DC/Marvel: Access Denied
Chapter 8
By Christopher W. Blaine
e-mail: darth_yoshi@yahoo.com
DISCLAIMER: The characters and situations contained in this story are ©2003 by either DC Comics Inc. or Marvel Entertainment Group and are used without permission for fan-related, non-profit entertainment purposes only. This original work of fiction is ©2003 by Christopher W. Blaine and may not be reproduced in part or as a whole without the express permission of the author.
Earth-CA …"And if I agree to all of this, what do I get out of it?"
Desaad rubbed his greasy hands together and sat down opposite of Bullseye. The two of them were inside an empty fast food eatery in the heart of what had been New York City. Holocaust's legions, which were growing rapidly, had devastated the Big Apple and had left nothing but the core.
Reports coming in from secret Blood cells around the world were that the belief was Holocaust represented the Second Coming and even those who never worshipped God were picking sides. Bullseye wanted to stop it before there was nothing left of his world. He knew that Darkseid had the weapons needed but the criminal wanted to make sure he wasn't jumping from the frying pan and into the fire. "And before you try to butter me up, I know that some new heroes have shown up on-planet. Looks like Captain America's gamble paid off."
Desaad looked around nervously; he didn't like being exposed like this but Darkseid had warned that the full extent of Holocaust's powers was not known. "I am not here to discuss the heroes," Desaad hissed.
Bullseye pulled out his pack of cigarettes and noted with some disgust that there was blood on the package. He was so tired of seeing blood. He offered one to Desaad, but Darkseid's emissary refused. "Fine, then tell me what it is that Darkseid wants."
"My master has demonstrated his power and you have shown your value to him," Desaad started, waving away the smoke being blown in his face. It was foul smoke, not like the plumes of his Apokolips, which was as sweet as roses to him. "He realizes that Holocaust is a formidable foe, one that may require the intervention of great Darkseid himself…"
"So, your boss is scared?"
Desaad grimaced at the suggestion that Darkseid would ever know fear. "My master feels it is better to deal with a dangerous enemy sooner rather than later." He coughed, but Bullseye simply held the burning cigarette a little closer. "It is our opinion that a magical being could defeat Holocaust in combat if he were sufficiently weakened."
"The only thing that hurts Holocaust is magic, ugly," Bullseye said as he started lining up several pennies on the dirty table. His sharp eyes scanned the gray area outside the restaurant, searching for the Blood disciples that he knew were following him. Holocaust was insane, a creature of pure hate and decadence, but he was not stupid. "So, unless you have another one of those magic knives, which I'm willing to bet was supplied by Loki…"
"This world is important to not only my master, but the godlings of other realms as well. Already there has been a great reduction in the population and many more will die before it is over…"
Bullseye interrupted even as he pulled out a fifty-cent piece. Kennedy had always been one of his favorite presidents. "You know, there are a couple of things that are kind of bothering me about all of this; maybe you can answer some questions for me."
The DC Universe…
The Human Torch roared in anger as he realized that his prey had gotten away. The cry was inhuman in pitch and tone and he send a blast of fire at the empty bed, melting it into slag.
Several hallways away, Batman and the Huntress trying to carry the wounded Martian Manhunter while Robin led the Joker along. "He's gonna kill all of us, Bats!" the Joker cackled. Robin punched him in the side. "Shut the hell up!"
Batman wanted to say something but he was more concerned about their situation. If the sprinkler system were unable to contain the fire, then the automatic fire security system would open all of the doors to allow the prisoners to escape. Then the madness would really start.
Once before, the villainous Bane had released the inmates of Arkham Asylum and it had nearly cost him his life in trying to round them back up. At the very least, it forced him into semi-retirement after Bane had broken his back.
Then there was this mysterious psuedo-Huntress and the way she kept looking at him. "Your friend is starting to piss me off," Batman warned her. The threat was there and she understood it from the times she had been a bad little girl, so many years before. He did not trust her completely.
Batman turned his attention to the large Martian. "J'onn?"
The alien was trying to speak but his face was badly burned. It would be some time before his polymorphic abilities allowed him to correct the damage well enough for him to speak coherently. "Where are we going, dad…daddy-oh," the Huntress corrected.
Batman's eyes narrowed as they turned a corner and came before a large door. Batman kicked out and the door flew open. "Inside!" he ordered.
They dragged in the Martian Manhunter in and laid him on the cold floor while Robin threw the Joker inside. "Watch him," Batman told his young partner. Robin didn't need to be told twice and the Teen Wonder shoved the Joker into a corner.
The Huntress looked around the dusty room and reasoned it was some sort of equipment locker. Batman moved over to a gated storage area and kicked in the door. "You sure kick a lot of stuff," she said.
He didn't answer but instead moved to back of the area and started examining a safe. The Huntress took a moment to reach down and brush the inter-dimensional communicator Nightwing had given her. She considered calling in the cavalry but hesitated. If the man in the bat costume had been her father, would she have been so ready to get help?
"I'm not sure what is going on here," Batman said as he started working the safe tumbler, "but once this Fire-Man is taken care of…"
"He's called the Human Torch," the Huntress said, hoping to smooth things over by giving up as much information as she could. "We came here to investigate whether or not the Joker was linked to a case we were working on."
"What case?" Batman asked as the safe came open. He reached in and started to drag something out.
The Huntress bit her bottom lip, unsure of how much she should tell them. Of course, secrecy had been dependent on everything going according to plan. Obviously that wasn't the case anymore.
Then there was the fact she felt very much like a little girl again and it was uncomfortable. She had thought the emotions were behind her, especially since her fight with the Batman of Earth-T a few months before. "You may find this hard to believe but I'm not from this world. Neither is the Human Torch."
"Oh, yeah, parallel universe stuff…we get that stuff all of the time," Robin called out as he secured the Joker to a pipe with some handcuffs. "So, I'm willing to bet your name isn't Helena."
"Actually, it is," she said, wondering how similar she was to the Huntress that was a part of this reality.
Batman came out from the back of the storage locker carrying a large weapon. "You don't use guns, do you?" she asked.
Batman straightened at the question. "This is different. This is Freeze's cold rifle."
Earth-CA…
"How is it that so many heroes were taken down so quickly?" Bullseye asked as he picked up the fifty-cent piece. "I mean the heroes always come out on top, no matter what. It's like a comic book, you know?"
Desaad said nothing but he was starting to look uncomfortable. Bullseye lit another smoke and kept the conversation going. "I saw Power Girl's baby, you know? Ugliest little freak I've ever seen. Looked like an abortion exploded. Green. Wrinkled jaw." The criminal leaned in close. "Looked like a freakin' Skrull."
Desaad seemed to shrink back into the folds of his purple robes as Bullseye mentioned the name of the dreaded alien race. The Skrulls had a vast interstellar empire and had often times set their sights on Earth. They were shape-changers and could assume almost any form. Through their advanced science they could also gain super-powers.
"So, I'm thinking, how is it that Power Girl had a Skrull baby?" He inhaled deeply. "Maybe she was a Skrull? Maybe she was part of a whole legion of Skrulls that had somehow infiltrated the ranks of the heroes. Hell, maybe the Human Torch, the father of the child…maybe he was a Skrull?"
The DC Universe…
The Torch had not problem following the heroes for the Martian had bled all along the path they had taken in their escape. He had to take the alien out first because of his telepathic ability and he would have sensed the truth. The Torch could not afford to be denied not only his mission but also of his revenge.
It had all seemed so simple: get inside the hero culture and destroy it from within. It had been Darkseid, master of Apokolips, that had first approached the Skrull emperor about the plan and it had been the emperor that had sent him to be the first in the attack. He had no idea how many of his brethren were also involved, but it was a safe bet that the reason the Justice League and the Avengers had fallen so quickly was because the Skrull agents had lacked something.
The Skrulls were on Earth to conquer it and divide the spoils with Apokolips. When Holocaust had emerged, the Skrulls had been fighting for something that was not truly theirs. Every soldier in every military on every world in every time period knew that an enemy that fought for its home was a formidable enemy.
The Torch saw the door to the storage space and nodded. He pulled his fist back; his arm elongating like it was rubber, while the fist turned from blue to brown then orange. It grew in mass and took on the appearance of the rocky skin of the Thing, the now deceased founding member of the Fantastic Four.
Such were the powers of the Super-Skrull.
Earth-CA…
"Excuse me for a moment," Bullseye said as he got up. He sauntered past the kids' playground and into the parking lot. There were several abandoned cars and a few rotting corpses. The smell was almost as bad as when the restaurant had been in full operation. He took the coin he had been playing with and threw it. A member of the Church of Blood fell behind a dumpster and was immediately besieged by the rats that were even now taking over the city from the humans. The food chain was rapidly changing.
Bullseye wondered how long it would be before the acolyte would be missed and then he wondered if Holocaust himself had sent the spy, or was it someone else. The new order had only been around for a short time, but the assassin understood that there were several others who coveted his position.
He scanned the area some more, sighting some refugees scurrying for cover as bands of rape gangs and thugs tried to establish territorial boundaries. "You are correct," Desaad said as he stepped closer. The man seemed even pastier out in the sunshine. "My master made an alliance with the Skrulls to assume control of this world. From here, the galaxy would be split. Apokolips would conquer the Shi'ar while the Skrulls dealt with the governments of Thanagar and Rann. It required placing agents in key positions, agents that my master did not have to spare due to excursions by Thor and the New Gods."
"Only problem was the Skrulls weren't up to the task of dealing with the situation, were they?" Bullseye spit on the ground and finished his cigarette. "Now, you need us normal humans to clean up the mess."
Desaad bowed his head slightly. "And in exchange, my master will allow you to lord over the peoples of this world in his name."
Bullseye started to laugh. "Do you really think the Skrulls will allow that? How many of them are still on planet?"
Shrugging, Desaad confessed he had no answer. "If you are fearful, do not be concerned. There are others we can turn to."
The DC Universe…
The door came flying in so quickly that Robin jumped with a start. Batman did not hesitate and fired the freeze gun. The weapon fired off an icy blast that stopped just inches short of the Super-Skrull, who had resumed his normal form.
Batman fired again at the towering alien, who was as big as the Martian Manhunter and just as green. He appeared as a chameleon of abilities, his body alternating between flaming limbs to stretching ones. Sections of his body would turn invisible and Batman suspected that there was some sort of invisible force field protecting the creature.
A batarang from the Huntress bounced off a section of rocky hide and the Super-Skrull shook his head. He spoke to them in a voice that had a strange accent, his own jaw unable to form the words as they had in his human form. "I salute your courage, all of you, but you defend one not worthy of it! Give me the Joker and I will let you live!"
Batman threw down the freeze ray and took a long look at the Super-Skrull. He was missing his eye still, indicating that it must have been a severe wound when it occurred. "We don't hand over anyone to be killed."
"He is the link to the one who killed my love!"
"She must have been pretty desperate to be in love with you," Robin wisecracked.
The Super-Skrull's face twisted in rage at the remark against his beloved Karen and his body exploded in a ball of flame that consumed the entire room.