Hey, Everyone! As anyone who watched the series knows, there was a time-skip of a week between the defeat of Graviton and the next episode. That's where/when we begin here in this chapter! Enjoy!
Chapter 4: The Day After
After escaping the Vault, the Scientist Supreme of AIM and his cohorts disabled all the tracking devices of the SHIELD transport they had stolen to evade detection and made good their escape with the Technovore and their Supreme Leader MODOK; an enormous human head atop a normal-sized body and limbs, requiring an anti-grav harness-chair for mobility and life-support.
Originally created in an experiment on a volunteer with the intent to create an organic computer without parallel, MODOK proved too powerful and took over the organization, using his vast psionic powers to rule with an iron hand. Upon MODOK's capture by SHIELD, AIM returned to how it was before, but now?
The AIM scientists and technicians all welcomed their master back as they arrived back at the secret HQ of AIM. Some were actually glad to see him return, having missed the efficiency with which he ran the organization, without ego or prejudice.
"Allow me to be the first to officially welcome you back, Lord MODOK", the Scientist Supreme stated in a shwarmy tone as they arrived. In truth, he had enjoyed being in charge again; out from under MODOK's absolute control.
"Indeed", MODOK toned, turning toward him. "Now I shall reward you for your efforts."
"AAAAUUUUUGH!", the supreme scientist screamed in agony as MODOK blasted him with a psionic beam inducing pain!
"YOU MADE NO EFFORT TO RESCUE ME WHEN I WAS CAPTURED!", MODOK roared, releasing the beam. "YOU LEFT ME TO ROT IN PRISON FOR MONTHS! THEN YOU ALLOWED YOURSELF AND SEVERAL OF AIM'S BEST TO BE CAPTURED! YOUR INCOMPETENCE COULD HAVE CRIPPLED AIM FOR YEARS, IF NOT PERMANENTLY! GIVE ME ONE GOOD REASON NOT TO ELIMINATE YOU AND REPLACE YOU WITH SOMEONE MORE COMPETENT TO BE MY PRIME SUBORDINANT!"
"P-Project: Dullahan! It-it's complete and ready for you, Sir!", the Supreme Scientist stammered. He had enjoyed leading AIM again, yes, but he was intelligent enough to hedge his bets if MODOK ever escaped and returned.
MODOK grinned wickedly. "Show me."
The Scientist Supreme regained his feet and led his master through the hallways of the facility to one of the larger fabrication labs. Inside was the thirty foot tall body of what was once a mutant-hunting "Sentinel" robot. But it had no head, just a securing collar on the neck-stump. It had also been repainted from the standard red and black to the same gold and purple of MODOK himself.
"The weapon-systems have been modified and upgraded with the most advanced in our arsenal", the supreme one stated. "The physical strength has been nearly doubled from the original design, and the outer armor now has a coating of carbonadium."
"Carbonadium?", MODOK repeated darkly. "My specifications called for vibranium and adamantium."
"Regretfully, we were unable to procure either, Lord MODOK", the Scientist informed him. "However, carbonadium is the result of an attempt to replicate adamantium by the former Soviet regime. While not quite as durable, it has a flexibility and versatility that adamantium lacks, and can be reproduced far more easily at less expense."
"Very well, an… acceptable substitution", MODOK stated. "And the neural-controls?"
"Per your specifications, my Lord. See for yourself."
MODOK flew up and lowered his hover-unit onto the locking-ring of the robot's neck; which twisted, turned, and clanked together with a beep. Then, an armored out-collar rose up from the shoulders around his head. Then the robot's arms flexed and the hands opened and closed into fists several times.
"As you can see, Lord MODOK, you can control that body as easy as you own, with virtually human-level reflexes and dexterity, and the weapons are at your command with but a thought", he concluded.
"YEEESSS!", MODOK reveled. "With access to this body, I shall never be defeated or captured again! Very well, you have earned yourself a reprieve. Now, update me on our contract project for Hydra. Baron Strucker also escaped when we did, so I am certain we will hear from him soon."
"I shall inquire immediately, Sir."
xxXXxx
Duncan looked out the window of the plane. He was flying back home to Vegas—First Class, rank has its perks!—after a call from his mom. There had been a number of mysterious deaths in the camp areas between the city and Lake Mead; bodies with no apparent cause of death reduced to lifeless husks. Bodies of people who had been seen happy and healthy days, or even just hours earlier! Some also had bruising or broken bones, pierced with cactus needles, and a few had the presence of gila monster venom; none of which would be lethal or possibly contribute to the strange cause of death. So definitely not the work of Trent Mathews, aka: Glacier, who had escaped in the Break-Out. Duncan had at first considered him a suspect, to lure him back home into a trap perhaps; but none of the victims showed any signs of cold damage.
But since Tony needed time to set up an HQ and logistics for this "Avengers" project, Duncan had time to look into it. What he didn't know, was that others had also taken an interest.
Thomas Fireheart, CEO of Fireheart Enterprises; and less known as the Puma: mystical superhuman champion of the Kisani Native American Tribe, and his company had offices in several major cities around the world, including Las Vegas. He had decided to investigate the strange killings due to the sizable investment his company had made in the upgrading, upkeep, and preservation of those lands; particularly the cellular towers that were getting repeatedly damaged. He first sent his cousin, Charles Little Sky, in with a security team. Only Charles escaped alive thanks to his mutant teleportation powers, but was still in a coma. So now the Puma himself would look into this, and punish whomever had dared to harm his kinsman.
When he heard of the unexplainable nature of the death of his old friend Vega Latoya of the Las Vegas PD, Alejandro Montoya, aka: El Aguila, left San Diego to get to the bottom of the greater mystery that had claimed the life of his friend.
Bonita Juarez, aka: Firebird, received a worried call from her childhood friend Isabelle Fuentes-Whitman about the mysterious killings, concerned because her family often spent time in the area; Bonita left Phoenix, Arizona to investigate to put her mind at ease.
Both sensing dangerous supernatural evil at work, the shamanic hero Red Wolf and ghostly cowboy hero Phantom Rider were drawn from their homes toward the darkness they sensed in the Nevada desert.
Drew Daniels and Victoria Star, aka: Texas Twister and Shooting Star, the star performers of the Legendary Wild West Show, were fed up with the run around and lack of progress from the authorities in solving the strange murder of Rip Roarin', the aging rodeo clown of the show who had been both show-biz mentor and a good friend to both. Rip had taken a break to go camping with his estranged daughter and her family to hopefully rebuild their relationship, when they were all killed.
Antonio Rodriguez, aka: the mutated, armored powerhouse Armadillo, was nervous. His fellow Unlimited-Class Wrestling Federation fighters 'Gator' Grant, Kidd Stuff, Steamroller, and Lumberjack had talked him into camping out in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area. And it would be dark in a few hours.
"But, amigos, ain't this near where all them weird killings have been happening?", he asked them as he finished digging the firepit with his claws.
"So what?", Kidd Stuff scoffed, setting up the tents. "You're scarier than anything out here!"
"Yeah, so am I", Gator added in his thick Cajun accent, snapping his jaws. "Ain't nothin' an' nobody out heuh dumb enough ta mess wid us, 'Dillo."
"So quit bein' such a big baby!", Steamroller barked impatiently.
"And on that cheerful note, I'm gonna go chop some firewood", Lumberjack said, walking off with a hatchet, rather disgusted with his 'friends' attitudes toward the mild-mannered Rodriguez. Despite his fearsome appearance, formidable abilities, and prison record, Armadillo was not a hardened criminal; he was in fact a rather kind soul. He originally volunteered as a test-subject in the genetic experiments that transformed him in exchange for the scientist curing his then-wife of a terminal disease she had. Sadly, she'd left the mutated Rodriguez not long after for another man, unable to deal with his new form. Lumberjack felt for the guy, just trying to make a legit living in a new life.
The others could be crude, but were ok. Kidd Stuff was a 'face' as they call it in the pro-wrestling biz; he played to the crowd as a good-looking fan-favorite, if a bit full of himself. He had been the first to befriend Armadillo.
Gator saw Armadillo as a 'fellow monster', and took him under his wing, giving the man a sense of camaraderie. They often 'tag-teamed' in the ring, Gator's more aggressive style meshing well with the more defense-oriented Rodriguez.
Steamroller portrayed himself as a 'heel' in the ring, and really wasn't much better outside it. But he had taken it upon himself to toughen Armadillo up psychologically, and so was trying to help him in his own weird way.
Lumberjack? He was kinda the glue that held them all together; the voice of reason as it were. He empathized with Rodriguez and his problems, and understood the well-intended if sometimes odd approaches of the others to help him.
xxXXxx
Hours later, night had fallen. Those seeking answers were prowling the trails and hills, as Red Dragon and Firebird each took to the skies over the area. Meanwhile the UCWF fighters had eaten dinner cooked over the large fire burning in the pit Armadillo had dug, and had settled down to drink some beers around said fire before retiring to their tents.
"HELP!", a Spanish accented voice called from the darkness.
"PLEASE HELP US!", a similar voice with a female tone joined it, as a latino pair ran into their firelight. Each was dressed in denim jackets, western shirts and boots. The beautiful, shapely girl had hers tied in a knot under her generous breasts and a denim mini-skirt; while the athletic guy wore jeans to complete his ensemble. The girl ran right into Kidd's arms.
"What's wrong?", Lumberjack asked urgently.
"Our camp down on the lakeshore was attacked by-by…diablos-monsteros!", the young man said. "Our amigos are dead! They chased mi sister and me! I-I don't know if they still are! PLEASE, POR FAVORE!"
"I got no signal", Kidd Stuff said, checking his phone. "We're on our own."
"*Grrrrrrrr!*I say we take a look, and crush whatever we find!", Gator growled.
"I agree we should check their trail if they were followed, but don't rush into trouble, Gator!", Lumberjack said cautiously. "Armadillo, you fan out with me and Gator. Steamroller, you stay here with Kidd and our guests."
"I don't take orders from you, 'Jack!"
"Chill out, Steamer", Kidd chided, the girl still in his arms. "Somebody's gotta stay here to protect them. And you & me are city-slickers; we'd be useless out there in the dark and you know it."
"Meh, FINE! Just don't think you can keep giving me orders, 'Jack, or I'll kick your…!"
"Yeah-yeah, I know", Lumberjack said. "We'll be right back."
"You're trembling", Kidd said to the girl as the others disappeared into the darkness beyond the firelight. "Come on, we'll sit closer to the fire."
"No!", she said quickly, then with a calm seductive smile. "No, I'll be ok if you just hold me. You are a very handsome man. And so strong."
"Yeesh, Kidd, always with the pretty girls", Steamroller huffed, sitting on a nearby rock.
"I know what you mean, gringo", the latino man agreed. "My sister is the same. She just devours men one after the other."
Out in the bush with the others, Lumberjack was thinking as he kept an eye out for anything strange. They had chosen their campsite for the great view it had of the lake. Armadillo had commented on how pretty the reflection of the Moon had looked on the water. Then Lumberjack realized; their guests said that their camp had been on the shore of the lake. They might not have seen it during the day, but they would have seen a campfire there after dark, but they hadn't. Strange.
Just then he heard the sounds of stone on stone, then a reptilian hiss.
"Guys? You hear that?", he called out.
"Si/Yup", they replied nearby.
Back in camp, Kidd was enjoying making out with the pretty Latina on his lap.
"No need to worry anymore, Bonita", he smiled. "I'll protect you."
"Would you die for me?", she breathed huskily.
"Of course", he said.
"Promise?", she hissed, then kissed him deeply….and his eyes bolted open as his life-force began to drain away into her! Desperate, he tried to break free, but he was paralyzed!
"WHAT THE HELL?!", Steamroller yelled, jumping up…. only for his throat be seized in the unholy grip of her brother, grinning viciously as he too began to drain the life from his victim!
The shout had gotten the attention of the others, who all turned to run back, but were set upon by problems of their own! Several boulders around Armadillo suddenly 'unrolled' into what appeared to be husky female bodybuilders made of stone and tackled him! A group of humanoid gila monsters leaped out of the darkness at Gator! Seeing this, Lumberjack tried to go help his reptilian friend only for the nearby stand of cacti to come to life, waving their 'arms' to shoot needles at him! Several broke off in either direction to help the other creatures.
"Break off! Back to camp!", Lumberjack yelled, felling a cactusoid with his axe. "We need the others!"
xXx
(Minutes earlier, just North of the camp)
Puma had been prowling the area since darkness fell. This section of the park had not yet had an incident, so logically it was likely to be next. His animal-like senses and tracking skills had picked up the unusual campers nearby, but also something he had never encountered before; something ….not human.
Then the wind shifted, and he picked up a distinctly canine scent, and a familiar human one. Then he heard the growl of a wolf from the shadows.
"You can come out, Red Wolf", Puma huffed impatiently. "I'd know your scent and that of your…. friend anywhere."
"I'm honored that you remember us, Puma", Red Wolf said with a touch of sarcasm, stepping out of the shadows with his wolf Lobo. He was dressed in his fringed leather pants and moccasin-like boots, Native-American beaded chest-plate, and red-wolf's head and skin hood-cape. Medicine-bag, tomahawk and knife on his belt, quiver with bow and arrows on his back. "But I'm curious as to what would bring the 'illustrious' Puma down from his ivory tower to here of all places?"
"The same thing as you, I imagine", Puma replied dryly. "These strange killings."
"They are supernatural in nature", Red Wolf said. "Dark Forces at work."
"Well, those 'dark forces' also put my cousin in a coma and killed the entire security team I sent in with him", Puma growled.
"You should have come yourself the first time, rather than sending the boy", Red Wolf sighed, disappointed. "He wasn't ready for something like this."
"Don't you think I know that, shaman?!", Puma snarled, his fur bristling.
Then they heard shouts of fear and pain, and ran toward them.
xXx
Texas Twister and Shooting Star had been riding the trails for hours, stopping to rest and water their horses Tornado and Comet when needed. They encountered a few park rangers and day visitors earlier, but nothing else for some time. They had spotted a campfire some distance away a while ago and headed toward it.
"Do you think they've seen or heard anything, Darlin'?", Twister asked his partner.
"Who knows", Star replied. "But even if they haven't, we should warn them of the danger if they don't know."
Just then, they heard shouts and commotion from the direction of the camp.
"Ah'm thinkin' they know there's trouble in these parts", Twister said as he and Shooting Starr spurred their horses to a gallop!
xXx
Further to the south, the Phantom Rider also heard, and urged his spectral horse Banshee faster, galloping across the surface of Lake Mead as easily as solid ground!
xXx
To the West, El Aguila saw what appeared to be a bird of fire in the sky! Thinking it could be a lead to what he was seeking, he spurred his horse Thunder faster to follow it!
xXx
Lumberjack and Gator made it back to camp first, with Armadillo covering their retreat. But what they found shocked them with sheer horror! The latino siblings whom they had thought they were sheltering in safety, were now dropping the lifeless husks of Kidd Stuff and Steamroller!
"Look, Brother-Dear", the girl grinned viciously, "the rest of our meal has returned."
"How kind of them to welcome us into their camp and serve themselves up, Sister", he sneered. "These 'superhumans' are tasty! Servants! Tenderize our meal and bring them to us."
The rock, cactus and gila creatures renewed their attacks on the three, now within the firelight. The stone amazons—Buttes—focused on the heavily armored Armadillo. The Gilas seemed to concentrate on Gator, though several engaged Jack as well as he tried to fight off the Cactusoids; difficult as they mostly kept their distance and shot waves of painful needles at him! Needles that were useless against Gator's crocodile-like hide and Armadillo's armor.
Gator was bigger and stronger than his red & black opponents, but he was struggling with their numbers. Two were grappling with his arms and another was on his back, all hissing and trying to bite through his tough, scaly skin. Another appeared in front of him and slammed its tail into his torso, then into his head on the back-stroke! Angered by pain, Gator threw the two on his arms at the one in front of him, then grabbed the one on his back to toss him into the tangled mess as they tried to get up. They and more surrounded him.
"Y'all lahk tails?! TRY MAHN!", he roared, then spun in a tail-sweep, knocking them all down or back. "HOW'D Y'ALL LAHK DAT?!"
Hissing aggressively, the two largest Gilas tackled Gator further into the campsight and held him down. He struggled mightily, even biting one on the arm, getting a bestial cry of pain; but the creature refused to release him. Then he felt hands around his neck, and his strength fading fast.
Lumberjack saw Gator get tackled in his peripheral vision, but was to occupied to do anything about it. Between dodging cactus needles and fighting humanoid gila monsters, he had his hands full!
"Hey, 'Dillo'! Try to help Gator!", he yelled, as he chopped down a Cactus that got too close after he punched away a Gila.
"I cannot, Amigo!", Armadillo replied, smashing a Butte with his claws. "There are too many! I smash one and two more take her place! And the ones I smash just reassemble themselves!"
"We Gotta….AAAGH!", Jack screamed in pain as a Gila bit the arm holding his axe, forcing him to drop it! The opening made, several Cactus hit him with needles as the gila venom took effect. Then they dragged him into the camp; right past the Brother feeding on Gator and to the waiting Sister.
"You…won't g-get away….with this", Jack gasped. "Even if you kill me, our friend…."
"Yes, the armored one", the Sister smirked as she started draining him. "His hide may be too strong for our servants to pierce, but he will tire eventually. And when he does, we will drain his life-force just as easily as yours or any living beings. But had we known the essence of superhumans was so delectable, we would have started hunting your kind long ago; wouldn't we, Brother?"
"Indeed, Sister", he replied, dropping the now dead Gator. "Gilas! Cactus! Aid your Butte sisters!"
All the minion creatures now swarmed toward Armadillo. The Buttes smashed apart, and the Cactus slashed to pieces by his huge claws; but they simply reassembled or grew back. Only the Gilas needed some time to recover after being knocked away, but even they were resilient. It was a hopeless battle, and Armadillo was starting to tire.
"GET AWAY FROM THEM!", a voice yelled from above, followed by a jet of flames near the Sister and Jack. Screaming, she released the man to get away from the fire just as a beautiful Latina wearing a phoenix-themed red and yellow costume complete with cape dropped from the sky with fire in her hands!
"HARLOT!", the Sister shrieked. "How dare you interrupt!"
"I only regret not getting here sooner!", Firebird retorted.
"Augh!", the Brother cried out behind her, an arrow piercing his shoulder from behind. Then a golden-brown blur wearing a red sleeveless costume tackled him as he turned to see where it had come from. He found himself staring into the snarling face of the Puma!
"What are you?!", Puma demanded. "You smell filthy! Unnatural!"
"SERVANTS!", both siblings called. A Gila grabbed Puma and wrestled him away, trying to bite and envenomate him. At the same time several Cactusoids moved to attack Firebird, who blocked their needles with her flames, while Armadillo continued to struggle with the Buttes.
"Gagh!", the Brother grunted as he plucked the arrow out of his shoulder. "Show yourself, Shaman! This shaft reeks of your mystical stench!", he hissed.
Red Wolf appeared, crouching atop a boulder in the firelight, Lobo on the ground beside it, growling. "Vile demons", he spit contemptuously. "I know what you truly are! Do you fear to show your true faces?"
"Ha! 'Fear'?", the Brother scoffed. "What have we to fear from a pest like you? We shall feast on all your souls and then I will tell the future in your entrails, Shaman!"
"Then I can assume that you are behind all the strange deaths around here recently then?", Firebird said, stepping into the face-off with the Brother, causing him to take a step back from Red Wolf. "A good friend of mine feared for her family's safety, and called me."
The Sister hissed in frustration, cut off from the others by Firebird's flames as she was. However, that barrier was fading as the heroine was occupied with her brother. Just a few moments more and she could help her brother deal with her and the bothersome Wolf-Shaman.
Puma savagely danced among the Gilas; slashing, biting, and striking. In the back of his mind, he was reminded of stories of battles between his rival Spider-Man and the villainous Lizard. But what these Gilas lacked intelligence they made up in numbers and a poisonous bite. Then he felt the sting of needles piercing his back! The split-second distraction enabled a couple of Gilas to wrestle him to the ground.
"YEEEE-HAAAAWW!", a voice whooped to the sound of horses galloping in, and wind picked up suddenly around Puma and Armadillo! The resulting flying dust and debris distracted the minions as gun-shots rang out. Bullet-holes punched right through the Cactus creatures while the star-tipped rubber-bullets bounced right off the Buttes and Gilas; though the Gilas hissed in pain at the assault as Texas Twister and Shooting Star rode into the fray!
The phalanx of Cactus turned on them to fire a barrage of needles, when another horse rode up beside them…..
"Ha-Ha! Fear not, comaradas!", the man called jovially as he drew his sword….. and fired a bolt of lightning at the Cactus creatures from it! The high water-content of the creatures boiled instantly, causing several of them to explode! El Aguila then leapt from the saddle to somersault in the air and land among those still standing, slashing with his sword! Twister and Star looked at each other in confusion for a moment, then rejoined the battle.
Finally the wall of flames had died down enough for the Sister to move, and she grinned wickedly as she stepped toward her Brother and the heroes…..
"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE, FOUL THING!", a deep, haunting voice commanded; followed by the shrieking neigh of a spectral-white horse that leaped over her from behind! Landing, it turned, presenting a rider dressed head-to-toe in white wild-west garb plus a full face-mask and white cape with pitch-black lining. A Legend of the Old West that had only grown more powerful into the modern day; the Phantom Rider! The Rider had one of his ghostly Colts aimed at the Sister.
"You dare to challenge me?!", she hissed furiously. "Galloping-Ghost of legend or not, you are NOTHING to me!"
To make her point, black lightning shot from her eyes, knocking the ghostly gunslinger from the saddle! Banshee reared then charged the Sister to prevent a second attack while his rider was down by rearing again to thrash his spectral-silver shod hooves at her as he got to his feet. The moment he was standing, the horse bolted for safety at the Rider's command.
The Brother hurled a boulder at Red Wolf and shot black lightning at Firebird, forcing both to dodge. But in his furor, he had forgotten about Lobo…. until the wolf latched painfully onto his forearm and tried to drag him to the ground!
"Graaaaaugh! Mongrel! DIE!", he snarled as he hurled the Lobo away from him and into a cluster of small boulders nearby.
"LOBO!", Red Wolf cried, concerned for his friend. The Brother smiled viciously, aiming to blast the shaman in the back as he was bent over the injured wolf….. but was blocked by a wall of Firebird's flames.
"Is he all right?", she asked as she kept up the protective fires.
"He will live", Red Wolf confirmed. "But he is pretty banged up. Lobo is out of this fight." He carried the softly whimpering Lobo to the relative shelter of a large boulder.
The Sister lifted a large log that the UCW performers had been using to sit by the campfire, in order to throw it like an oversized spear at the Rider, but dropped it when he shot her in the shoulder with a spectral bullet! Her arm was now paralyzed and hung limp and useless! "BROTHER! THIS IS TAKING TOO LONG! I MUST SUMMON THE REST OF OUR SERVANTS!"
"DO IT, SISTER!", he replied.
The Sister then let out an unholy, keening shriek that could have shattered every window and neon light on the Vegas Strip! Dozens of Buttes, Gilas, and Cactusoids within hearing distance started running toward it, as did two other creatures under the Siblings' control…. And another being heard, and saw the fires, and started flying in at his best speed!
"Darlin', if what Ah'm guessin' is rahght, we're gonna have us a whole mess more a' these things here any minute!", Twister Said urgently.
"Ah reckon yer rahght, Honey", Star agreed. "You gotta do it! Take out as many a' these things as ya can before more git here!"
"Take Cover, Friends!", Twister yelled out as he focused his power. For the Texas Twister has the power to Sow the Wind, Reap the Whirlwind, and Harness the TORNADO! With practiced focus and care, his localized tornado collected up the minion creatures, and spun them about as if in a gigantic blender! The Buttes battered and broke each other, the fragments reduced the Cactusoids to pulp, and the Gilas were all battered and broken by the time the Twister released them. Few of the reptiles were left alive, and those were far too injured to move, let alone fight. And the winds had scattered the Butte pieces far and wide, so reassembly would take a very long time. The gathered heroes caught their collective breath, thanks to the reprieve he had given them.
"Why….didn't you… do that… sooner?", Puma panted, just before Twister collapsed against Star.
"That's why", Star said sharply. "Taxing his powers to the limit lahk that drains him totally. You're welcome."
"Gracias, all of you", Armadillo breathed. "But now I think we should help the others before the reinforcements that puta called arrive, si?"
"Si, mi amigo!", El Aguila said enthusiastically.
"How are you even here, demon?!", Red Wolf demanded, facing the Brother alongside Firebird. "You were both killed, and your master destroyed! And the Adversary has not returned! Such a disturbance in the ether would have been sensed by every shaman, witch, and wizard on the planet, so he could not have resurrected you."
"The Adversary? HAH!", the Brother scoffed. "My Sister and I have been reborn to those far greater than that foolish trickster! And while embarking on our new mission, we happened upon some long-defeated alien invader's facility where he had created those creatures to serve as his minions. This 'Dominus' was long since gone, but a great many of his creations remained, including a few prototypes he never used. We found that artificial life-force was….. distasteful, but that we could easily bend them to our will. Afterall, they had been created to serve."
The name 'Dominus' rang a bell for Firebird. Something about a battle with some of the X-Men about two years earlier at a nearby military base that got mostly hushed up by the government. Wait, two years?! That means…!
"Those creatures were innocent!", Firebird seethed, her flames flaring. "They had been out here all this time, harming no one, keeping to themselves, not even being seen, until you forced them to serve you!"
She lifted off as the others arrived beside Red Wolf and heard her words. Meanwhile, the Phantom Rider had maneuvered around the Sister to where she was nearly back-to-back with her Brother. Seeing the Rider was facing the Sister alone, Armadillo curled up and rolled around the twins to his side to even the odds.
"Kidd Stuff was the first person to reach out his hand to be my friend after I became…. this", Armadillo said bitterly. "And you killed him, you puta!"
"The handsome one? Yes, his essence was delicious", she smiled, licking her lips. "I wonder if yours will be as sweet, creature."
"You will never find out, witch!", the Rider hissed, both guns on her.
"FIREBIRD! YOU ARE THE KEY! FIRE IS THEIR WEAKNESS!", Red Wolf called up to her.
"Of course", she realized, remembering how they had avoided flames earlier. She quickly surrounded them in a tight ring of intense fire, singing their hair and clothes. They screeched in pain!
"CURSE YOU! YOU FORCE US TO REVEAL OUR TRUE FORMS! BUT IN SO DOING, YOU HAVE DOOMED YOURSELVES!", the Brother screamed, as he and his Sister morphed into horrific, monstrous forms; the heads and faces of angry owls, heavily muscled arms and taloned paws of mountain lions, and huge rattlesnake tails in place of legs!
"What the Hell?", Twister summed up for most as the creatures used their tails to beat down the flames around them.
"Eye Killers", Red Wolf answered. "Soul-sucking demons of the West. They have plagued the Native Nations for centuries. Many times they were thought destroyed, only to return, often thanks to their master, the Trickster known as the Adversary. But he is dead."
"I hear more of the other creatures coming", Puma growled.
"As do I", Red Wolf confirmed.
"*sniff-sniff*But I smell something else, too", Puma growled, readying his claws. "Coming from-*sniff*-THERE!", he pointed upward toward to the top of a rock outcropping.
"SKORP! KILL THE FIRE-GIRL!", the Brother commanded. The phoenix-like latina was the biggest threat to them, best remove her and be done with it quick!
"*SKREEEE!*", the creature shrieked, leaping off out of the shadows to tackle Firebird out of the air! It appeared to be a massive, twisted mockery of a centaur and a scorpion! The full body of a desert scorpion, but instead of the 'face' of the arachnid, was a humanoid torso and head, with a pair of muscular arms with secondary scorpion claws in place of hands! The humanoid face was framed by six horn-like spikes and the six eyes were black pits. Even the human-like parts were covered by a yellowish brown chitinous shell.
Just as the others moved to help Firebird, the Eye Killers attacked, shooting black lightning from their eyes at the heroes, forcing them to scatter. Armadillo crossed his armored arms to take the brunt of the Sister's blast while the Rider tried to flank her, firing ghost-bullets at her. Unfortunately, she blocked them with an easily plucked up log.
Red Wolf shot an arrow, which the Brother swatted from the air, but hissed in pain from touching the Spirit-blessed projectile. Then he grunted as several rubber bullets hit him in succession as Shooting Star strafed him at a run and dove for cover when he tried to blast her in response.
Puma dodged and pounced this way and that, getting closer, planning to take the Brother head-on with his bare claws, while El Aguila and Twister turned to deal with the reinforcements that were starting to arrive.
Meanwhile, Firebird was struggling to survive against this beast called Skorp! It's shell seemed resistant to her fire, at least what little she could as it relentlessly attacked with claws and stinger! It was incredibly fast for it's size; it was all she could do to stay alive, let alone counter-attack.
"*SKREEE!*", it sneared in malicious victory when it finally caught all four of her limbs in it's pincher-like claws, and raised it's tail, the huge stinger dripping with venom.
"NO!", she screamed as it descended toward her…..
…to get slammed in the side by a blur from the sky! The shock of impact made Skorp release Firebird, but Red Dragon wasn't done! He held onto the tail and spun the beast around several times then threw him bodily into the other minions! He then unleashed a concentrated stream of fire-breath at it, pushing it back further while it screamed in pain.
Now able to breathe and concentrate, Firebird joined him in blasting Skorp with flames. Unlike the other creatures, she had seen genuine malice in the eyes of this thing as it tried to kill her. Finally, it died burning under the onslaught, and the others backed away from the fire.
"I was searching for trouble, when I saw the flames and heard the commotion", Duncan said as he a Firebird joined the others. "I came as fast as I could, but I was miles away."
"Better late than never, partner", Twister smiled.
"Brother, the odds are against us! We must escape!", the Sister hissed quietly, still facing Armadillo and the Rider on her side while all the others facing her Brother began to fan out to surround them.
"Agreed", he conceded reluctantly. Both sent barrages of black lightning at the heroes and the surrounding terrain, causing them to either block or take cover, as well as raising a blinding cloud of dust and smoke. When it cleared, the Eye Killers and their remaining minions were gone.
"Well, that just happened", Red Dragon said, breaking the silence.
"Red Dragon", Puma growled softly. "I thought you were in New York now."
"Puma", Duncan nodded. "I heard what was happening here in my old backyard and thought I should take a look. But why are you here? This doesn't seem big enough to get you to come down out of your ivory tower. And I can't imagine anyone willing to pay your fee for something like this."
"Enough", Red Wolf interrupted as Puma was about to snarl a reply back at the young hero. "We have bigger problems. Even outnumbered as they were, it is unlike those demons to simply cut and run. They have also been feeding far more in recent days than they normally would, given the amount of attention it has garnered."
"What exactly were them thangs?", Texas Twister asked.
"Eye Killers", the Phantom Rider replied in his deep, ghostly voice. "Ancient demons of the West. They fed upon the life-force of the Native Tribes here for countless centuries before the white-men came."
"They have, at times, been defeated and driven off, even killed, by great shaman and mighty warriors but they always returned; resurrected by their master, the dark one known as the Trickster or the Adversary", Red Wolf continued. "But several years ago, he was destroyed, so I do not know who or what returned them from the dead this time."
"They came into our camp pretending to be people in trouble, and killed mi amigos", Armadillo said. "My friends were all super-strong, but those things killed them so easily."
"Deception is but one of their weapons", Red Wolf nodded. "Their powers are great."
"Yet they have a great weakness to fire", Firebird added, flaming up her hand.
"Indeed", the shaman agreed. "Fire is their greatest weakness, as are weapons blessed by the Spirits, as mine are."
"The Brother seemed desperate to keep me away from him as well", Puma said, remembering the fear in the demon's eyes as he grappled with it.
"You are the mystic protector of your tribe, Puma", Red Wolf stated. "As such, you are literally a living weapon against them. What concerns me is that not only are the Eye Killers displaying greater powers than they ever had before, but they somehow found and gained control of those other creatures."
"Let's face it, my friends, had any of us come across this situation alone, we would have been killed", Shooting Star said.
"Indeed", the Rider agreed. "Though I would have survived, I could not have prevailed, and been forced to retreat."
"Gracias for saving my life", Firebird said to Red Dragon, to which he nodded with a smile.
"Then let us all introduce ourselves and explain how we all came to be here on the trail, mi amigos?", El Aguila suggested, mounting his horse. "For the trail grows cold as we speak!"
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Author's notes: Puma's cousin Charles Little Sky is the mutant known as Portal, and he will become more important much later in the story.
The version of the Phantom Rider I am using is the ghost of Carter Slade—the original to take up the mantle in the name of Justice during the Old West—possessing the body of his descendant Hamilton Slade to grant him ghostly powers.
I took the creative license of making Red Wolf a shaman on top of his other powers, as I felt it was required.
Rip Roarin is my OC, and the wild-west show is my own contrivance for the story.
In the comics, Shooting Star's bullets were star-shaped, which makes no sense, so I've changed them such that the tips look star-shaped when you look at them head-on. They are rubber for her tricks in the show, and thus non-lethal to criminals but hurt like hell!
Firebird's childhood friend Isabelle Fuentes-Whitman is my nod to the Rom-Com movie "Fools Rush In", starring Salma Hayek and Matthew Perry. What can I say? I'm a big softy, and that movie is a fav of mine!
The 'Skorp' creatures are my OC's of minions that Dominus created but never got a chance to use; kind of a combination of the D&D man-scorpion and the monstrous form of the Scorpion King from "The Mummy Returns".
As always, long reviews and suggestions are welcome! Flames will be use to light jack o'lanterns!
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