Shadows of the Past, Part 2 (Finale)

Quan, Dark King and Stalker are gone. The rest of the heroes are soon to follow against an invulnerable enemy. Who is left to save the heroes when even they can't save themselves?

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Chapter VII

 

The Quantum Field is almost more of a thought than a physical place.  Comprised of all matter and energy, it is a limitless void that exists only between the ticks of a clock and the space between atoms.  Although it permeates every aspect of reality, it is barely noticeable to most beings.  Modern day Quantum Theory is getting closer to explaining it, but even leading theorists are having a hard time fully explaining it as they cannot test it, experiment with it or evaluate it.  There’s no way to create a control group where it does not exist in order to determine its properties since it permeates everything.  Some are now referring to one of its properties as Dark Matter.  Others constructed String Theory to describe other pieces of it.  All are only partially correct.

 

It’s akin to breathing air.  You notice it when it blows against you but don’t normally think about it.  You do, however, notice it when it’s gone.  It’s as necessary to life as breath.  Fortunately, the flow is normally ever-present.

 

If one was capable of applying the visible spectrum to it and actually reside inside it, it would appear to be an endless field of green, although truthfully it was anything the heart could desire.  For beings capable of existing in the raw quantum flow, the experience is more of being in a permanent dream like state rather than reality.  Their consciousnesses formed the flow into whatever they wanted.  The more connected a being is to the flow, the more “real” the flow could seem to that person and the more reactive it is to their mental projections.

 

These beings were few and far in-between.  One such being, someone who is now capable to practically go anywhere, patiently waited there now.  Covered head to foot in white linen, she stood on the side of what appeared to be a small grassy hill.  A breeze in the trees nearby was refreshing.  Small songbirds danced around it above her head in the bright blue sky.  Large, billowing white clouds occluded the sun only slightly, giving them long silvery edges. 

 

It was a good and peaceful dream but it wasn’t her dream.  This dream belonged to someone else and that was why she was here.  This dream should not exist, well not yet anyway.

 

Sitting at the top of the hill was a young boy.  He was clothed only in a pair of faded blue jeans and a straw hat.  She began walking up the hill towards him.  As she got closer, he turned to look at her with big blue eyes.  A smile crossed his face and he stood up.  Running over, he gave her a big hug.

 

“I knew you’d come!”  His voice was cherub like, being so young.  His smile was contagious.

 

“How could I not?”  She smiled back.  As she did, she ran her fingers across his back and found long battle scars crisscrossing his small form.  The pain he was hiding from himself was evident to all but he couldn’t see it.  He was not ready to accept the truth of his own existence and he had little time.

 

“How did you find me?”  He sat down again on the grassy hillside.  She sat beside him.

 

She made eye contact with him.  Connecting to another person can be so hard at times.  “Someone who loves you very much sent me.  Your work is not done, Thomas.”  She looked up and saw storm clouds beginning to form on the horizon.  She knew they weren’t real and she expected them.  They were evidence of the spark of remembrance he needed.  It would be painful for him, but there was no other way other than the direct approach.

 

Thomas, for his part, looked confused.  “How do you know my name?”  His brow furrowed as if he was deeply troubled.  His expression at once became much dourer. 

“I know a lot about you.”  Her smile was reassuring as she began, looking deeply into his eyes and examining him carefully.  She chose her words slowly.  “You were once a hero on your world, admired by many.  Then something happened.  You changed, didn’t you?”

 

Thomas touched his temple with his hand and the clouds on the horizon began moving in towards them from all directions. “I, I don’t remember.”  He tried to break eye contact but found that he could not.  He didn’t want to face the truth.  He’d hidden from it for so long now…

 

The young lady continued, maintaining eye contact, “You were once a great hero, the Elemental of Fire.  You went by the name Firebrand.  The change you underwent was traumatic.  It hurt.  It left a long scar on your soul…”

 

Thomas put his heads in his hands, covering his eyes.  He could not face the truth.  It hurt too much.  His failure had hurt too deeply.  The storm clouds had completely occluded the sun and a strong wind was picking up. 

 

His head hurt badly.  As much as he tried to deny it, he knew the truth.  He had denied it to himself.  It was too painful to remember.  The strong wind was ripping through the trees, breaking branches and flinging debris now.   Neither of them was bothered by it.  It was almost as if they were becoming detached from the reality around them.

 

As the young lady continued, he could hear her words more clearly than ever as if she was projecting them into his mind.  “You sacrificed your life to save your friends.  You were merged with the Quantum Field and in the pain forgot who you were.  You became the Quantum Elemental.”

 

Thomas stood up.  He was no longer a young boy, but rather a fully grown man.  The pain in his head was unbearable.  He screamed, “I don’t know who you are but I’m at peace here!  Who are you?  Why are you here?”  Violent bolts of lightning lit up the sky, although the thunder was muted.  The wind continued to grow and was whipping the long strands of grass roughly, but reality was fading.  Thomas’ control over the Quantum Flow was ebbing as they continued.

 

The young lady stood up and removed her linen cloak. Underneath was a head of bright red hair.  Large, white wings stretched out on either side of her, oblivious to the intense wind.  She smiled and Thomas immediately recognized her.

 

“Cassandra…”  The recognition of her did something to him.  The surrounding landscape and sky faded away completely.  The sounds of strong wind and thunder drifted off.  He found himself floating in a milky, light green nothingness.   She was still in front of him.    

 

Cassandra had given her life some time ago to defeat the deadly demi-god, Barthandalus.  Her sacrifice saved millions.  For her to be here must mean he was surely dead.

 

She looked at him with compassion, as if she filled with a deep caring.  Reaching out to him, she touched his forehead and peace filled his body and soul.

 

“You are not dead.  You are tied to this place like a fish is tied to water.  The Aesir simply opened a doorway here and pushed you inside.  They were afraid that your death could release your energy and destroy them all so they compromised, hoping you would remain here long enough that it wouldn’t matter anymore.”  Thomas looked at his hands.  His skin was transparent and glowed in the same manner the quantum flow around him glowed.

 

“Your work is not done.  You must go back.  Your friends need you.  Its time to remember who you are…” 

 

Cassandra’s powers on Earth involved healing and she was sent for a purpose.  She had brought people back from the brink of death before her own demise.  At long last his wait was over.  She now healed Quan’s soul…

 

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StrongArm and PkPkay stood back to back.  They powered up the armors and weapons Jumper had given them, aimed carefully and let loose on the nearby Shadow constructs.  They were both powerful heroes and didn’t hold back in their assaults.  Each hero directed their considerable power through their gauntlets, generating brilliant lines of green energy at the Shadows.  Both Shadows let out cries of pain and fell back.  The rest of the heroes powered up and did the same.  The sounds of automatic weapons and energy bolts were everywhere as the assembled heroes fought back.

Try as they might, the Shadows could not penetrate the energy enhanced armor.  Even the men present, wielding only manmade firearms, were protected to a degree.  Slowly but surely, the team began to reverse their fortunes.  Following Ice's tactical lead, the team forced their way outside the circle and divided the Shadows into two large groups.  He was proving to be a highly capable leader in Dark King’s absence.

 

Dark Queen Jelousy and Dark Ness hit one of the Shadows together using Jumper's gear.  Weakening it greatly, two men stepped forward with automatic weapons and unloaded into it.  The blow was too much and the Shadow vaporized.

 

The Aesir on the roof of the Citadel were shocked.  In all their travels nobody had ever done this.  As they stood there in disbelief, one of the Shadow Constructs was obliterated as Vera BluSkai and Vindy Blade poured on the heat.  The Aesir controlling that particular Shadow developed a nose bleed and for the first time in centuries the Aesir were afraid.

 

Dormir let his three Shadows melt away as he chose to let them go.  He began to assess the situation to formulate a plan.  It’s what he did best.  Centuries ago, he was the tactician responsible for the success of the Aesir uprising on the Earth in which they were created.  He now had an opportunity to use that incredible intellect again. 

 

They could not be allowed to live, but how would they accomplish the feat if even the Shadow Constructs could not stop them?  Truly, the Aesirs’ worst fear had been realized.  Somehow, the humans on Prime Earth had mastered control over the quantum flow and were now using it to effectively fight the Shadows.  In the dozens upon dozens of worlds the Aesir had destroyed nobody had ever done that.  Even without the Quantum Elemental, they may be too late.

 

This was an even fight.  That would not do.  The Aesir needed something more powerful than a Shadow.  But what?  They needed a weapon they had never envisioned before.

 

He then had an idea.  A wicked smile crossed his lips as he began something new.

 

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Below the Aesir, high on the top of the citadel, the Dark Kings and Gods Knights were battling for their very lives.  The Shadows were attacking in waves and although their armor was holding up well, their weapons were having issues.  Occasionally they would cut out and fail to function.  They obviously needed fine tuning, but there was no time. 

 

The weapons fundamentally worked though, even if they could use improvement.  StrongArm pinned a shadow to the ground and poured on the heat, blowing it into a fine mist.  That was only the third one they had taken out as a team, but it was working.  Jumper had basically done it.  At this rate, the battle was theirs.  Atop the citadel, he could see one of the Aesir slump over as Legend Seeker tore another Shadow in half. 

 

As he watched, he saw one of them, smaller than the rest, raise his arms up and sway back and forth.  The others joined him and a melodic singing filled the air all around the heroes.  The Shadows withdrew towards the citadel, stopping in the shade of a large tree halfway there.  The team took the opportunity to regroup. 

 

Dark Aztec God’s armor had been pierced yet his injuries were light.  Nobody else was dead.  Legend Seeker ran a quick check everyone’s power cells and found them draining quickly.  Without the power cells powering the conversion technology which changed their own superhero energy to quantum blasts… he preferred not to think about it.

 

Then something strange happened.  One by one, the Shadows melted into the ground in the shade of the large willow tree.  From that darkness, an oily black substance began to bubble up out of the ground.  The bubbles built upon themselves as if a fountain of oil were pushing higher and higher.  It grew taller and taller until it finally crested the tree some 40’ in the air. 

 

One leathery wing spread forth.  Another extended from its other side.  Four tentacle shapes extended from its mid-section and formed into gigantic claws, each finger the size of a grown man.  Finally, two huge purple eyes opened.  They blazed with an inner fire.

 

Ice didn’t wait for it to fully form.  He’d seen monstrosities before and knew danger when he saw it.  At his command the team opened fire as one.  Every hero present blasted it with everything they had.  It quickly clamped its impervious wings around itself as the withering barrage hit it.  After a few seconds, when it stopped moving, Ice held up his hand and stopped the assault.  There was no sense in draining their energy if they had won.

 

A guttural sound could be heard emanating from the massive construct.  As its invulnerable wings unfurled, it revealed itself to be unharmed by the combined might of both teams.  More swiftly than any of them could react, a claw shot forth and hit StrongArm in the chest.  His armor flashed bright green for just a moment before it failed in a shower of sparks.  Strong Arm collapsed on the ground, a gaping hole in his right shoulder.  A second claw shot out and grabbed Legend Seeker by the arm.  Flicking its wrist, the gigantic Shadow flung him hard against a nearby tree.  He fell to the ground unmoving. 

 

The heroes spread out and attacked again.  They weren’t going down without a fight.

 

Ice touched the comm. on his neck as he bent over StrongArm to check his pulse.  He was still alive.  “Boss, we could sure use your guidance about now.”

 

There was no answer…             

 

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Chapter VIII

 

The Shadow’s grip on Jumper’s neck was tight.  He couldn’t move.  As it tightened its grip, he felt the blood pressure build in his head.  Right then, a bright flash lit up the camp.  Jumper couldn’t tell if it was merely the stars in his eyes from a lack of oxygen or if something had happened.  The Shadow’s grip loosened and he fell to the earth, gasping for air.  He’d never felt such power before.

 

A strong hand grabbed his arm and pulled him behind the tree.  Looking up, he could see the face of the old man who he met when he arrived earlier in the day.  He was putting his finger to his lips, “shhhhh”.  As Jumper slowly regained his senses, he looked around the tree and saw Dark SSSnakeyO in the middle of the camp engaging two of the Shadows with the armor and weapons Jumper had given him.  His movements were lightning fast. 

 

As Jumper watched, the hero chose to use his powers to control the visible spectrum outside his armor and gauntlet.  A bright burst of light emanated from his outstretched palm, temporarily blinding the Shadows around him.  Using his other hand, he delivered a powerful blow to one of them in the chest, unleashing a wave of quantum force into it.  The Shadow staggered backwards writhing in pain. 

 

Jumper opened his gauntlet quickly.  The battery was smoking and leaking.  It had taken a strong blow.  He ripped it out, oblivious to the acid, and slapped in his spare as quickly as he could.  He had but one spare.  He had to build these so quickly that he had no time to build up a reserve and his was the only suit with an extra.

 

He rounded the tree in time to catch another blast of white light.  Another shadow writhed to the ground in agony as SSSnakeyO planted another solid blow on it with his gauntlet, but this time the gauntlet started sparking.  Jumper flew up to it and hit it with his strongest blast.  Moments later the Shadow was nothing but vapor. 

 

SSSnakeyO's method of attack was highly effective, but the gauntlet itself was not designed for such a use and the power cell casing was rupturing.  Dark SSSnakeyO managed to get it off his arm before it caught on fire and melted.  As Jumper finished off the 2^nd Shadow, a large claw caught the Dark King from behind and knocked him to the ground. 

 

Jumper heard a yelp from behind him and turned to see SSSnakeyO pinned face down on the ground by a third Shadow, it's claws digging into his armor which was flickering on and off.  Jumper held his gauntlet up to unleash everything he had on it and the gauntlet fizzled once and died.  The blow to the tree must have been done more damage than he thought. 

 

Seeing no threat in Jumper, the shadow raised its claws and began raking them across Dark SSSnakeyO’s armor.  Jumper took off his gauntlet and shot a Shurikien Fury attack at the Shadow.  It hardly noticed as it continued tearing into him.  Jumper threw himself at it, but it was faster.  Reaching behind it with a free claw, it grabbed him by the chest and began squeezing.  Jumper's armor lit up and stopped the claws from ripping through him, but he was finding it hard to breathe.  A second later, he felt a rib break.  His armor began buckling.  Looking down, he saw that Dark SSSnakeyO’s armor had been torn wide open.  His back was bleeding freely.

 

The Shadow slammed Jumper into the ground and two more lethal claws emerged from the Shadow’s midsection.  With both heroes pinned and their weapons useless, it was not looking good.

 

Without warning, the Shadow vanished.  A puff of black smoke and the pain the two heroes were experiencing was all that indicated it was ever there at all.  Jumper rolled over and put his fingers on his companion’s jugular.  He still had a heartbeat, although it was faint.  His breathing was erratic.  Several women came running and began tending to his wounds.  He is one brave SOB, Jumper thought.

 

Multiple hands picked Jumper up and got him to his feet.  The men and women ushered him past the tent line to a set of trees outside the camp.  Lying on the ground, unconscious, was a tall man wearing light purple robes.  He was albino and had sharp features.  His only color came from the dark blood that ran down his forehead from the blow that sent him unconscious.  Several men were busy tying him up while others were hefting a young adolescent on their shoulders, apparently the youth that had dealt the blow to the Aesir.  Seeing Jumper, the lad hefted a heavy looking tree limb up into the air as if to say, "I did it!".  

 

Turning back to their captive, Jumper let out a deep sigh.  “I highly recommend you gag and blindfold him.”  Hetook his smoking gauntlet off.  “I’d like to introduce you to an Aesir.  He has formidable mind control abilities and will be dangerous when he wakes up."

“Blindfold him?  Gag him?”  One of the men was bringing over a rope.  Another chuckled.  A hangman’s noose was tied to one end.  He threw it up in the willow around the largest branch and it hung down ominously.  “We had something else in mind.”

Jumper protested yet it did no good.  Before the deed was done, he decided to walk away.  This was not his world and a hero here meant something totally different than where he had come from. 

 

Sitting down in the camp, he felt the warmth of the fire and wondered if Stalker was having any luck.

 

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The chamber was only very dimly lit.  There were no windows and the ceiling was vaulted somewhere above their heads.  The air was humid and stunk of mold.  The silence was only broken by a moan.

“Ooooohhhh…. This hurts worse than the time I spent 3 days in that brothel in New Tokyo…”  Dark King was rubbing his head vigorously.  Stalker could sympathize.  His own head was a splitting mess.  It was hard to see straight.

 

Although they could see now, it was only due to the dim torchlight some 20' above them.  The room they were in was not large.  It was about 20’ square, with only two small benches to provide creature comfort.  He propped himself up on one. 

 

“I thought we were dead.  What happened?”  Stalker’s voice was thick as he tried to wipe away the cobwebs.

 

“I’ll tell you what happened, Stalker.  You too, Dark King…”  The voice was musical in a way, like wind chimes and seemed to come out of nowhere.  A doorway in the wall opened up and a thin Aesir strode in.  

At the sound of the Aesir’s musical voice, Stalker and Dark King were drained of energy.  Whatever it was, it had complete mental control over them and their bodies went limp where they sat.

 

“We expected you and were projecting false images in your minds nearly the moment you arrived.  We just needed to study you a bit before we could learn your True Names and control you.  Making you think you were dying was just for fun." The Aesir's smile was sadistic.  "Of course we couldn't have done it without your friend's assistance.”

Behind him, WnAgEbOy stepped into the room. 

 

Dark King’s eyes opened wide, “WnAgEbOy!  Watch out!”

 

“It’s a little too late for that warning,” the Aesir chuckled.  "Had it not been for his timely intervention, we might not have been able to separate you from that infernal elemental."

Stalker attempted to stand but was powerless.  He cut his eyes over to Dark King and saw him having the same difficulty.  

“That b*****d was perfectly immune to our mind control."  Spitting on the floor in disgust, he frowned and turned to the paralyzed heroes.  "Rise my pets.  Follow me.”

 

It as as if the three heroes had marionette strings and the Aesir stood over them controlling their every motion.  He was a massively powerful psionic.  The mighty heroes dutifully obeyed, unable to do otherwise.

 

As they walked through the abysmal halls of bone, the Aesir continued as if he was talking to himself, “We have one last task for you three before we release you to death’s embrace.”

 

Stalker tried to use his power to teleport away, but couldn’t manage it.  He was helpless.

 

“You will contact the Gods Knights on Prime Earth and notify them that everything is perfectly fine.  The Aesir have moved on.  They can stand down.  We don't need any more super-powered beings posing a challenge to us en-masse when we arrive.”

 

Another door opened and they stood in a room containing the communication equipment WnAgEbOy had used in his first contact with the Gods Knights team.  The room was a perfect replica of the Gods Knights' base on this planet, complete with an gaping hole in the roof.  Standing puddles of water sat on the floor to complete the effect.  Three Shadows stood silently nearby.

 

WnAgEbOy walked to the console and switched it on.  As it warmed up, Stalker could feel the Aesir digging deeper into his mind, accessing everything from his knowledge to his own personality.  His willpower disappeared.  The world shifted and he could no longer see the Aesir or Shadows in the room.  Sunlight seemed to stream in from the hole in the roof now.

 

Stalker could feel his mind slip.  It was as if he was watching tv.  Moments later, he looked at Dark King and they started joshing with each other. 

 

WnAgEbOy smiled and turned to the two, jokingly saying, “See, I told you we never needed to ask them over!” 

 

Everyone smiled and WnAgEbOy began eagerly working the communication console to give the Gods Knights the good news that the Aesir were gone…

 

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The battle was not going well for the heroes outside.  Dormir’s plan was working all too well and the gigantic Shadow Construct was destroying the rag-tag fighters one by one.  He called the strike force prepping to go to the gate back for the assault and now he had 26 Aesir on the roof controlling its motions as one team.  It was worth the effort.  The trip to Prime Earth could wait for a moment longer while they all had some fun.

 

The heroes had fought as long as they could.  Their batteries were nearly depleted and few had any fight left in them.  Ice, with a gaping gash across his chest, collapsed on one knee as his gauntlet’s battery ran out of juice, the last little bit sputtering and dying.  He saw Vexator flying around the beast, the only flying hero left who wasn’t injured.  He was vainly attempting to use any attack he had to hurt it.  Vex was completely out of energy too and his armor was in tatters but he kept on fighting.

 

The Shadow thrust a claw at Ice and pinned him to the ground.  Another claw formed from his midsection and hovered over his head, ready to deliver the killing blow.  Ice closed his eyes and whispered a quick prayer, preparing for the end.  He closed his eyes.  It was all over now. 

 

As the monstrosity bore down on him a bright light filled the sky above.  The giant Shadow turned and looked upward, covering its eyes with a large wing.  The cloud cover swirled as a bright star appeared hovering over the tree tops.  A gateway opened up and the air was charged with electricity.

 

As the light faded, a single figure could be seen stepping through the gateway and floating in the air over the field of battle.  He raised his hands up in the air and the clouds immediately broke, sending rays of brilliant sunlight down to the field below. 

 

The gigantic Shadow bellowed and fell away from the sunlight as best as it could, but was surrounded by it.  It was so huge that there was nowhere to hide.  The Aesir on the rooftop recoiled from the intense light and several lost concentration, further weakening the giant.

 

The figure immediately shot to the swamp below and landed hard.  A wave of green energy erupted from the impact crater and washed over the field of battle.  The Shadow reeled back in pain from the energy and the sunlight.  Ice watched as the energy to his armor and suit was immediately recharged.  All of the heroes and the few men standing watched the same thing happen. 

 

Crouched in the center of the crater was Quantum Elemental as the smoke and spray of the impact cleared.  He poured his own power into the swampy earth.  The waves of energy used the water as a conduit, transmitting power to the armor and weapons of the brave heroes around him.  He stared up at the Shadow, his eyes ablaze, “Hit it now!”

 

The remaining heroes trained every last bit of energy they had onto the creature.  It writhed in pain and attempted to block with its wings to no avail.  Hattori and Vexator each grabbed a flailing arm and with their enhanced strength held the Shadow still as best as they could.  In unison, Dark Ness and PkPkay shot up in the air straight at it.  Dark Ness emitted a bright flash of light in front of it, disorienting and weakening it while PkPkay shot straight at its midsection.  With one mighty blow he blasted through its chest leaving a smoking, burning hole as he erupted from the other side.  The heroes’ armor was taxed to the limit by the attack and simply fell apart after the blow.  It didn’t matter.  The creature screamed a primordial noise once and vaporized.

 

On the wall, a dozen Aesir convulsed and collapsed.  Ice, seeing what might be his only opening, led the remaining injured force upward towards the retreating Aesir.  Although one or two attempted to summon more shadows, they simply didn’t have the energy left to do it and the heroes hit them hard.  Within moments, the battle was over.

 

Quan grabbed Vex by the arm, “We have to save our friends.  Teleport us inside.”

 

“Where do we go?”  Vex was confused.  Teleporting into a wall was not a good thing and he wasn’t that experienced at it.

 

“Here, I’ll show you.”  Touching his mind, Quan showed Vex the way.  Seconds later, they disappeared as if they were never there.

 

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Chapter IX

 

Sensing the failure of the Aesir, Medroth hurried through the hallways and up towards the roof, his dark purple robes rippling as we went.  He got to the ceiling just in time to see the combined might of the Dark Kings and the Gods Knights ripping apart his contingent of Aesir.  Powerful as he was, it was obvious that he was no match for the force before him and he hurriedly retreated downstairs, closing up the aperture leading from the roof inside as he went.  With the citadel completely enclosed, he had a little time.

 

If he couldn’t stop them, if his plan to bring the Aesir from across the multi-verse to Prime Earth had failed, he would at least communicate with the main Aesir force and let them know the path.  He had, after all, found a permanent rift to Prime Earth that may also exist on other worlds.  This was worthy information indeed!

 

The Aesir would rule the day yet!

 

 ›››››

 

WnAgEbOy hand hovered over the lit communication console.  He could hear the command to open communications with Captain Atom in his mind, but he was resisting.  Sweat poured down his brow. 

 

“Do it now, WnAgEbOy.”  The Aesir's thoughts were pressing on his mind.

 

Stalker, looking at him intently, asked “What’s wrong WnAgEbOy?  Need some help?”  He was smiling.  The Aesir had both him and Dark King completely under his spell.  They could no longer see the world for what it was.  To them, the Aesir had been defeated already. 

 

With a supreme force of his own will, WnAgEbOy lowered his hand to his side.  It was all he could do, but it was enough. 

 

“Defiant to the end… In that case, feel free to die, WnAgEbOy.”

 

WnAgEbOy’ mind lit on fire.  All of his senses were overwhelmed and he fell to the ground in agony screaming in pain like he'd never experienced before.  Stalker and Dark King didn’t seem to notice and went on talking with each other as if WnAgEbOy no longer existed. 

 

As WnAgEbOy laid on the floor, he saw a shape coalesce in the air above him. It almost looked like one of the Gods Knights but the stars in his eyes prevented him from seeing clearly.

 

“Wow, I actually did it!”  Vexator’s voice was very distinctive, although distant in his ears.

 

WnAgEbOy could also hear Quan’s voice, “Vex, watch out!”, but that was impossible.  He had seen the Aesir kill him on the roof.  He was forced to watch from a distance.  Bright flashes of light filled the room and the excruciating pain he was experiencing abated instantly.  He was still immobilized, but at least he wasn’t dying.

 

Stalker and Dark King fell to the floor.  The Aesir must not have enough power to manipulate others and defend itself at the same time, although he had enough to immobilize the three heroes.

 

The doors to the room burst open and a large Aesir in purple robes rushed in.  Almost as quickly, he turned and ran away, apparently finding valor in retreat.  Coward, WnAgEbOy thought.  He recognized him immediately.  It was the one that had been controlling him for most of the last month.  He was filled with an instant rage but could not act on it.  There was nothing he could do as he saw Vexator fall to the floor motionless or when the three Shadows materialized and attacked Quan.

 

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Chapter X

 

Vexator didn’t have much experience teleporting.  In fact, he had only done it once before and it was quite by mistake one day when he had the hiccups.  To do it on purpose was another thing entirely.  The alien presence in his mind that granted him his powers was all to eager to try something new and together they traveled through the ether instantaneously to arrive in the same room they saw WnAgEbOy communicating with them from the day before. 

 

“Wow, I actually did it!”  Vex was so amused with his newfound ability that he didn’t see the Shadow charging him. 

 

Quan didn’t miss a beat, “Vex, watch out!”  He pushed Vex to the side and took the blow meant for him.  He managed to summon a wall of force around himself in time to take the blow but it sent him flying into the wall nearby, leaving him breathless as it knocked the wind out of him.  He returned the blow with a quantum blast to the face that sent the Shadow to the floor before it vaporized into mist. 

 

“Vexator…”  The Aesir’s voice was subtle but carried power.  Vex stiffened and fell to the floor in front of WnAgEbOy, joining Stalker and Dark King, helpless before the Aesir’s power.  He motioned towards Quan and three more Shadows melted out of nothingness and charged him.

 

Quan whirled around to face his foes.  They hit him hard, sending him reeling back into the darkness.  Quan knew he wasn’t the most powerful of the Gods Knights, and far from it.  In fact, the heroes on the floor at his feet were much stronger than him by far.  The blessing that was saving him was the source of his power.  Had it not been what it was, he wouldn’t stand a chance against these creatures.  He wrapped himself in a cocoon of power and counter attacked. 

 

WnAgEbOy, Vexator, Stalker and Dark King, all paralyzed by the Aesir’s mind control, stared up at him helplessly from the floor of the observatory.  “It’s no use struggling.  Once this pest has been dealt with, my pets will flay the skin off your bones.  Enjoy what little time you have left.  We’ll take Prime Earth by force!”

 

“Vex!  You have unnamed help.  Use it!”  Quan was desperately trying to talk and fight at the same time. 

 

It’s then that something struck Vex.  This creature had used his True Name to paralyze him.  It worked on Vexator, but what about his friend?  Is that why Quan had chosen him to come here?  Receding into his mind, he called on the alien presence in his being that gave him his powers.  It responded quickly.  Need me?

 

Vexator was a unique superhero.  He derived his power from an alien intelligence residing in his body.  Unable to totally take Vexator’s body for his own, the two had struck a deal some time back.  In return for the ability to remain in Vex’ body, the alien granted him limitless power, well almost limitless.  He could do nearly anything and often manifest multiple powers at once, yet the more powers he used at once the weaker each one got.  Although Vex had allowed the alien to take over his body before, it never turned out very well.  Today would have to be the exception.

 

Standing over them, the Aesir turned to watch as the Shadows tore into Quan.  Although he had power over the living Quantum Field, he was no match for three Shadows at once and he was quickly losing ground.  They were batting him around so fast that he could hardly defend himself.  The Aesir grinned evilly as his creations tore into the elemental.  It wouldn’t be long now.  The hero was was weakening.  This time he would stay dead.

"Wait a second... something is different about you elemental... YOU HAVE A TRUE NAME NOW!"  The Aesir focused hard and Quan could see his lips begin to form his name.  He could begin to feel the Aesir's presence in his mind. 

 

So preoccupied was he with this spectacle that he didn’t notice Vexator’s body rise from the floor.  He was enjoying the battle before him so much that he didn’t see the alien controlling Vex’s mind raise his hands or prep his attack.  The Relic Storm that caught the Aesir in the back took him completely by surprise.  Unlike his constructs, the Aesir was not immune to Vex’ attacks.  The blast of energy hit him full force and he fell forward, screaming with pain.  The smell of burning flesh filled the room.  Quan's name never made it out of his lips.

 

Seeing their master hit the floor smoking, the three shadows immediately broke from Quan and streaked over towards Vex.  Inches away from striking a fatal blow, a green energy barrier encased him.  Although the force of the Shadow’s attack knocked Vex to the floor, they couldn’t penetrate the shield.  One of them turned back to see Quan on the floor, propped up by one arm, projecting the field of energy.  A thin line of blood ran down his face from the corner of his mouth and the strain of the effort was evident on his brow.

 

The alien controlling Vex took advantage of the moment and ripped a nearby metal pivoting stool out of the floor where it was bolted down.  With one smooth motion, he threw it as hard as he could at the Aesir, still struggling to get up off the floor.  It hit his head full force and embedded itself into the floor.  The Aesir shook once and stopped moving.  The Shadows silently faded to nothing.  The room was quiet.

 

Vex collapsed as the alien consciousness gave back his body.  Quan, torn and bleeding, lay on the floor 10 feet away.  Dark King rose to his feet quickly and began helping Vex up.  “Good work…”

 

WnAgEbOy rose to a sitting position, one hand rubbing his forehead.  “What have I done?”  The look of anguish on his face was evident.  Quan crawled over and sat up beside him.  A reassuring arm went around his shoulders.  “Its ok, bud.  It wasn’t you.  Those b******s were controlling your mind.”

 

Dark King grabbed WnAgEbOy by the arm and helped him up.  WnAgEbOy’ eyes blazed with a red inner fire as he started towards the door.  “They are gonna pay for this.”

 

“Yes, my friend, they will indeed.”  Dark King’s look of determination left no confusion as to what he meant.  “There’s still one more to deal with.”  Stalker quickly followed them out of the room into the hallway, staggering behind them.

 

In the room, Vexator picked up the exhausted Quan.  “Come on buddy, it’s time to go.”  He concentrated for a moment and the two vanished.

 

 ›››››

 

Chapter XI

Medroth ran through the hallway towards the room with the trans-dimensional device.  It was the device that the Aesir had used to come here.  Without the key that Legend Seeker destroyed some months ago, the Aesir had to use the transportation device to move between planes of the multi-verse randomly.  In the process, they learned how to replicate the device and there were now multiple contingents of Aesir all over the multi-verse attempting to find Prime Earth.  The great thing was that you could use it to communicate with other devices and send messages.  One device could communicate with them all and even call the others to itself, reuniting the Aesir.  That was his plan, to enter the natural rift to Prime Earth and use the device to pull all of the Aesir from all over the multi-verse to their final destination.

 

Since he could no longer do that, Medroth planned to use it now to communicate his discovery.  Opening the final door at the base of the citadel, he looked into a small chamber, some 10’ square.  The only light was behind him in the hallway from a lone torch.   It was ok.  The Aesir liked darkness.  On a pedestal at the far end of the room sat a small black cube.  It was simple in design, with glowing silver lines running over its surface. 

 

All he needed to do was to activate it and he could get out of here, notifying the other Aesir all over the multi-verse where to go to find Prime Earth.  He could make his True Name so legendary that not even his master would have power over him any longer.  He could rule the Aesir.

 

He started into the room and heard a shuffling sound.  Turning quickly, he saw a tall form blocking the doorway.  The torchlight behind him made it hard to determine who it was, but it definitely wasn’t an Aesir.  In fact, he could no longer feel his brethren in the citadel.  They were all gone.  Fear gripped him for the second time today.  It would be the last time.

 

He raised his hands to summon his Shadows but felt a sharp pain to the back of the neck and fell forward to the floor.  He saw stars.  Reaching behind his head, he pulled his hand forward and felt a warm stickiness.  He was bleeding.  He shot to his feet and whirled around.  As he did, a set of large hands clamped around his throat and picked him up into the air.  Someone put something hard on his head. 

 

“Jumper was dying to get me to wear this myself a few weeks ago.  He said it ‘inhibited natural cerebral synapses’ or something like that and he needed a test subject.”  The large man speaking was Stalker.  “This will work as a good first use.”

 

Dark King was holding the Aesir in the air.  He threw him on the floor hard.  The Aesir felt his wrist break on impact.  He tried to concentrate through the pain to control them, he knew their names after all, but the more he concentrated the more the band around his head heated up and fired electrical sparks at him.  

 

He looked up once again at the figure in the doorway.  It was a large balding man, battle scars etched all over his body.  His expression was not pleasant. 

 

WnAgEbOy’ eyes glowed red.  “Hi.”  His voice was thick with hate. “Remember me?”

 

The Aesir did indeed.  That memory would be his last.

 

 ›››››

 

Chapter XII

 

Days passed.  Both teams and all of the survivors returned to the Dark King’s fortress.  Within a day they had purified the water supply.  The fortress was fairly unharmed from the ordeal and everyone started to reinsert themselves back into their daily lives as much as possible. 

The fortress itself was an impressive structure, more resembling a medieval castle of old.  The stones were carved out of a quarry nearby by the superheroes and not one of them weighed less than 10 tons.  It was a marvel of engineering with a steel drawbridge and even a moat, although it was low on water at the moment.  

The surrounding landscape was wisely cleared of vegetation and large obstructions.  A guard on the wall could see intruders from nearly a half mile away.  There were no weapons lining the walls.  No catapults or ballista sitting around.  The super-powered defenders were all this place needed.

 

On the evening of the third day of their arrival at dusk Jumper looked over the stone parapet of the Dark King’s fortress.  Dark King’s subjects were busily scurrying around cleaning the place up.  The sun was setting over the horizon and dark blue and purple hues were being cast on the landscape below.

 

Strong Arm limped over, a large bandage over his right arm.  Stalker joined him.  Together, the three stared over the landscape below.  It was rocky around the fortress, with little vegetation for about 500 yards.  After that, a tree line of what appeared to be unkempt apple and pecan trees extended off into a thick forest. 

 

Stalker broke the silence, “We did well.”

 

More silence.  “Did you ever get ahold of Cap and let him know?”  Strong Arm turned to Stalker inquisitively. 

 

Standing between them, Jumper interjected, “Yup.  He’s aware.  He had the rest of the teams stand down.  Before all was said and done, he had over 24 heroes waiting on the other side.  Thunder and most of Wrath were available and joined him.  They are using an old abandoned Oil rig from the South Pacific and setting up a more permanent base at the rift to have more of a presence there.  Thunder agreed to man it.”

 

Stalker turned to Jumper, “Good… and the cube?”

 

“This?”  Jumper pulled the dimensional travel device from his pocket.  “I think we’ll study it.  I’m sure Bat MAn will have good uses for it.  It works on a similar technology as our Boom Tube, although ours is more advanced.”  

 

PkPkay joined them.  He was wearing an ear to ear grin and had a local girl under his arm.  “Hey there!  Come join us.  The party is just starting.”  He was already toasty.

 

Stalker smiled at him and looked back out over the parapet.  “Give us a moment.”

 

“No doing boss.  Dark King insists.  He knows we are leaving in the morning and it’s the least he could do to thank us.  We did just help save his entire world and all…”  PkPkay rolled his eyes as if to say ‘no big deal’, and turned to go back downstairs. 

 

Music wafted up the wall.  It was indeed time to celebrate.

 

In the morning they would go home.  Tonight, they had fun.  Times were good indeed.