Panicking the young man ran towards the centre of town, the half imagined terror persuing him as he went, his screams and the monsters roars causing the town's inhabitants to hide away and pull the curtains over their windows, lest they also be affected by the creature born from the runners fear. Panting, adrenaline now overriding his body, the man saw sanctuary looming in front of him, the town's church surrounded by a delicate cast iron fence, a place of serenity and safety. Crossing the threshold and slamming the gate behind him the man looked back and saw the creature, so terrible and savage before was nothing but a common crow flapping around the flower beds looking for food. He felt so silly there were crows everywhere, all around the church behaving normally.
Walking over to the church door he knocked whilst calling, "Reverend I need to speak with you." There was no answer so eventually he gave up and turned to look back at the 'monster' and gasped. Stuck on the fence spikes was the Reverend's head, a sheer look of terror on his face as the doors of the church creaked open. Turning the man screamed as he saw the figure silhouetted in the doorway and took off once again as all the crows started swarming around him, beaks pecking at his skin. Panicking he started to run again as a croaking voice whispered, "And another one falls to fear." the words able to be heard over the calls of the crows, the creak of the church doors and of course over the screams of terror as fear grabbed hold of the man and made his body it's new home.
Abe reclined against the silver Mercedes he had brought from Newcastle as he looked out over the town of Forkes nestled in the forested hills that ran down towards the barley visible Pacific Ocean in the distance. The Thunderbolts had made a stop off on the slopes of Mount Olympus partially to get out of the car and also to satisfy both Diana and Melissa's need to disappear into the woods for what seemed like hours. Checking his watch Abe frowned, okay it wasn't hours since they had got out but it had been forty minutes since the pair had set off to look for a suitable spot to squat. He decided to give the girls ten more minutes before suiting up to find them when a black Ford pulled up behind his Merc and five teenagers all dressed in black got out. Their ranks consisted of three girls and two boys, all of them wearing heavy make-up and supporting what were hopefully fake fangs in their jaws. Abe cocked his head, he had no idea why they had stopped but all five were making a bee-line for him.
"Hey can you help us out." one of the guys said, his voice lacking any form of enthusiasm.
"Depends, what do you need help with." Abe replied reaching inside and searching for one of his gauntlets. Even without it he was certain he could take the five Goths if it came to a fight as long as they didn't have any powers.
"We need directions." one of the girls announced, she sounded peppier then the first Goth but not by much. "We are looking for Port Fear do you know where it is?" Abe sighed before dropping the glove and reaching for the map book, crushed under the seat next to an extremely expensive laptop which shouldn't have been left on the floor. "Diana" Abe thought, "It's a wonder that the computer hasn't broken with all the abuse she puts it through" Flicking through the index Abe found the page marked P and ran his finger down the list.
"Sorry I can't find any town by that name around here." Abe replied. The Goths shot him a look that made him feel massively uncomfortable. "So what exactly is at Port Fear?" he asked.
"Rumour has it that there have been a lot of strange occurrences within the city limits. Anybody with an insight into the paranormal would understand but a layman like yourself would overlook It." the first Goth moaned.
"Well I hope you find what you're looking for." Abe said smiling as Diana appeared at the foot of the path with Melissa in hot pursuit. "Have fun in Port Fear you freaks." he added as the Goths got back into their car and drove away. "What the hell happened to you?" he asked Melissa or rather the red haired spectacled woman that Melissa's ID mask portrayed her to be.
"I got attacked by garter snakes while I was walking." snapped showing Abe the multiple bite wounds on her arms. "Then the birds and the squirrels joined in. I yelled for help but somebody didn't show up for twenty fucking minutes."
"The acoustics of the forest made you hard to track." Diana replied sheepishly.
"You got attacked by snakes and squirrels?" Abe asked. "God help you if there were any serious threats in the area." Melissa turned on him, her eyes glowing with pink energy, the discharge dropping onto the floor and causing pink rivers to run down the hill. "Jezz it was a joke." Abe added, "There should be some bite ointment in the first aid kid."
"Don't push me." Melissa hissed, her voice running down the rivers of sound until it echoed around the whole hill side. As she went round the back of the car Abe turned to Diana and gave her a sideways look.
"So what did the Twi-Hards want?" Diana asked trying to sound innocent.
"First what did you do in the woods to Melissa?" Abe replied
"Nothing, the wildlife seems irate. I was attempting to take biological surveys until Melissa started yelling." Diana answered, "In three of the groups I surveyed; Corvids, Rodents and Snakes, adrenaline levels were abnormally high. Using a detector for airborne protein markers I could find out where the point of origin is." From the back of the car Melissa screamed before re-emerging, her holographic cheek torn open as if she had been attacked by a knife. "A bird just attacked my face." she hissed through holographic teeth. "I don't care where we go just get us out of here."
Abe turned back to Diana as Melissa got into the back of the car. "Listen Melissa is going to be tetchy, she's used to beating guys like Bullseye and Moonstone not losing fights with birds and squirrels so until we get out of the woods be gentle on her ego. Also if you can search for a place called Port Fear that would be appreciated. Something those Goths mentioned has got me intrigued." Diana smiled and nodded before getting in the front passenger seat. Abe sighed, he was going to have to take Melissa to an E&R if just to get a rabies shot, personally he hated hospitals but if it kept the Screaming Mimi in the backs seat quiet he was all for it.
The wait for Melissa to be processed in Forkes was longer then expected. Animal attacks had gone up in the county to an all time high, there had already been five similar encounters in the same day, and there had been rumours that a few people had been seriously mauled or even killed although there was no evidence to support such speculations. Diana had easily hacked into both the results found by the local university and the police and found that there findings were identical to hers. She had also found out that the main concentration of attacks was around the city of Port Angeles. Believing she had a theory she then searched for articles on both Port Angeles and Port Fear and came up with a few interesting pieces. Some such as the renovation of the church she discarded but one titled; the arrival of Fear really stood out. It chronicled the spread of paranoia and delusion among residents dating back to a meteor shower that had been seen across the world and had dropped large apparently mystical hammers across the planet and while none had fallen in Washington the writer speculated that their was a connection.
Abe saw Melissa stagger out, her body covered in plasters and her face in a half smile, almost as if she didn't want to be happy but didn't have the strength to keep up the fury that she had unleashed in the wood either.
"So what did the doctors say?" Abe asked.
"They gave me a Rabies shot but apparently a lot of attacks have occurred recently." Melissa replied. "A guy came in yesterday claiming to have been mauled by a grizzly so I am in no way the worst off person they have seen recently."
"Did they do any other tests?" Abe asked concern written across his face.
"No they wanted to but they couldn't get the needle in my arm to take a blood sample." Melissa said. "Where's Diana by the way?"
"She thought it best not to come inside." Abe answered. "You know her and hospitals."*
(As seen in Persona Non Grata - Part I)
"I do." Melissa said gravely. "Abe what are we doing taking her with us. I know you think she can be redeemed but let's face it she's a computer, can she actually change her ways."
"She wasn't always like how she is now." Abe stated. "I saw images when I was hooked up to her network. She was human once until they tortured her, converted her body into computer systems."
"Wait you knew she wasn't an alien." Melissa spat, "Between that and the stolen money I, I just feel like you're keeping stuff from me."
"Would you have looked at her differently if you knew the truth?" Abe asked causing Melissa to lower her head before whispering. "Yes I would have."
The Thunderbolts moods had not picked up when they reached the centre of Forkes whilst in the search for food. After finally suggesting a café and ordering their food they sat in silence exchanging angry glares when they thought the others were not watching them.
"So did you check the Port Fear thing like I asked you?" Abe asked Diana even though his eyes were locked on Melissa as she scratched one of the many snake bites on her arm.
"I did." Diana answered not looking up from the salad she had ordered. "There was an incident a few months ago involving magic hammers. I read the files and know you were involved in those events."
"I remember Marko smashing the Raft wide open." Melissa mumbled. "What does that have to do with Port Fear? Actually what the hell is Port Fear and why are you two so entranced with it?"
"There is a town near here called Port Angeles." Diana explained. "It currently is the epicentre of the animal attacks and a few days after the hammers fell a wave of panic attacks and paranoia episodes. The Centre of Disease Control attempted to quarantine the town but they were infected by whatever spread the disease and were evacuated. Removal from the area seemed to cure the problem but they were unable to get everyone out."
"And this is our problem why?" Melissa asked half heartedly stabbing a piece of steak.
"You said that we should investigate things like this when we find it, when it appears to be threatening us or the public." Abe told her. "And I for one find the incidents curious."
"So we're going to Port Angeles?" Diana asked.
"I am but it's up to you two if you want to join me or hang out in Forkes." Abe replied, "Either way I don't mind."
"Hmm I'm not a Twilight Fan." Diana mused. "So I'm willing to play anywhere but here."
"How about you Sulking Mimi?" Abe asked giving Melissa a playful punch on the shoulder in an attempt to improve her mood.
"You know what they say about curiosity." Melissa replied. "Not that you're a cat or anything but I figure if there is something weird about this place then you're going to need back-up."
"Thanks Mel I appreciate it." Abe said sincerely watching Melissa flick him a tiny smile. "Miss." he asked the passing waitress. "The bill please."
The team's Mercedes came to a halt as they reached the ad-hoc barrier constructed from crashed and broken cars across the road. Getting out Abe walked over to where the wooden sign stood on the side of the road and rubbed his chin before pulling the armoured face-plate down and activated the newly installed atmosphere filters. Scrawled across the sign in red spray paint over the word 'Angeles' was FEAR suggesting how the town had got its new name. Turning round he saw Melissa pull on a pair of gloves, designed to go with her new heroic ensemble. As Sky Lark she exuded sexiness from her long blonde hair, the tips ended with real lark feathers, down to her feet clad in black leather boots whilst in between the two she wore a skirted leotard died bronze with a pair of sky blue wings printed across the chest. Abe also noticed the same tattoo that she had worn from back in Newcastle stretching up her arm. From behind his mask he smiled as she extended a sonic bubble over her nose and mouth, from what Diana had told them about the CDCs findings, the toxin or bacteria that caused the paranoia attacks was airborne. As if summoned from the depths of hell just by thinking about her Diana appeared her skin paler then normal contrasting with the black leather jumpsuit. It was almost as if she was a corpse reanimated for some nefarious purpose, whatever the reason behind it she defiantly deserved the name Revenant. Looking down at his own costume Abe noted that the only thing that he had changed about his armor since the Newcastle incident was to spray paint the suit black to fit with his codename Iridium.
"That is not a good omen." Melissa stated as she walked up to the sign and stood next to Abe. "Also why did we have to arrive at the town at sunset? It makes the place seem like a set for a horror movie."
"Well for starters there are no squirrels, snakes or birds active at night." Abe replied.
"Yes because I feel so much better being attacked by rats, bats and owls instead." Melissa deadpanned, "Still if we are playing attacked by vermin bingo I'd be wining." she added sarcastically. As Abe started to climb over the barricade, following him up and over Melissa saw Diana springing from car to car almost effortlessly before landing on the other side. Cursing under her breath she dropped down and gasped at what she saw. They seemed to have landed in a CDC outpost, now deserted after the people manning it had caught whatever had infected the town.
"Okay so we're not even ten minutes in and it already feels like 28 Days Later." Melissa moaned, "If I come back as a zombie I'm going to eat you're brains." she snapped at Abe.
"As long as you're a cute zombie I don't mind." Abe replied as he cut through the barbed wire mesh surrounding the camp with his wing blade. Holding the wire up he snuck inside while Melissa and Diana leapt the fence and landed on an abandoned HUMVEE. The smell inside the camp was disgusting and it didn't take long to find the first body, a forty something man strung up from the scaffolding of a watch tower. Judging from the amount of blood on the ground he hadn't been the only person slain here and a five minute inspection of the site revealed six more slain bodies; the oldest an elderly woman had been buried up to her neck while coins had been forced down her throat while the youngest an eighteen year old had been immolated on a pyre of what looked like crow bones.
"So what do you guys think about Port Fear?" Abe asked as the Thunderbolts headed away from the CDC camp.
"Some of the dead show signs of ritual murder." Diana announced, "The coins suggest Hellenic practices of passing while the burnt man suggests the trying of a witch."
"I'm just glad you take me to nice places." Melissa snorted, "Oh wait you never do."
"Can you stop bitching for five minutes?" Abe snapped, "Something horrible happened here and nobody seems to give a damm. I know that the super hero community has a lot on its plate right now; what with the emergence of the Worthy, the mass break-out at the Raft and the growing tension between the X-Men and the Avengers but this is big enough to be noticed."
"You're right." Melissa admitted, "Maybe there is a Hammer here, maybe that's why everything is fucked up here."
"No from the testimonies from Ben Grimm and Marko made not to mention eyewitness reports of the Grey Gargoyle and the Absorbing Man claiming their hammers it appears that there was some kind of attractive force." Abe stated, "But it's too much of a coincidence that the outbreak started days after the Worthy appeared on the scene."
Diana cocked her head before morphing her hand into a blaster, something was moving in the shadows by the side of the road. Melissa seemed to sense something was wrong as well because seconds later she sent a pulse of sonic energy through the sky, lighting up the area to reveal a haggard young man, his clothes ripped and his eyes full of fear. With a bloodthirsty scream he ran at the Thunderbolts, attempting to tackle Abe to the ground before being shaken off as his target charged his stun gauntlets ready for a counter-strike.
"I've had it with you monsters." the Man spat, "You've killed so many people but it ends now." he growled removing a pistol from his belt. "May I be forgiven." he whimpered as he placed the gun to his head. As he pulled the trigger the weapon glowed blue before exploding with a pop as Melissa strode over to him.
"I am not going to hurt you," she purred, her voice osculating. "We are not going to hurt you. Now calm yourself and tell us who you are and what is happening here." The man blinked three times before rubbing his eyes and looking up at Melissa as she wrapped her arm round him.
"My name is Tony." he replied his voice wavering, it was clear he was still terrified but he seemed to be a lot calmer then he had been. "I work as a journalist for a local paper. I don't know what's happening all I know is that the town is full of monsters,"
"Monsters?" Abe asked.
"Who are you?" Tony snapped, he seemed to be getting more nervous.
"We are…" Melissa paused, "Well our organization doesn't have a name but I'm Sky Lark, the guy in the armor is Iridium and finally we have Revenant. We're sort of heros, we heard about the strange goings on and decided to investigate." Tony nodded before breaking down and crying. "You are safe." Melissa said rubbing his arm softly.
"No the sun's coming down, the monsters will be coming for us." Tony yelled throwing Melissa's arm off him and reaching for the pistols. "They are coming I can hear them."
Abe looked west and saw the sun drop beneath the horizon casting red shadows over the road. He also noticed that the wind, a pleasant costal breeze had died and what seemed like wisps of fog were creeping in at the edges of the road. "Revenant, what is the forecast for tonight?" he asked. Diana didn't answer but she did gasp, purely for show since she could create her own oxygen, and pointed at a pair of lights blazing through the mists, their bobbing path alternating in height from five to fifteen foot off the ground and getting closer with each bound.
"This is not good." Abe commented as the lights stopped moving and a voice sounded from the fog. "By yonder forest and track, my hunger I must slack, my skin no sword can crack, beware gentlemen and ladies fair here…" the creature bounded forward his eyes blazing amber, his arms stretched out giving his cape the appearances of wings ending in hooked claws as his legs bended and flexed as he leapt, "…is Springheel Jack." The Thunderbolts stood and stared as the creature bowed before spitting a white fireball on the floor.
"We're not afraid of you." Melissa bellowed, the strength of her voice causing Jack to wobble backwards.
"My sensors are picking up more contacts moving from both sides of the highway." Diana told the group, "We have to go before we are encircled."
"The blatant harlot fears me not, but terror doth make the brain rot." Springheel Jack sung, "When monsters past fill the slot, Mimi will scream for me." Jack swung his cape around over his face before revealing it again cackling manically, his eyes now yellow sunk in an elfin face covered in green skin.
"No you're in a coma." Melissa gasped backing away slowly. "You can't be here Osborne; you are locked away in the Raft rotting."
"I am here because you fear my return." Osborne snickered as the shadowy figures encircled the Thunderbolts, "And you're fear will keep you here with me."
Thunderbolts #10
The Thunderbolts fears are coming alive as they journey into the heart of the mystery gripping Port Fear. Will they triumph or will the Thunderbolts path to redemption be finished by Fear Itself.