El Tigre copyright Jorge Gutierez and Sandra Equihua

The Mask copyright Dark Horse Comics/New Line Cinema

The American Rivera

Chapter 09: Prince Milka Vs. The Mask

[Mikla`s Lair, The Throne Room]

The Riveras, The Aves And Frida Were Chained From Their Arms To Their Legs Deep Within The Underground Lair.
They Were In Their Civilian Forms, Since Mikla Took Their Objects Of Power...

Namely: White Pantera`s Bronze Boots (And His Facemask, As Well)
Puma Loco`s Golden Sombrero Of Chaos El Tigre`s Belt Plata Peligrossa`s Glove And, The Flock Of Fury`s Technology (Their Wrist Watches)

Though Frida Had No Real Powers, Mikla Took Away Her Goggles Anyway...Just To Spite Her.

As The Heroes/Villains (And Frida) Were In chains...Mikla Walked In.
He Was Carrying An Orb That Contained Their Items And Snickered Evily.

"Enjoying Yourselves?"

Manny Eyed The Aztec Prince.

"No, Not Really..."

"OH!, REALLY!" Said Mikla, Pretending To be Upset

"Well, Can I get You Anything?
Some Food, a Refreshing Drink..."

"Freedom Would Be Nice." Said Grandpapi Rivera

Mikla Pretended To Think.

"Oh, SORRY...All Outta That, I`m Afraid." Said Mikla With An Evil Snear

Mikla Walked Past them And Sat On His Throne, Laying The Mysic Orb Next To Him.
He Then Snapped His Skeletal Fingers And Created AN ENergy Window That SHowed Miracle City In Chaos.

"Get a Load Of that..." Began Mikla

"It`s Already Been HOURS SInce I Captured You And Already The City Is Falling Apart!
Not Enough Heroes And Police Around...And All The Villains ARe Just making Things Worse."

Mikla Chuckled.

"Why, AT This Rate...I Won`t Even Need To Send Out More Skeletal Soldiers!
The Paniced Citizens Will Destroy Their Own City For Me, HA! HA! HAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Mikla Eyed His Captives.

"Oh, But That Doesn`t Leave All Of You OFF THE HOOK!
I Am Still Owed My REVENGE For What EL TIGRE, BLACK CUERVO And FRIDA Did To Me Last Time I Was Here."

"You Have No One To Blame But YOURSELF, MIKLA!" Shouted Manny

"Your The One Who Captured My Father And Grandpapi In The FIRST PLACE!"

Mikla Scoffed.

"Only Because They Were Getting In My Way...Like YOU And Your FRIENDS DID!"

Carmelita Groaned.

"If Your Going To Kill Us, Why Not Get It Over With..."

"Oh, I WILL...But Only AFTER You Bear Witness To The Destruction Of Your Cit-"

Mikla Then Noticed Something In The Energy Window.

"wait a minute..."

Mikla Waved His Hand, Increasing The Size Of The "Screen"
He And EVeryone Else Saw a Green Faced, Ginger Haired Teenager In a Zoot Suit Chasing Down Mikla`s Skeletal Army And Many Miracle City Criminal With a Large Mallet.

"What STUPIDITY Is This!" Exclaimed Mikla

"WHO DARES TO DISRUPT MY INVASION ON MIRACLE CITY!"

As If To Answer, a Large Object Bursts Through a Wall.
The Energy WIndow Disappears As Mikla Is Knocked Down.

He Looked To See a Crazy Looking Green And Yellow Before Him.
The Door Swings Open And a Green Tornado Zips Out Of teh Car And Zig-Zags Around a Bit.

The Twister Stops And The Zoot Suited Teen Stands There.

"MIKLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA, I`m HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOME!" Said Mask, Imitating Desi Ornez

The Riveras, Aves And Frida Eyes Him.

"Who The Heck Is That Guy?" Asked Manny

"Whoever He Is...He`s Got a Cool Suit!" Said Rudolfo

"I LIKE HIS HAIR!
Plus, The Green Face Is Pretty Rad, Too!" Said Frida

Mask Looks Over At The Riveras, Aves And Frida.

"Whoa...
Either You Guys Are Being Held Prisoner Or This Is a New Type Of Detention For School."

Mask Reached Into his Pocket And Pulls Out a Remote.
He Pressed a Large, Red Button And The Riveras, Aves And Frida Are Released.

"Whoever You Are...YOU`VE JUST MADE A BIG MISTAKE!" Threatened Mikla

Mask Zipped Over To Mikla.

"The Name Is MASK, Esquire...
I Also Go By The Alias Of "Green Head" And "Green Face", But I Prefer MASK."

Mask Reaches Into His Pocket And Takes Out a Bundle Of Cigars.

"Now, Have a Couple Cigars...Their CUBAN!"

Mask Stick Them Into Mikla`s Mouth He Snarls At Mask, Who Lights The Cigars Up With a Match.

"Oh, By the Way...smokin`."

BOOM!

The Cigars Explode.

"Is Hazardous To Your Health!, HA! HAAAAAAA!"

Frida Laughs Out Loud.

"Dude!
That IS SO FUNNY!"

Mikla Grits His Teeth.

"YOU DARE TO MOCK ME!
I AM MIKLA!, THE AZTEC PRINCE OF DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!"

Mask Twirls Around And Appears As Mikla.

"I Am "MASKLA, THE AZ-TICK PRINCE OF STUPID"!"

Mikla`s Eyes Glow Bright Red.
He Fires a Mystic Energy Beam At Mask...Who Is Knocked Into a Wall, Flattened.

"whoa...kid packs one heck of a punch!"

Mask Returns To Normal.
He Then Zips Over To The Throne And Takes The Mystice Orb.

"OOOH!, What`s This Thing!"

"THAT`S THE ORB CONTAINING OUR OBJECTS OF POWER!" Exclaimed Manny

"GIMME THAT THING!" Shouted Mikla

Mask Grinned.
He Spinned Around And Moldeled The Throne Room To Resemble a Basketball Court.

Mask And Mikla Were Dressed In Basketball Player Uniforms While Maria, Frida And The Aves Family Were Dressed As Cheerleaders.
And, The Rivera Men Were Sitting On a Row Of Chairs.

Mask Spun The Orb Like a Basketball.

"Let`s Do Some Drills." Said Mask, Imitating Michael Jordon

Mikla Snarled At Him.
He Charged After Mask, Who Dribbled The Orb And Evaded Mikla`s Attacks.

Frida Was Actually Waving Her Pom-Poms Around, While Zoe Just Stared Blankly The Rivera Men Waved Their Flags, Since They Had Nothing Else To Do At The Moment.

"MASK-MASK HE`S OUR GUY!
IF HE FAILS, I`M GONNA CRY!" Cheered Frida

"ra-ra." Muttered Zoe

Mask Dribbled The Orb Rappidly Towards The Basket Goal

"I`M GOING FOR A SLAM-DUNK!"

Mask Leaped Up And Dunked The Orb Through The Basket.
The Orb Hit The Floor Like a Cannonball, Shattering Upon Impact.

"YES!"

The Riveras And Aves Ran Over And Grabbed Their Objects Of Power And Instantly Transformed Frida Just Walked Over, Grabbed Her Goggles And Put Them On.

"Thank Goodness...
I Felt So "Undressed" Without My Goggles!"

Mikla Snarled Angrily.

"YOU`LL PAY FOR THIS, YOU FREAK!"

"You Take Cash, Check Or Credit?" Asked Mask

Mikla Was Boiling With Anger.
Puma Loco Activated His Missle Launched And Aimed It At Him.

Mask Just Laughed At Him.

"YOU CALL THOSE WEAPONS!"

"I`d Like To See You Do Better." Said Puma Loco

"As a Matter Of Fact..."

Mask Reached Into His Pocket And Took Out To Hand Guns.
He Pressed Buttons With Is Thumb, And Several Other Guns And Weapons Popped Out Of Them.

"I Call These My BIG GUNS!"

Mask Pulled The Trigger, And Fired Several Shots At One Time...Causing Big Explosions.

"Oooooh...That IS Good."

Mikla Emerged From The Smoke, Snarling At Them.
Mask`s Jaw Dropped To The Ground...Then, Returned To Normal.

"Sturdy Fella, Isn`t He?" Said Mask

"I`M GONNA KILL YOU!"

Mask Spun Around And Became a Therapist.
Mikla Was Laying Down On a Long Chair.

"Now, Tell Me...When Did You Start Feeling This Need To KILL Your Enemies?
Could It Possably Be Rooted In Your Childhood?...Tell Me All About It."

Mikla Gritted His Teeth.
He Created An Energy Wave, Blasted Mask Away.

He Walked Over And Grabbed Mask By His Shirt.

"WHO ARE YOU!
HOW ARE YOU DOING THESE THINGS!"

"Wouldn`t You Like To Know..." Said Mask, Taunting Mikla

"GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!"

"I Gotta Secret For Ya: LOOK BEHIND YOU!"

Mikla Chuckled.

"HA!
You Think I`m Dumb ENough To fall For That Tri-

POW!

Mikla Is Hit In The Back Of His Head By Tigre`s Grappel Punch Forcing Him To Release Mask From The Shock Of The Impact.

"tsk-tsk-tsk...I Tried To Warn Him."

Mask Zipped Over To The Group.

"Now, Let`s Get outta Here While The "Getins" Good!"

"RIVERAS DON`T RUN FROM A FIGHT!" Said El Tigre

"Famous Last Words...
Just Like: "What Can Possably Go Wrong?" or "Nothing Bad Is Going To Happen."

"Manny, Mask Is Right...We Need To Regroup." Said White Pantera

Tigre Sighed.

"fine..."

"OKAY!
EVERYONE INTO THE CAR!"

Mask Pushes Everyone Inside The Backseat Of His Car.
Which For Some Reason Was Bigger INSIDE Than OUTSIDE.

Mask Zipped Into The Driver`s Seat.

"Time To Go!"

Mask Pushed a Button That Read "GET OUTTA DODGE!"
The Car Shifts Into a Jetplane And Blasts Off Out Of The Building.

Mikla Got Up And Watched Them Leave..."

"that blasted freak...
nobody makes a fool out of mikla, NOBODY!"

[Later, In Miracle City]

Chief Suarez Was Driving His Squad Car Around The City.

"That Blasted Hombre Mask Must Be Around Here Somewhe-"

CRASH!

Mask`s Jet Crashes Into Suarez`s Car.
The Door Opened And Mask Jumps Out, Lands On The Ground...Then Pulls a Ripcord His Parachute Shoots Out And Covers Him Up...He Quickly Rips It Up And Stands Up.

"Well...
They Say Any Landing You Can Walk Away From Is a Good One."

The Riveras, FOF And Frida Jump Out Of The Jet.
They Walked Towards Mask...But Then, a Figure Grabs His Neck.

a Very Angry Chief Suarez Glares At Mask.

"NOW I`VE GOT YOU, GREEN HEAD!"

"Chief Suarez!
What a Pleasant Surprise..."

"DAD!, STOP IT!
HE SAVE US FROM MIKLA!"

"Yeah, "Dad"...Don`t Hurt The Hero!"

Suarez Sighs.
He Releases Mask, Who Stand Up...Unharmed.

"Thanks "Chiefy"...
Oh, By The Way...What`s That?" Said Mask, Pointing At Something

"What`s What!"

As Chief Suarez Turns His Head, Mask Grabs His Underwear And Pulls It Over His Head.

"HA! HA!
Sorry...I Couldn`t Resist!"

Frida Covers Her Mouth, Trying Not To Laugh.

"I`m Sorry...
I Know He`s My father, But...HA! HA! HAAAAAAAA!"

At That Moment, There Was a Loud Explosion.
Everyone Looked To See Mikla Levitating Above Them.

"Oh, Great...YOU AGAIN!"

Mikla`s Eyes Are Glowing Bright Red.

"Your Going To PAY For My Insult, Mask!"

"Haven`t We Been Through This ALREADY!" Said Mask, Slightly Annoyed

Mikla Fired AN Energy Blast At Mask Who dodged It And Caused Suarez To Get Singed.

"i really hate that hombre..." Said Chief Suarez, Just Before Fainting

"Awwww...Poor Chief Suarez.
He Fall Down And Go BOOM!" Said Mask In a Baby-Like Voice

Mikla Continued To Fire Mystic Bolts At Mask Who Quite Easily Dodged Them With Lightning Fast Motion.

"HOLD STILL YOU FREAK!"

"Oh, Nope-Nope-Nope-Nope-Nope...Don`t Wanna." Said Mask in a Dumb Voice

"GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!"

Mask Twirls Around And Becomes a Cowboy.

"Alright, Hombre...DRAW!"

Mask Quickly Takes Out a Pencil And Paper And Draws a Picture.
It Turns Out To Be a Picture Of Mask Whacking Mikla With a Mallet.

"What Do You think?"

Mikla Fires An Energy beam At The Sketch Pad, Reducing It To Ash.

"(Deep Sigh) Everyone`s An Art Critic..."

Mikla Leaps Down And Approaches Mask.

"HOLD IT!"

Mikla Pauses.
Mask Quickly Puts On Some "Google Eyed" Glasses.

"You Wouldn`t Hit a Guy Wearing GLASSES, Now Would You?"

Mikla Snarls He Punches Mask With His Mystically Charges Skeletal Hand...Knocking Mask Down.

"You Know...i think he would." Said Mask

Mask Quickly Gets Up And Glares At Mikla.

"Okay, Pal...You`ve Just Made Me MAD!
And, When Mask Get`s Angry..."

Mask`s Clothes Rip Up And He Turns Into The Incredible Hulk.

"Mask Talks Funny."

Mask Punches Mikla, Sending Him Through a Wall...Creating a "Cookie Cutter" Image.
Mask Changes Back To Normal And Laughs a Bit.

"Oh, Man...These Jokes Just NEVER Get Old."

Mikla Blasts a Hole Through The Wall And Leaped Over To Mask.

"WHAT!, SORE AGAIN!
Sheesh, You Sure Are a Glutton For Punishment."

Mask Reached Into His Pocket And Took Out His Mallet.
he Lifted It Up, Ready To Attack...Butm Then Stopped.

"Okay, Bored Now..."

Mask Walked Away.

"WHERE ARE YOU GOING!" Shouted Mikla

"To Get a Snack!
I Haven`t Had Anything To Eat In Hours, Go Play With That "Tiger Kid" For Awhile."

As If On Cue, El Tigre Pounced After Mikla.
He Slashed At Him, But Mikla Blocked The Attack With His Skeletal Arm.

As The Two Fought, Mask Was Sitting On a Lawn Chair...Eating BBQ Chips.

"This Is Better Than Watching Monday Night Football!"

Soon, The FOF And Riveras Join In The Battle.
As They Fight, Mask Gives "Commentary" With Frida.

"It`s Looking Good, Folks!
Tigre And Mikla Are In a Face Off...The Aztec Looks Pretty Mad.
Now, It`s The "Black Birds" Egging Him With EXplosives...The Eggs Are a DUD!"

BOOM!

"Scratch That!, It`s a GOOD HIT!
But, Mikla Is Still In The Game And Throwing In All The Tricks.
It`s The Skeleton Dance, But WITHOUT The Dance...Just The Skeletons."

"Now, Puma Loco Is Going In For The Kill...
But, The Skeletons Block Him!, THERE GOINg FOR HIS POWER PACK!
Ol` "PETE PUMA" IS OUTTA CONTROL!, IS FLYING AROUND LIKE A DRUNKEN SEAGULL!
HE GRINDS THE SKELETONS BONES INTO DUST!, THE GIANT IS HAVING BREAD TONIGHT!"

Puma Loco Flies Over Mask And Frida And Crashes.

"Ladies And Gentlemen...Puma Loco Is Out Of It!
Now, The Power Couple "White Pantera And Plata Peligrossa" Are Moving In...
Pantera Goes For a Kick...OOOH!, BUT HE MISSED And Flips Over Like Charlie Brown!

"good grief." Said Frida

Mask Continues.

"Now, The "Silver Seniorita" Goes In For The Kill.
She Throws a Mean Right Hook...Now, a Left Hook, Another Right, Another Left.
Right-Left-Right-Left-Right-Left-Right-Left-Right-Left, (Rapid Gibberish)

Mask Starts Talking Like An Auctionear.

"SOLD!
To The Sassy Girl With The Blue Hair."

Mask Takes Out a Sombrero.

"Here Ya Go, Sweetheart..."

Mask Lifts Frida`s Goggles And Places The Sombrero Under Them.

"Now, BACK TO THE GAME!"

POW!

"Mikla Knocks Her Down!, THE CHAMP IS OUT OF IT!...Pantera Comes Back For More."

POW!

"OOOOH!
Pantera Bites The Dust...And He Is Out Of It!
Now, Comes The FOF...They Goe For a DIVE!"

ZZZZZZZZAP!

"Mikla Shoots At Them!
The "HOT MAMA" And "OLD BUZZARD" Are Down!
Now It`s Just Tigger And The Bitter Crow In The Fight."

"oh, no..." Said Frida

"What`s This?
Cuervo Hands Tigre a Bomb...Tigre Does a GRAPPEL PUNCH!
The Bomb Has Been Planted On Mikla Crown!, Tigre And Cuervo Make a Run For It!

BOOOOOOOOOOOM!

"AND, MIKLA IS OUT OF IT!"

Mask Zips Over To Tigre And Cuervo.

"THE WINNERS AND STILL CHAMPS: EL TIGRE AND BLACK CUERVO!"

Mask Hands Them a Trophy.

"WHAT FIGHT!...WHAT A SHOW!"

Mikla Get Up And And Staggers Around.
Mask Then Zips Over To Mikla.

"And, To The LOSER...a FREE VACATION!"

Mask Snaps His Fingers And a Giant Rocket Appears.
He Walks The Dazed Mikla Over To It And Throws Him Inside.

"Well, SO LONG, MICKEY!
Don`t Forget To Write, Now!"

Mask Presses a Button And The Rocket Blasts Off And Disappears Into The Distance.

"Well, That`s The Last Of Him!

Suddenly, Mikla Appears In Front Of Mask In An Explosion.

"Sheesh, Your Harder To Get Rid Of Than Zits On a Teenager..."

"I`VE HAD ENOUGH OF YOU!"

"Well, I`m Not Enjoying Your Face Either, Pal!"

Mask Pulls Out a Mallet From His Pocket This One Was MUCH LARGER (About The Size Of a Mini Van)

"Time To Whip Out "Ol` Betsy"!"

Mask Whacks Mikla A Coule Of Times, Creating Small Tremors Mikla STaggers Around In a Daze, Then Falls To The Ground.

Mask Places His Mallet Close To His Head Like a Golf Club.

"FOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORE!"

Mask Swings And, With a Cracking Sound...He Flings Mikla Towards The Miracle City Volcano.

"I HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATE YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-"

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

The Volcano Errupts And Mikla Is Lauched Further Away From The City.

"Okay, I`m Sure Of It This Time...He`s Definetly Out Of It!"

Mask Tossed His Mallet Away And Strolls Over To The Riveras And FOF.

"Thanks For You Help, Mask...Your a Real Hero!" Said White Pantera

"Well, Sometimes..."

Mask Hands Him a Wallet.

"What`s This?"

"Your Wallet.
I Was Gonna Keep It, But I Just Couldn`t Take It From Ya."

Puma Loco Chuckled.

"Oh, He Good...And, I Don`t Mean That In a Bad Way."

"Why Did You Help us?" Asked Plata Peligrossa

"Oh, Some Kid Named Chris Asked Me To..."

"HE DID!" Exclaimed Cuervo

"Yep."

Just Then, Chief Suarez Walked Towards Mask.

"YOU EL STUPIDO!
I`M GONNA GET YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOU!"

"And, On That Note...I`m Out."

Mask Zipped Away, His Limbs Stretching Before Snapping Back.
He Ran Inside His Jet Which Changed Back Into a Car.

As Mask Drove Off, Chief Suarez Hopped In His Squad Car And Chased After Him.

"YOU CAN RUN EL MASKO!
BUT, YOU CANNOT HIDE FROM POLICIA CHIEF EMILIANO SUAREZ!"

The Riveras, FOF And Frida Just Watched This.

"awkward..." Said Frida, Breaking The Silence