hugh Howards, the inventor. Holy crap.