Chapter 8: M'Baku's Tale, Part One
Samuel Barone stares at the rolling surf and rising sun northwest of San Jose. Here in California, it is the dawn of a new day, and Barone certainly intends it to be the first day of the rest of his life. He sucks the seabreeze into his sore chest, still mending after being crushed. He feels the gentle sunshine painfully on his burnt skin beneath gauze. He examines his right stump. He examines his wheelchair. Black Talon considers the irony of being an invalid such as Laslo Pevely was the night that Barone helped kill him. The Terror too got to stare at the sea from his wheelchair. Black Talon experiences some sort of empathy. Of course, Laslo surveyed the turbulent Atlantic, and he got to die. Samuel has the peaceful Pacific, and he intends to live again.
To this end, Barone asks his nearby nurse, "Daniella, what time is it this lovely November morn?"
"Seven-thirty, sir," answers Daniella.
"Well, Ms. Tomaz, please roll me back to our ride so that we might return to the ranch," requests the patient.
Daniella Tomaz turns the chair, "Would you like some more eggs and coffee when we return? You need to get your strength back."
"No, I'll get my strength back another way," Black Talon replies, "It is time for that blood sacrifice that I mentioned."
The supervillain contemplates the recent past while the woman whom he hypnotized pushes him through the awakening countryside. There are grasshoppers playing on the tall dewy grass while the crickets have not quite gone to sleep. Astir mice scamper below while lively wrens flit overhead. The little creatures are all doing better than ailing Black Talon.
Ill at ease, Black Talon remembers the fiery fight with Hellcat and Grim Reaper, and he recalls the roof falling upon him. With difficulty, he recollects how, one moment, he was on a gurney in New Orleans anticipating Death's arrival. The next moment, a pair of ensorcelled silver gloves yanked him through the bier like water, and a man in a silver mask welcomed him to the Golden State.
The man Mike Nero has proven to be a great host on this grand estate near Half Moon Bay. Mike has taken care of maimed Samuel's every need. Mr. Nero hired superhumans Dansen Macabre and Gypsy Moth from San Francisco to address Black Talon's wounds. Mike has even provided Sam his full four staff and Daniella—more than Mr. Nero might realize. Over the weeks, Black Talon has hypnotized all five employees, and they are all quietly in his thrall.
Samuel reaches his left hand back to pet Daniella's cheek. He says, "We are at the SUV now. Please have Roberto load me into the vehicle."
The nurse and groundsman team-lift the evil invalid into the truck. Samuel shudders with pain at being touched. Panting and cringing, he seeks some solace. His eyes catch the supplies that he requested. On the transport's floor, there are a sack, four heavy chains, four pulleys, and a massive sheathed glaive, a pole weapon. The acquisitions do supply some solace. But, the glaive resembles Grim Reaper's scythe a bit, and the sight brings ghost pain to Black Talon's scarred stump. Samuel shudders some more. For further solace, he orders Daniella to open her shirt slightly. She does. Her ample cleavage mesmerizes the bad guy momentarily.
But, the perverted interlude is brief. Roberto speaks, "As you see, Mr. Barone, I have fetched the stuff. Are we doing that thing in the barn now?"
"Yes, take me to the stable. While he is out-of-town, I am making an animal sacrifice of Mike Nero's favorite horse," Black Talon explicates, "Nero claims that M'Baku assassinated Grim Reaper off of the Connecticut coast and that that event brought the heat on me in New Orleans. Thus, Nero has travelled to Massachusetts—where M'Baku is—to kill Man-Ape on my behalf. Well, I don't want that hit to occur just yet. I don't want that killing to occur until I speak with my long-time ally. His answers to me will decide his fate."
"But, you need to be at full strength to confront anyone," Daniella adds, "And, black magic will have Black Talon bonny sooner than black coffee. So, we eviscerate an innocent equine iniquitously."
"Joachin, Ramon, Yolanda, and I will gladly heft the tranquilized horse for you, Mr. Barone. And, we gladly accept the later horse meat that you offer," Roberto assures.
"Oh, by the way, you should know, Mr. Barone, that Yolanda and Mr. Nero chatted in bed the other evening," Nurse Tomaz informs, "Mike plans to do his hit this morning before noon Boston time."
Samuel is surprised, "S***! Enforcer is making his move within the next hour?!"
Black Talon calls Mike Nero by his criminal alias: the Enforcer.
"Yes," states the driver, "After the evil ceremony, can you magically teleport across the land a wizard?"
"F*** no! Not easily! S***!" Barone exclaims, "Just get me up to the Delazny ranch!"
Film tycoon Charles Delazny, Sr. owned this large estate before bequeathing it to Charles Delazny, Jr. who was the original Enforcer, until the Scourge assassinated him. Mike Nero is Junior's nephew and owns the Delazny ranch now.
Daniella pats Sam's remaining arm, "Don't worry. I am sure that your nefarious plot will happen just fine."
Samuel moves his arm and clutches the woman's hand. Talon holds onto his sinister hopes.
Elsewhere, She-Hulk moves her finger freely over an electronic tablet. Behind her, the Atlantic Ocean loudly crashes into the shore. The shore is a gradual sandy cliff on Cape Cod. Halfway up the embankment, She-Hulk stands with calves half-sunk into the slope. Cold ocean spray reaches her hair and skin, but Jen remains undistracted. The Avenger has an offensive to execute. Up the hill, M'Baku awaits justice.
Immediately before She-Hulk, The Daily Bugle scrolls on the tablet screen; the article of interest is from a few weeks ago. An AP piece reports that the Port of New Orleans hosted a superbattle one evening in October. Heroine Hellcat combatted bad guys Black Talon and Grim Reaper across the wharf. An old building was destroyed, and Black Talon was severely injured.
Later, Black Talon wound-up at the very same hospital that Hellcat visited post-fight. But, Black Talon somehow disappeared. A little later than that, bad guy Boomerang appeared in the same ER with acute snake venom poisoning. Staff stabilized him with antidote. But, soon after that, an unholy blur burst (literally) through the ER's glass doors. Cameras show that James "Speed Demon" Sanders plowed Patsy Walker's assistant Attache into a snack machine, plastered Patsy (a.k.a. Hellcat) drinking a hot coffee, ran over Walker's ally Federigo Ravina, clipped aside Jubilation Lee keeping guard over Boomerang, snapped Boomerang's restraints and ousted his medical lines, and shot his Sinister Syndicate associate from the scene—all in about four seconds. The video footage had to be slowed-down of course. But, anyway, Boomerang disappeared too.
Upon returning to New York, Hellcat had info to add about the difficult times in the Big Easy. For example, the battle's Grim Reaper was not the real Grim Reaper, and he seemed to hate Black Talon, whom he mutilated. Hellcat mentions that Ravina got mauled too when Speed Demon flattened the bug telepath. However, Hellcat does not feel too bad for Federigo. Despite being in the area, he did not even help her when Grim Reaper was kicking her ass at the port.
She-Hulk hopes that her own present comrades prove more reliable. They should. Spider-Woman sits attentively in a tree atop the slope. Porcupine waits in the thick woods to the ladies' west. Hellcat and Stingray stand-by on a boat a distance off-shore to the east. Between the ladies and Porcupine, a spacious mansion sits, and Howard the Duck and Tara Tam operate within it. Tara is Howard's shapeshifting sidekick. All six supers should prove to be good teammates for She-Hulk. She simply awaits Howard and Tara's signal to raid the mansion.
Seven heroes should be able to subdue M'Baku and Mr. Z in the mansion and to secure the two bystanders in there with the villains. Although, in She-Hulk's mind, the two bystanders might not be "innocent bystanders" but rather bad parties.
One party Minnie Tuttle seems impeachable. Per Howard's intelligence, Ms. Tuttle seems implicated in some of M'Baku's recent criminal actions. Incognito Tara has heard similar scuttlebutt.
The other party is the nurse who entered the residence this morning. Per Jen Walters' instincts, something is not right about him. Experienced detective Spider-Woman also intuitively got bad vibes watching him arrive from nearby North Truro, Massachusetts. But, the shifty character could be only a caregiver for Mr. Z, a.k.a. the ancient WC Tuttle.
After all, WC Tuttle is one hundred years old, and he needs a caregiver. Despite his collection of arcane stuff and powerful artifacts, Mr. Z appears to be still a frail fogey in failing health who cannot cheat the Grim Reaper, so to speak. So reports the Duck and Tam. But, who knows? She-Hulk knows that Silvermane, Red Skull, and the Mole Man are all troublemaking old-timers who each found the right bizarre bauble to beat death. Perhaps, Mr. Z did too.
But, the Sensational She-Hulk is ever cheerful, and she can always be optimistic that a mission holds no surprises. She-Hulk does not need Black Talon, the new Grim Reaper, good ol' Boomerang, Speed Demon, or anyone else crashing the party. She does not need Mr. Z becoming "the Crusher" or something. To relax, Jen gazes over the undulating Atlantic under the eleven o'clock sun. Howard the Duck should be preparing brunch within the mansion.
In the mansion's parlor, M'Baku gazes into his steaming tea. The white teacup is quite old, and so is the pale, wrinkly man sitting across from M'Baku. WC Tuttle has the languid eyes and labored breathing expected of a centenarian. Beside Tuttle, his nurse Del stands attentively. Del has the scanning eyes and rigid motions of a warrior. M'Baku notices. Across from WC and Del, Hedy Wolfe sits on the loveseat with M'Baku. They are another interesting pair.
Unsolicited, Hedy's lotioned hand touches M'Baku's firm arm. "Have you seen my cousin Minnie?" she inquires.
"I strangled her, and she lies dead in an upstairs bedroom" is what the Man-Ape would like to say. But, he does not confess to Minnie's murder at this time. Earlier, his host's daughter had attempted joining "her man" in bed. After weeks of playing her, the trespasser was tired of mark Minnie. So, he put her permanently asleep. The action was a little rash and unplanned. But, Man-Ape had planned to eventually slaughter everyone in the mansion—Minnie, Hedy, WC, the housestaff, now the visiting nurse—anyway. Thus, the Wakandan Wildman can simply get some good brunch caffeine and sugar in him before executing his murderous rampage in about twenty minutes. After the carnage, M'Baku can sack the estate. There is some interesting stuff here.
"I saw Minnie this morning," M'Baku truthfully tells, "She is probably upstairs asleep."
"My cousin Minnie is funny," Hedy giggles, "In fact, I remember when she used to visit Patsy Walker and me out in Centerville, California [see Patsy and Hedy #89]. She was a recluse one minute and a diva the next. Minnie would be both shy and arrogant enough to nap while her kin visits."
"Minerva can unwisely try a person," M'Baku replies,
Hedy Wolfe's giggle becomes a full howl of laughter. Wolfe paws and pats her companion's huge hand while her lips curl into a toothy smile. "Oh my!" Hedy ejaculates.
M'Baku forces a smile across his features. As Hedy continues chortling, he pours hot chai between his gritted teeth. Tittering, Hedy notices the tilted teacup, and she suddenly stands.
"Do you know what goes well with tea, sweetie?" Wolfe warbles, "Some sweets. I shall get some scones and jam."
Hedy's high heels swiftly tap down the hallway outside of the parlor. M'Baku is glad to be rid of the hysterical Hedy. He rolls his eyes and pours more caffeine. The cart for tea has also java from Sumatra, and M'Baku switches to that.
"I did not think that Minnie's sleepy head was so funny either," WC comments, "But, her cousin apparently thinks that it is."
"Yes, that display was over-the-top," remarks M'Baku. An experienced intelligencer notices when someone puts on an act. M'Baku also notices that WC's attendant notices Hedy's excessive antics. The man's eyes consider the doorway to the hall as though he considers following her.
WC interjects, "Hedy's mother Virginia used to laugh easily, but then I went to prison during her adolescence. I guess Virginia got more serious after that."
"I assumed that you were a hard man," Man-Ape acknowledges, "You ordered the death of Laslo Pevely."
"Laslo Pevely is the s-o-b who put me in prison away from my family," WC wheezes and coughs. The aide wipes away some spit.
WC composes himself. Mr. Tuttle narrates, "Around 1942 I was Mr. Z the mobster. Fellow mobster Bull Murdock and I had a pretty good scam going. As a legitimate businessman, I would sell the wealthy life insurance. Then, Bull and his gang would invade their homes, make them sign over their insurance, and f***ing kill them. Afterward, Bull would provide me a cut. The set-up was kind of a lark [see Mystic Comics #10]."
"I enjoy killing and stealing for their own sakes too," M'Baku admits.
The geezer gangster wheezes a chuckle. He continues, "Anyway, the Terror got wind of our business, and he decided to do some business with us of his own. As gentleman Laslo Pevely, he bought insurance from me. As the Terror, he took down Murdock and his whole gang when they invaded Pevely Manor. Unfortunately, I had tagged along to witness this job. Thus, the Terror took me down too.
The courts sent me away for a long time for conspiracy to commit murder. However, conspiracy is not first-degree homicide itself. So, I got out around the time that Hedy's friend Patsy Walker first donned her Hellcat costume."
"And, you began saving millions for a hit on Laslo Pevely," M'Baku guesses.
"Correct," Mr. Z lets Man-Ape know that he guesses correctly, "I also began curating this and that special item for eliminating superheroes. For example, I always have this adamantium letter opener nearby. It can pierce any armor or armored skin, but it looks an everyday implement." A shaky hand lifts the small, shiny opener off an end table beside Z.
"So, you could go to the Baxter Building and stick anyone from Willie Lumpkin to the Thing with the letter opener," jokes the home aide. He snatches the mini-scimitar from Z's hand as though Del would raid Reed Richards with the mighty small blade.
"Who is Willie Lumpkin?" M'Baku asks.
"He is the Fantastic Four's mailman," answers the aide.
M'Baku finds it interesting that a medical assistant would know such. Playing it cool, Man-Ape extends his powerful paw and requests the item of interest. The attendant hands M'Baku the stiletto to examine. The giant sets the adamantium sticker aside. The behemoth does not need any weapon to mutilate a possible hostile.
Meekly, wheezing WC claws the oxygen mask kept beside him. The "nurse" helps him don it. With O2 on, Tuttle quips something about "getting my wind". M'Baku does not quite catch the quip. A boney finger points to a hutch cabinet in the parlor. On a shelf, a cast iron mask and a tallow candle sit, both distinctly older than the antique knickknacks around them.
Del's eyes light-up upon seeing the two artifacts, and M'Baku notices the micro-expression. The incognito agent is not lacking of a good poker face. It's just that veteran villain Man-Ape has been around bad company for a good long time.
"What are those?" M'Baku rises from the couch.
Del dares step between the Man-Ape and the objects. He dares yell upward, "WC says those are for summoning someone called the Wind Witch. The Wind Witch is someone who can kick Wakandans' asses such as that of your queen Ororo Munroe, Storm."
M'Baku's lids narrow and nostrils flare—in amusement. He towers over the six-foot enforcer, but Man-Ape will not drop Del yet. The brute would like his scones before offing anyone, and he wonders when Wolfe will return with them all ready. Biding his time, Man-Ape crashes his big ass back onto the loveseat.
Smirking, the Wakandan renegade states, "Storm is not my queen, and Black Panther is not my king. But, I can see why you would throw someone called the Wind Witch at the weather witch and the windbag."
A guffaw punctuates M'Baku's words. A hacking chuckle complements it from Tuttle. Sighing, the nurse stoically helps Tuttle who starts gasping hard after laughing a little. Del stirs honey into some tea while staring down Man-Ape. The caregiver offers the soothing drink to WC; however, the elderly gent becomes most agitated.
"What the f*** have you done?!" Tuttle gasps, "That spoon is not to be used in such a manner!"
"The utensil is unfit to stir pekoe?" the caregiver asks.
"It is the Lazarus spoon!" Z exclaims with unexpected life.
"What the hell is the Lazarus spoon?" asks the aide. He scrutinizes the silverware, which appears to be stainless steel from the modern era. It is neither mainly precious metal nor antique.
"It is a 1990s artifact!" pronounces Z, "A potentially powerful relic!"
"What is it used for? Digging the Lazarus pit from a peach?" the ersatz orderly sloppily slurps the honey from the spoon.
"No, there once was a powerful telekinetic dubbed Lazarus," utters the irritated old man, "He fought the Incredible Hulk [see Incredible Hulk Annual #19] and nearly shot that spoon through the beast. But, the Hulk slammed that silverware through Lazarus' eye into his f***ing brain instead."
"Does the object have any, like, magic in it?" the aide asks.
"It could have some mojo in it. You never know," comments the collector.