El Tigre: Evolution
"Mine now!"
-Ulrich "Blitz" von Krieger
Chapter 23
Blitz busted down the door marked "Confiscated Items," then gestured for his brother to go in first. Nacht nodded and entered.
The Miracle City Prison was in chaos. The mysterious orbs of light had landed and left behind their nasty surprise, and now prisoners and demons alike were running amuck. The two assassins managed to break out in the confusion.
Blitz followed his younger brother into the room full of weapons and such. Nacht smiled as he picked up a black pendant hanging on the wall. He put it on, and immediately surrounded himself with tendrils of darkness, grinning from ear to ear.
Blitz broke open a storage locker.
"Ah, my guns." He began to pick out his weapons. "Let's see…mine…mine...mine…"
He whistled as he pulled out a rocket launcher. "Mine now!" He slung the device across his shoulder and turned to his brother.
"Let's show them how we do this Von Krieger style," he said, punctuating it with a crazy cackle.
El Tigre got off of Luxe's private elevator on the ground floor. After making his way through some labyrinthine passages, he came out into the lobby. He was surprised by what he saw. A handful of villains were holed up inside the building. They had barricaded the door with whatever they could find. There were the Flock of Fury (minus Black Cuervo), Dr. Chipotle Jr., The Cactus Kid, and…Sartana of the Dead? Sartana was pacing back and forth, wearing a hole the floor. Dr. Chipotle Jr. looked as if he had been crying.
"Hey!" El Tigre called out to the villains, startling them. Sartana looked up at the youngest Rivera.
"El Tigre!" she cried. "Where did you come from?"
"The roof. It's-"
Sartana grabbed him and started shaking. "How? The stairs are blocked and the elevator platform isn't working!"
El Tigre pointed back. "Luxe has a secret elevator."
Sartana let El Tigre go. "Where?" she demanded frantically. "I need to get up there! El Santo Oscuro is-"
"Not there anymore," El Tigre interrupted. "He said he was going to the highest point in the city."
Sartana seemed to calm down a little and pull herself together. She thought for a moment and nodded.
"The volcano. He's going to begin the conversion."
"The conversion?" El Tigre asked.
"He's going to cast a net of dark magic that will change this world into his world." Sartana explained dramatically.
El Tigre let that sink in. "How are things going outside?"
Vultura was the one to respond. "Very bad! We're outnumbered a thousand-to-one!"
The Cactus Kid nodded in agreement. "We're getting our butts kicked!"
Dr. Chipotle Jr. sniffled. "They…I think they got my papi. I saw him surrounded by those things…and then… he was gone…" The pint-sized mad scientist broke down into tears. El Tigre patted him on the shoulder.
"It's okay, Dr. Tabasco-"
"Ch-chipotle…"
"Chipotle, right. But you're dad's a true villain. And if there one thing I know about villains, it's that they always bounce back. They're impossible to get rid of. He's fine."
Dr. Chipotle Jr. wiped his good eye. "You think so?"
El Tigre smiled. "Count on it."
CRASH!
Everyone's attention snapped to the doors.
"Did they break through?" The Cactus Kid asked.
Vultura and Lady Gobbler shrugged. "It wasn't us."
El Tigre gazed upward. "Look!"
Two wrestling winged figures had crashed through the high ceiling and were spiraling downwards. It was the Alada and…
"Frida!" El Tigre cried.
Frida and the demoness hit the floor with Frida on top. The Alada looked frantic. She opened her mouth, one word escaping:
"Please-"
But a raging fire burned in Frida's eyes, and she lit up a blue fireball in her hand and shoved it into the Alada's open mouth. The woman's body shone brightly before bursting into flame and collapsing into ash. Frida got up, breathing hard. Her wings were now larger and stronger, more likely capable of supporting her in flight.
Everyone stared at Frida with wide eyes.
"Frida…" El Tigre marveled. Frida fell to her knees, and El Tigre rushed over. Her eyes teared up.
"She got into my head, Manny," she said. "She said she'd hurt my family, she said she'd hurt you…and I just freaked."
El Tigre hugged his best friend. "It's okay Frida. It's okay…we're gonna finish this."
He looked up at Sartana. "Do you know how to beat El Santo Oscuro? I couldn't even scratch him up there."
Sartana shook her head. "I don't know. I thought I could beat him by gathering lots of power…but I was young."
El Tigre sighed. "I just don't know what to do! Everything's falling apart…" His ears drooped.
Everyone stood in silence.
Then a thought came to Sartana.
Sometimes the living need the guidance of the dead…
Sartana thought about it. Could it work? It was worth a shot.
"Rivera," she began. "There is someone I think you should talk to."
High above the city, El Santo Oscuro was drifting towards the Miracle City Volcano, taking his sweet time, with Alado Uno orbiting him. Suddenly, he stopped, as did the Alado, except the lesser demon seemed to be in pain, while the Dark Saint just turned back toward LuxeCorp.
"So she's dead," he said simply.
Puma Loco, Black Cuervo, and Plata Peligrosa plowed their way through the city streets, fighting off the hordes of demons. Peligrosa was relishing every minute of the battle, but Puma and Cuervo were beginning to tire. There was a break in the onslaught, and the trio took a breather. But the next wave was fast approaching, with a big surprise…
This demon was larger than the others, at least fifteen feet tall. It was covered with fur. Something seemed familiar about it, however…it's skull necklace…it's unbearable smell…
"Madre de Dios…" Puma Loco gasped. "It's El Oso…"
"That thing is El Oso?" Black Cuervo asked incredulously.
Even Plata Peligrosa was speechless. "What have they done to him?" she finally whispered.
"I'm a new Oso, mans!" The creature proclaimed. "No more robbing banks…just crushing things! And yous in the way!"
Puma Loco readied his entire arsenal. Black Cuervo followed suit, unfurling all of her new Luxeweapons. Plata Peligrosa entered a battle stance. The fight was just getting started…
Sartana plucked a guitar string. El Tigre flinched, expecting some sort of death ray or dark magic, but instead a bright heavenly light emanated from the mystic guitar. There was a flash, forcing everyone to cover their eyes. When the light receded, a new yet familiar voice spoke.
"Manny?"
El Tigre lowered his arm, blinking a few times, then a few more to make sure he was seeing right.
"Dad?"
"Yes, mijo." It was indeed Rodolfo, a.k.a. White Pantera, sans mask and in the flesh…or was he a ghost? El Tigre reached out and touched him. He was solid. The youngest Rivera then rushed into his father's arms.
"Dad! I've missed you so much!" he cried.
"I know, Manny. I can't stay long. But you must know that I am always with you, in here." Rodolfo said comfortingly, placing a hand over his heart.
"But Dad, I need you now more than ever! I don't know what to do! Miracle City is in serious trouble! This bad guy might just be unstoppable!"
"No one is unstoppable, mijo." Rodolfo smiled. "Let me give you some advice. Listen closely."
El Tigre nodded.
Rodolfo took a deep breath. "Why don't you try following in my footsteps?" Then he winked.
Suddenly the light returned.
"Your time is up," said Sartana.
Rodolfo sighed. "I must go now, Manny. I love you."
" I love you too, Dad."
A flash, and then he was gone.
El Tigre sighed, wiping tears away from his eyes. Frida came over and returned the hug her best friend had given her earlier.
"What do you think he meant?"
"Follow in his footsteps…" El Tigre mulled over. Then his eyes widened.
"That's it!" he said.
"What's it?" asked the Cactus Kid.
El Tigre wiped his tears away one last time, grinned and said, "I've got a plan."