BLACK WINGS Chapter 17- Casualty by Justin Anderson November 1st, 2002. 10:18 PM, Manhattan Octavius held the Black Wings in place as Carnage laughed at their captive. Norman Osborn was enjoying this as well. "Hobgoblin, Electro, Scorpion... go watch the entrance. Magneto's little freak show might show up," Otavius ordered. The three left, leaving the heads of the Sinister Six to torture their prisoner. Carnage began beating him, over and over, until his twin couldn't move. Carnage drug him across the floor, kicking and beating him further. Carnage was enjoying this too much. "You had to be a hero. You had to be a WIMP! I won't TOLERATE THIS!" Osborn picked the Black Wings off the floor, helping him stand. As soon as he had his balance, he hit the floor again as the Green Goblin punched him in the jaw. "What do you think we should do with him, you two? Osborn?" Octavius asked. "I don't know... cut him open and see how he works? They say he's immortal. What do you think, Carnage?" Carnage picked him up by the throat. "Yes. Cut him up and watch him grow back. Then cut him up again. But first..." Carnage opened the lid to the blood tank. "I think I'll leave you two alone. I'm almost afraid to watch this," Osborn said, leaving the room. He prepared to throw the Black Wings into the symbiote pool. He would let his children torment his insubordinate other half. The idea of Cletus Kasady being reformed and fighting for justice only made Carnage angrier. But they could not get rid of him, even as his body changed, he still found a way to come back. The Black Wings would be punished for his existence. Things would be as they were. A series of explosions could be heard from outside, echoing down the halls. "It seems as if the freaks have arrived, Carnage. What should we do with them?" Octavius asked. Carnage didn't wait for an answer. He slammed the Black Wings into the floor. "Just keep them outta MY BUSINESS!" Carnage shouted. Grabbing him again, Carnage prepared to toss the Black Wings into the symbiotic blood. "Wait... I can't move my arms!" Octavius was frozen in place. A concentrated photon beam slammed into Carnage's back, causing him to drop his prey. Gunfire penetrated the air, each bullet exploding as it hit the walls. A few of them caught Kasady, forcing him to reel backwards. Osborn slammed into Octavius. "Your sentries were NOTHING, Octavius. Now, I shall be less forgiving to you," Magneto shouted. 10:24 PM Agent Henry Johnson had spotted the man he was after. Jonathan Screl was across the street. This was going to end tonight. Making his way across the busy city road, he approached Screl, gun drawn. Screl fired into the crowd, running. He gave chase. 10:26 PM Octavius was having little problem keeping Jake Arden at bay. The Green Goblin laughed at the attempts Tobias made to fight him. Neither Magneto or Sabretooth were fast enough to land even a blow against Carnage, but were fast enough to avoid the blades. "I've had enough of this!" Octavius immediately wrapped a tentacle around Magneto. Magneto was unable to control the steel arms himself, he was being crushed. He could not concentrate through the pain. Sabretooth was squeezed next, enduring too much pain under the pressure to rip free. Tobias spotted Carnage. The anger welled inside him, and he was ready to set it free. Punching the Goblin in the jaw, he stretched his arm out. Concentrating, a column of flame arose around Carnage. He screamed, the flames burning him. The symbiote could not survive this. Tobias pulled the fires back. Cletus Kasady was still alive, though barely. He crumpled to the floor, the symbiote writhing. His clothes underneath were burned. His victory was empty. Octavius grabbed him with his free tentacle, crushing him along with the others. "Now that we have these four under control, we can proceed," he said. "Yes. And they took Carnage out, too. Even better!" Osborn commented. 10:31 PM Henry Johnson was beginning to tire. He had already lost Screl, and the chances of finding him were little. But he knew he had to find Jonathan Screl. Gun shots from above grabbed his attention. Screl was peering out a window. "One of us dies tonight! And it will not be me!" He knew he would be walking into a trap. So be it. He entered the building. A steel mill, closed for the night. But the equipment still ran. It was hot in here. Agent Johnson knew this was not going to be easy. 10:32 PM Octavius shook his four captives, increasingly tightening his grip. Magneto tried to take control of the arms, but he could not concentrate. Jake's ion cannon was useless, the cannon itself was restricted from moving by the arm holding him down. Tobias could not properly concentrate, and Sabretooth, regardless of his struggle to rip free, could not. Octavius held Magneto in front of his face. "Now then... Magneto, surely you understand that my needs outweigh yours in this matter," Octavius said. "Really? I remember you standing in the rubble, mourning the dead. And you helped Carnage do the same thing?" "Shut up!" Octavius shouted. "I have no need for such sympathies anymore." Osborn pulled a bomb from his pouch. "Actually, I have no need for any of you anymore", he said. "Kill them Octavius!" "No, Osborn! I will not play by your rules, I will keep them alive!" Osborn juggled the explosive. "That's too bad. Then I have no need for you, either!" he said. Jake struggled against the tentacle. He couldn't rip free. He spotted a metal case nearby. Attempting to reach it, his fingers fell short. He kept struggling, hoping to reach it. It was pulled into his own hand as if he had grabbed onto it. Without hesitating, he tossed it, the case slamming into Osborn's skull. Octavius, in surprise, released his grip slightly. Magneto slugged him. Jake freed his left arm, swinging the razor sharp fingers. Octavius felt the steel and wires being torn through. He screamed in pain, releasing the others. Magneto slammed his fists into the man's face. The Black Wings picked himself up from the ground, tackling Osborn. The others assaulted Octavius. Knocked back, the exposed wiring came into contact with Carnage's unconscious body. The symbiote was looking for a new host, and it had found one. The red liquid climbed along the steel, into the connection on Octavius's back. It quickly poured from his skin, covering his entire body. "It looks as if you will not escape after all, Magneto!" 10:36 PM Screl took several shots at Agent Johnson, missing each on purpose. He wanted Johnson to follow him. He did follow, chasing Screl to the walkways above the vats of molten steel. "Predictable. You're so devout, it's pathetic, really," Screl shouted. Screl aimed, squeezing the trigger. the clip was empty. Agent Johnson charged, landing a decent left hook despite Screl's height. He drew his gun, aimed at Screl. "I hadn't expected that..." Screl pulled a small piece of wood from his jacket, holding it outward. He began chanting. Within seconds, his body was covered in green flame. Jonathan Screl was consumed, the flames burning away his disguise. As they dissipated, a rather tall man clad in gray robes stood in his place. He held a long staff. "...but I have other means of dealing with someone like you!" 10:39 PM The Brotherhood was having little luck fighting the symbiotic Dr. Octopus, even with the help of the Black Wings. The monster was too quick. The four tentacles alone had become deadly spikes, as if the tendrils weren't bad enough. Magneto could not control the metal in the arms, and Jake's ion cannon could not punch through the symbiote to deactivate them. It may not have done any good anyway, the symbiote was controlling them. Jake landed a successful shot of electricity, stunning Octavius momentarily. Carnage awoke. He didn't wait around to watch, he immediately fled. The Black Wings saw him running. "We'll fight Octavius, you get Kasady!" He took Magneto's advice, giving chase. He was recovering quickly, moving fast enough to keep up with his psychotic twin. He followed Kasady into a lab. He was bashed over the head with a fire extinguisher. "You pathetic excuse for a life! You don't deserve to exist! I'll kill you!" he shouted, continuing to wail on the Black Wings. He grabbed Kasady, throwing him into a table. Chemicals spilled. The Black Wings kicked over more tables, causing more chemicals to spill. Gases were filling the room. He fired tendrils, piercing large containers of chemical gases. He ran out, shutting the door behind him. He broke the handle off. Kasady, trapped inside, banged on the glass. "NO! Let me out. LET ME OUT!" He vanished as the cloud of smoke obscured the view inside. Kasady couldn't breathe. He collapsed to the floor. The Black Wings rushed back to the fight, leaping into the air. He slammed into Octavius, distracting him. "BURN HIM!" Tobias took his chance while he could. The Black Wings jumped away as the flames consumed Octavius, burning him until the symbiote weakened. The flames died down, the symbiote pouring off his body and through a seam in the floor. Magneto immediately tore the tentacles off at their bases. The Black Wings punched Octavius, knocking him out. "Hey... where's the Green Goblin?" the Black Wings asked. Norman Osborn was gone. He had already escaped. "Crap. Well, one more thing I gotta do," Tobias said, igniting the blood tank, killing the symbiotes swimming inside. Magneto lifted a tentacle, forcing it around Octavius. He twisted it together, securing the scientist should he awake. "Sabretooth! You and the others see if Carnage had any hostages. You, where's Kasady?" The Black Wings led him down the hall, to the lab where he lad left his other half. Magneto forced the door open, the two standing back as the fumes dissipated. Magneto stared on in disbelief. "...what happened to him?" 10:46 PM Agent Johnson had long since emptied his gun into Screel. The bullets had done nothing. All he had was a small knife, which so far, was proving worthless. He was barely able to dodge the spheres of energy Screel was sending at him. "Give it up. Your religion is nothing, it is not worth fighting for. Show some intelligence for once, don't die like your ancestors," Screel shouted. "I don't plan on dying, Screel," he replied. Holding the knife by the blade, he threw it. It stuck in Screel's throat. Screel tried to breathe, but the blade was blocking his wind pipe. "See you in Hell." He pulled the knife free, planting his foot in Screel's stomach. He was knocked back, falling into a vat of molten steel. Screams filled the factory as Screel was burned alive. He had won. Screel was dead, permanently he hoped. Now, to decide what he was going to tell his superiors about this. 10:49 PM The Brotherhood boarded the Blackbird. Their fight was over, for now. It was just another war to Magneto, but it was one he had won. Magneto handed the two rifles to the Black Wings. "We could not save this city a year ago... but we have saved it today." He boarded the jet with the others. It flew away as several boats and helicopters approached the island. General Peterson was the first to step foot onto the concrete ledge. "Well, I see you took care of things for us," General Peterson commented. Electro, the Hobgoblin, Scorpion, and Octavius were bound tightly, still unconscious. A few hostages had survived. "They'll need medical treatment. I also wrapped them up for you, early presents," the Black Wings said. The Army loaded the four prisoners for transport, helping the few survivors to the boats. General Peterson eyed a fifth prisoner. "Who's this?" November 4th, 2002. 11:23 AM, Washington, D.C. A single prisoner was led along the halls, taking his place in a large cell. He was well too old to be here, but the decision was final. No other place had been able to hold him, and even without his symbiote, no one was willing to take chances. At age fifty seven, his fate had been sealed. Cletus Kasady would spend the rest of his life in the Vault. 'This is not over' Notes: Set within the Marvel universe, I will be using my own continuity, mixed with new characterizations for some established characters from Marvel's story universe. These stories are a sequel to my fiction series Maximum Carnage. Cletus Kasady, Carnage, and others are copyright Marvel Comics. Jack Arden, Raicaak, and others are copyright myself. Other characters appearing may be owned by separate parties. I make no claim of copyright on any character I do not own, only on these stories and those I do own. Characters used without permission/not for profit. These are strictly fan stories. Permission to reprint extends to placing this text, unaltered, elsewhere online. It may not be altered, and especially NOT TO BE SOLD, unless Marvel wishes to license this series from me. Black Wings song and lyrics copyright Tom Waits.
