Extreme Justice: Tides of Change

This one focuses on the team of superheroes known as Extreme Justice.

It just couldn’t get any better than this, Dark Heart thought to himself as he lifted the margarita to his lips, gently pushing aside the small pink umbrella as he did.  Leaning back into the hammock, he gazed up at the starry night sky above the palm trees over his head, marveling at their brilliance. 

 

StrongArm and Atomix lazily walked by down the beach.  Although the sky above them was pitch black, the sun had not completely set and the last rays of red and dark purple dusk were kissing the horizon.  The sight was breathtaking and they were enjoying the downtime.

 

Above them, a stone’s throw away on the beachfront boardwalk, Knockout and Draconaire were busy getting to know each other a little better over a pair of brightly colored Pina Coladas.   The two laughed as a nearby band played a rendition of Kocomo from the Beach Boys. 

 

Even given the surroundings, PkPkay and Jumper were letting their competitive behaviors get the better of them and they could be seen offshore silhouetted against the setting sun as they parasailed behind a pair of speedboats.  Although both could fly much faster, it was still fun to ride along and enjoy the moment as if they could not.

 

As for Captain Atom, he was leaning back against a wrought iron light post at the bottom of a short set of steps leading from the boardwalk down to the sandy beach.  The lights were not electric, but were actually replicas of old oil burning lanterns that graced Virginia Beach in the early 1900s.  The lanterns were not currently lit, but a young man from a neighboring hotel was on his way across the wooden blanks with a long lighter and a small plastic bottle of oil in his hands.  

 

He wasn’t sporting his normal silvery sheen at the moment, rather preferring the ocean breeze to wash across his skin.  Like most the other men on his team, he was wearing large, boxer like swim trunks, and a SuperHero City t-shirt.  He ran one hand through is hair and knocked a fair amount of sand out of it onto the beach below.  The pickup game of football they played on the beach earlier today had left him a little sore, but it was worth the effort.  These last two days were a blessing and he wouldn’t trade it for the world.

 

“Excuse me, sir.”  The timid voice came from right behind him.  Cap turned and stepped to the side as the young lad from the hotel reached up to unlatch the small glass door on the side of the lantern. 

 

“No problem.”  Cap turned and started to stroll down the beach as the lanterns behind him sprung to life.  It was easier to see the night sky without all the light near him anyway so he began moving towards the shoreline.  With the Moon waning, the sky was dark for the most part with the exception of the brilliant stars and satellites over his head.

 

He stood on the shore and the tide pushed against his legs.  He felt his feet sink ever so slightly into the wet soil and took a deep breath.  The air was salty and smelled of the ocean.  The wind pushed against him from the North as it was prone to do in the autumn and a hint of chill was in the air. 

 

His pocket lit up and a soft ring could be heard.  Cap reached in and slipped his cell phone out, holding it to his ear.  “Yup.”

 

Back down the beach, Dark Heart took a final sip of his heavenly concoction and lazily dropped the plastic goblet to the sand beside him.  He closed his eyes and let the sea breeze wash over him.  Soft footsteps approached him but he paid them no mind.

 

Well, he paid them no mind until he began spinning in his hammock!  The attack was sudden and without warning.  He began to barrel roll rapidly and seconds later he found himself wrapped up tightly like an enchilada in its corn husk.  Raucous laughter came from the palm tree at his head and he knew at once what had happened.

 

“Funny, funny… now let me out of this before I break these ropes…” 

 

“Ok… Ok…”  StrongArm was wiping tears of mirth from his eyes as he began to unwind Dark Heart.  Atomix, at Dark Heart’s feet, was helping as well and she was hardly able to contain herself, letting out a snortle as she tried to keep from laughing.

 

Dark Heart fell to the ground as he was finally unrolled and staggered to his feet.  Maybe they had all had a little much to drink.  Smiling, he grabbed StrongArm’s shoulder.  “You owe me one.  The bar’s still open…”  All three began towards the boardwalk.

 

As they approached the steps leading up off the beach, a bright flash caught their eyes down the shoreline.  A point of light rose into the air and started towards them.  Dark Heart squinted to make out the figure but StrongArm knew Cap had activated his alien exoshell and was flying back to them.

 

He called the rest of the team over.  For Cap to give up a vacation for work meant trouble.

 

''''''

 

The briefing on the beach was short as Cap provided StrongArm with some marching orders.

 

Afterwards, Cap, Atomix and Jumper hurtled off Eastward over the Atlantic Ocean.  The rest of the team was making a bee-line towards PkPkay’s yacht moored about a mile up the beach.  Along the way, StrongArm was filling in Knockout and Draconaire, who missed the first part of the briefing.

 

“Cap received a call from Stalker.  Apparently there’s a problem on a luxury liner about 20 miles offshore.  Some pirates have violated US waters and have taken quite a few dignitaries hostage, including some politicians.

 

“Although I’m sure we could do with a few less politicians, the crew and other guests are in danger too. The pirates are heavily armed and have already fired upon a Coast Guard clipper that was dispatched to handle the problem. 

 

“A team of SEALS went onboard about an hour ago and haven’t reported back.  The government thinks the pirates may be super-powered and called us.”

 

The team arrived at the dock shortly after the dusk finally gave way to night.  The dock was lit with large, phosphorous burning lights and the security guards only stopped them long enough for PkPkay to identify himself. 

 

5 minutes later, the motors of the small Yacht started up and they began moving out of the dock.  Dark Heart stepped into the small room housing the yacht controls and offered his help to PkPkay.  “I don’t think there’s anything to do now but relax.  It’s going to take about 20 minutes to get there.”  PkPkay pushed a lever and the yacht began to pick up speed as it swiftly passed the outer markers of the shipyard.  Everyone hung on as the boat began to rise up into the air.  Hydrofoils extended from the hull downwards, lifting the boat up and allowing it to sail across the water incredibly fast. 

 

The team rocketed towards the besieged cruise liner.

 

''''''

 

Further east, Cap, Atomix and Jumper floated in the sky a quarter mile away from the scene below.  The ocean liner was a big one.  The clear night sky was complimented by a calm ocean and the effect was startling from this perspective.  The stars above, very clear in the dark heavens, were reflected by the sea below giving the illusion that the ship floated in space.  The only sign giving it away as being terrestrial was the watery wake behind it, which of course now was minimal.

It had a pool on top with a massive slide that resembled a curly-q French fry and it was at least 7 decks from the water’s edge to the top. It was a monster of a ship, but by no means the largest on the sea. It's fame as the "Love Boat" was the largest reason why most people wanted to use it.

 

Although the ship wasn’t moving, it was obvious that it dwarfed the clipper ship that was circling it about 500 feet away.  Ahalf dozen smaller Coast Gaurd vessels circled the large cruise liner at a distance.  A blast mark on the side of the ship indicated that something had hit it recently.  Cap guessed it to be a grenade, but was having a hard time making it out from this distance.  At any rate, whatever it was had the Coast Guard a little wary and cautious.

 

Jumper, who was now clad in his signature rose colored leather jacket and bandanna, had pulled out some kind of handheld device and was scanning the liner with it.  “I don’t seem much activity on the upper decks, but there is a large heat signature in the foyer at the bow of the ship.  It’s a large enough space that it could be the dining area of the ship, but it’s also above the forward engines.”

 

Atomix’ eyes were glowing a ghostly white color.  “I see them.  They are all huddled at the back of the ship.  There are only two guards with them, but one of them is psychically shielded.  I can’t get a clear reading on them.  Several of the hostages have explosive belts attached to them.  I only see three other pirates, all on the top of the ship.  They are looking at us.”  As the glow in her eyes faded, she reached up and rubbed her temple.  Cap looked at her inquisitively.  “I can see things when I need to, but it gives me a splitting headache.” 

 

Cap grinned and nodded.  He knew that choosing her for the team was a good decision.  He could feel it.  After her team collapsed some months ago, he had found her working out in the Superhero City arena by herself.  A half hour and a cup of espresso later she had agreed to his offer to join the team.  It was a good decision. 

The fact that the pirates were aware of their presence was no surprise to him.  His own nimbus of energy was visible for miles in the calm atmosphere.  He hoped, in a way, that their presence would “encourage” the pirates to end the siege for fear of what could happen.  It wasn’t working so far.

 

Jumper looked from his handheld tool to Atomix.  “Well doesn’t that just pop my bubble!”  He smiled and put his device back in his jacket.  Touching a series of buttons on his gauntlet, he hailed the rest of the team.  PkPkay answered.

 

While Jumper filled him in, Cap and Atomix advanced towards the clipper.  The sailors onboard stood at attention as the two heroes touched down lightly on the ship.  A tall lanky man stepped out of the captain’s cabin and down some steps.  He bore the rank of Captain himself and walked directly up to Cap, offering his hand.  

 

“Captain Atom I presume?”  His eyes were dark and he had a weathered look of a man who had spent many hours at sea.  His grip was iron as Cap would have expected.  “I’m Captain Mackin.  Come inside and I’ll fill you in.”

 

Captain Mackin led the two heroes through a metal hatch into a meeting room directly under the ship’s bridge.  The room contained a few portholes and a large wooden table.  It was polished mahogany and was obviously well taken care of.  How they had managed to get the large thing into the room in the first place was not obvious.  Cap and Atomix sat down and the good captain laid out some paper files on the table.

 

“You were called in because these may not be your conventional pirates.  This man,” he pointed to a picture of a shifty character, “is Doc Zwiggle.  He’s been a thorn in our side for several years now and we’ve positively identified him on the liner.

 

“We know him to be super powered and he doesn’t seem to be afraid to show it.  We had to move our clipper out of his range thanks to a surprise blast he sent our way a few hours ago.”

“What’s he after?”  Atomix’ question was a good one. 

 

“As far as we can tell, he’s after the passengers.  He’s made no demands of us, although there’s no way of telling if he isn’t making demands of some of the power brokers he’s holding hostage.”

 

Cap looked up from the file, “I was told you sent in SEALS?”

 

“Yes, we had some on loan from the Navy and were doing deep-water exercises in the area when the distress call was received.  They left for the liner two hours ago and we haven’t heard back.

 

“They had two missions.  First and foremost, they were to wrap a steel cable around the propellers to stop the liner cold.  They succeeded at that.  They were then to board the liner and eliminate the pirates.  We haven’t heard from them since they boarded the ship.”

 

At this, the captain pulled a small digital recorder from his pocket.

 

“There’s something else you need to know.  We taped this from the distress call that brought us here.”  Pushing the button, a lot of commotion could be heard.  A terrified sailor was screaming into the microphone.

 

“This is a general distress.  I repeat, this is a general distress.  The Pacific Princess is under attack by pirates…” an explosion could be heard in the background and what sounded like the tearing of metal.  A bestial roar came over the recording and then it went dead, the last thing audible being a man’s scream of pain.

 

Atomix looked at Cap.  It didn’t take much imagination to realize that there was more than one super-powered being on that boat…  Cap looked back at Captain Mackin, “You mean you knew that there was at least one super-powered being on that ship and you sent SEALS after it?  What were you thinking?”

 

“It wasn’t my call.  Some brass’s balls at Quantico were a little too big.”  The captain was obviously frustrated.

 

Cap stood up.  “We have help on the way that should be here shortly.  We’ll clean this up.”

 

''''''

 

On the luxury liner, Doc Zwiggle was watching the clipper ship with interest.  He drummed his fingers on the rail in front of him and a thoughtful look crossed his face. 

 

“Everything still going according to plan boss?”  The dark figure to his right had a raspy voice, grating as if an iron file was being dragged across a chalk board.  As he spoke, small sparks of electricity danced across his form as if he had been shuffling across a shag carpet for a day or two.  Electric Hellfire was still new to the Outlaws, relatively speaking, but he was a natural and his skill at manipulating many forms of energy was a benefit to the team.

 

To Zwiggle’s left, he could feel a large hairy brute shift uncomfortably at the question.  He knew what Pack Leader Silvermane was thinking.  None of them had expected the Coast Guard.  Silvermane turned to Hellfire and in a deep, resounding voice answered him, “This is unexpected, but we can deal with it.  Go below and tell the others.”

 

His voice was commanding and left no room for argument.  Hellfire dutifully obeyed, although it was much more out of fear of his leader than it was for love of duty.

 

Silvermane turned to Zwiggle, “You think these Knights are going to be a problem?”

 

Zwiggle was quiet for some time.  The ship rocked back and forth gently in the ocean current.  Finally, his fingers stopped drumming and he spoke without turning towards his team leader, “They might.  Some of them are going to be a challenge.  We might need to move the timetable up a bit.”

 

Silvermane was obviously not pleased with the answer, but knew that Zwiggle was right.  The hair on the back of his neck rose and he let out a low growl.  Despite his frustration, he turned and quickly darted below decks. 

 

His speed was phenomenal.  Within moments he had descended two flights of stairs and was dashing towards the stern of the ship.  Moving up one last set of stairs, he burst into the dining area roughly, nearly taking the swinging door off its hinges as it loudly slammed into the wall.  The shock was too much for many of the people in the room and a collective cry of fright rose from the mass.  Several started crying, the stress of the situation being too much for them to take.

 

The room itself was massive, stretching nearly 100 feet down the length of the ship, ending in a point pointing towards the bow. Nearly 80 feet wide at its widest point, it sports panoramic windows on nearly all sides, allowing for a spectacular view of the surrounding ocean and the forward part of the ship.

 

Arrayed around the room in no particular order were all 876 of the passengers and crew of the vessel.  Fortunately, the ship was on a service run to shipyards in New York where it was due for engine repairs and did not have full compliment of crew or passengers.  The captain, and many other random people around the room, were bound tightly on the floor with large packages strapped to their chests.  The remaining passengers were not bound, but were pinned to the floor in the grip of fear.

 

In the center of the room, pacing heavily back and forth was a large man clad in black armor.  At various points, pinpoints of red light emanated from between cracks in the armor and a large oval in his chest radiated a red glow.  His name was Phoenix and he was a mercenary for hire brought onboard by the Outlaws only two weeks ago to round out the team they would need to finish this job.  It was to be a quick and simple robbery.   So far, it wasn’t going according to the plans they told him. 

 

He was a hero at one time, but an unfortunate series of events sent him down this path.  When he arrived with the Outlaws to take over the ship, some of the older passengers recognized him as such and he could see the pain in their eyes now as they looked on him with pity.  He shook it off.  He didn’t need this.

 

“How long now?”  He snapped at Silvermane and his tone was impatient.  The sooner they finished the better he liked it. 

 

Silvermane growled back at him and bared some fangs.  “Be patient.”  His reply was curt.  If he hadn’t been forced to hire a new mercenary two weeks before the heist, he wouldn’t have tried.  The results had better be everything they were promised when they bought into this infernal idea.

 

Scanning the room quickly, he found the one he sought.  “Stardust, contact Skë|âñìmâ| and tell him to hurry up.  Our quarry should be in range soon.

 

Ziggy Stardust was a slender woman, no more than 5’6” and thin as a whisp, with black hair and penetrating eyes.  She had a set of beautiful angelic wings springing from her back and wore a very demure outfit.  She was currently leaning up against a redwood bar sipping on some alcoholic concoction.  She nodded once to Silvermane and stood up.  Touching her temple, she reached out with her mind to find Skë|âñìmâ|.  Just as her earlier attempts that day, she found him to be out of her range.  Holding the bright amulet around her neck, she amplified her psionic powers and her range extended.  She now found him waiting patiently on the ocean floor some 800’ down below them.  He was patiently waiting.

 

Skë|âñìmâ|, wake up.  Her thoughts shot through the distance between them, penetrating his mind.

 

Skë|âñìmâ| had been sitting on the ocean floor for some time now.  A very thin layer of silt was covering him like a layer of dust.  He was very deep and there weren’t all that many fish in the area.  Some arthropods were scurrying about, none of which he recognized.  His cold, dead eyes scanned the ocean around him.

 

Skë|âñìmâ| was a unique being.  He existed through the force of his own iron will to a great degree, having no life in him to speak of.  His history remained an enigma to his teammates, and his motives for staying seem to be personal but not clearly obvious.  At times he would seem to be interested in helping others, at other times he could be rather sadistic in his approach to life in general.  It all seemed to hinge upon his mood at the moment.  It made him very hard to read.

 

It had made it difficult for him to bond with the team, but had also made it easy for him to take certain assignments… such as sitting at the bottom of the ocean waiting for a sub for 3 days.  His waiting was nearly at an end.  He could sense the vessel approaching from the North.  Although he could not see it yet, he could sense the life forces of the mammals onboard.  Frankly, their stench was revolting to him.  In a way, he liked it in solitude.  It gave him time to focus… to relax…

 

He closed his eyes and, No need to be curt Stardust.  Tell your master that the wait is over.  It’s time to spring the trap and time for you to get out of my head. 

 

Stardust had read his thoughts once before and really didn’t like what she saw.  She happily agreed and severed the connection.  Turning to Silvermane, she nodded, “He’s ready and it’s time.”

 

Silvermane’s demeanor lightened at the news.  He turned and went back.  It was time for Hellfire to earn his keep.

 

''''''

 

Jumper pulled back on the throttle and the hydrofoil slowed down somewhat.  As the bottom of the boat connected with the water, it skipped once, causing Dark Heart to bounce in his seat a bit.  Jumper looked over his shoulder, “You may want to buckle up,” he said with a smile on his face.

 

The clipper was close now and Jumper navigated between the smaller vessels surrounding the massive cruise liner to come alongside it and dock.  Several sailors lowered a plank and the team was ushered onto the ship.  Minutes later, they were standing on deck with Cap and the rest of the team as introductions were exchanged.  The situation was laid out in detail and everyone shared ideas of how to deal with it.  Cap laid out a battle plan in case negotiations went awry and he took to the air with Jumper and StrongArm as the remainder of the team stood on the deck watching.

 

About halfway to the liner, Cap stopped.  In a loud voice, magnified with quantum force, he boomed towards the cruise liner, “This is Captain Atom.  The Reverent Knights have surrounded your vessel.  We fully intend to release the hostages intact and have no desire to harm you in the process.  We expect the five of you to remand yourselves to the upper deck to be picked up by the Coast Guard immediately.”

 

The heroes waited for a short time.  There was no answer immediately.  Jumper finally turned to Cap, “told you it wouldn’t work.”  Cap put a hand on Jumper’s shoulder, “patience.”

 

They waited just a moment longer before a hatch opened and a few of the pirates stepped out on the upper deck.  The walked to the railing and one of them raised his hands. 

 

“See, I told you…”  Cap cut himself short.  The one in black raising his hands forced them downwards quickly and shot a bolt of electricity into the water hard.  Back on the clipper, Atomix could feel an electrical current shoot through the vessel as the bolt of electricity transmitted across the surface of the water to the ship.  Above her, she could hear the cries of a sailor desperately trying to get his headset off.  As he threw it to the deck, whisps of smoke could be seen in the bridge above him and the radar equipment on top of the vessel stopped turning.  Around her, she could see many of the smaller vessels shutting down, the electrical discharge having shut their engines off.

 

Atomix turned to Draconaire, “That can’t be good.”

 

Back in the air between the ships, Jumper looked at Cap, “well, if that was for us he missed horribly.”  Cap’s brow furrowed.  He didn’t think it was meant for the heroes.  He saw the black clad villain collapse on the deck of the cruise liner.  The bolt had drained him severely.  If they planned to attack the Knights or Coast Guard, depleting one of their own before the battle when they were outnumbered wasn’t a tactical move he would have made. 

 

“Something is going on here.”  The three heroes advanced slowly on the ship, not sure what to expect.

 

Several hundred feet below them, a US Naval submarine, Freedom, was having trouble.  The captain and his crew were desperately trying to keep multiple electrical fires under control.  The entire vessel was beginning to list horribly, the electrical discharge having fried many key systems including the ballast control.  The normal white lights in the control room had been replaced by bright red warning lights and the communications officer was rapidly speaking into a microphone in an effort to sound a mayday and summon help.  The equipment was down too.

 

The entire ship shuddered.  The captain turned to his sonar operator for an explanation, fully expecting to hear that they had hit the ocean floor or an outcropping.  The operator turned to him with a dumbfounded expression.  There was nothing around them.  The sonar showed the floor of the ocean some 100 meters below them.  The ship had simply stopped.  The only other contact was a small blip on the radar hovering halfway between the floor of the ocean and the ship.  The operator could not make out what it was, but he heard something over the headset that sounded like weak rhythmic chanting…

 

……

 

Skë|âñìmâ| hovered in the water.  The soft nimbus around him was now extending upwards, engulfing the massive submarine above him and he was telekinetically holding it in place.  The propellers had stopped turning and it was a good thing.  As powerful as he was, he would not have been able to overcome the turbine engines of a nuclear powered submarine.  Hellfire had done his job well.

 

He was breathing water for the most point, not that breath was necessary for the undead lord.  He was only bothering so that he could speak the incantations necessary to summon his followers.  Below him, on the seabed, a group of undead was shambling towards him.  It consisted of sailors who either sank with their ships some time ago or sailors buried at sea.  It’s amazing how well the ocean preserved them and aside from a few barnacles, they looked very much like they did in life for the most part. 

 

Skë|âñìmâ| lowered the ship to the ocean floor gently.  There was no sense destroying his power source.  There were only a few dozen undead, but they possessed a strength far exceeding their diminutive size.  They slowly shambled around the ship and held it in place lest it roll with the ebb and flow of the ocean.

 

Moving slowly over the surface of the sub, he found what he was looking for.  At one point, directly over the subs reactor core, he could feel the deadly energy being emanated.  It was enough and he slipped an amulet out of his flowing robes.  Placing it in the water in front of him, he let go and watched as it began to glow and spin of its own accord.  Skë|âñìmâ|’s dead eyes lit up as he watched in amazement as a force field began to form and expand around it.  The field passed over the undead lord without harm and he could feel its power wash over him. 

 

He closed his eyes and transmitted his thoughts into the minds of his companions above him, the process has begun.

 

He started laughing uncontrollably.  This would be good!

 

''''''

Jumper, Cap and StrongArm touched down on the deck lightly.  The three they had seen moments before had rushed below decks quickly after the three Knights had started advancing.  Jumper threw a small disk on the deck the size of a half dollar and punched some buttons on his gauntlet.  The disk expanded until it was 10’ in diameter.  Another couple of buttons and it started glowing.  In a bright flash of light it activated and a moment later the entire RK team was on the deck of the ship.  The disk shrank and he leaned over to pick it up.

 

“You have no idea how much that rocks!”  Draconaire was truly impressed.  Jumper breathed on his knuckles and rubbed them on his chest with a pleased expression.

 

“Ok, enough of that… we have work to do.”  Cap was happy his new team was meshing well, but they had a job to do.  He split the team in two, directing Jumper, Atomix, Draconaire, StrongArm and Dark Heart to follow the three below decks while the remainder of the team started directly for the main entrance to the dining area where the hostages were being held.

 

Dark Heart took the lead.  Activating a Ring of Bestial Wrath, he began sniffing out the trail the villains took below decks.  It wasn’t hard to follow them, apparently Zwiggle liked a rather strong aftershave and left a distinctive scent.

 

Leading the team below, they found the corridor empty.  The ship had wood paneling throughout its upper decks and the hallways were carpeted.  Although the occasional serving cart was parked here or there, there was little clutter.  Small wall sconces with electric lights made to look like candles lit the hallway on both sides.  At the end was a set of double doors made of wood.  The bottom half of each swinging door was covered with a metal sheet, obviously he entrance to a commercial kitchen.  The team took positions around the doors and, on a 3 count, burst into the room. 

 

Pots and pans were hanging neatly on a rack to the right of the door and clanged loudly as the swinging doors hit them.  The kitchen was immaculate and nearly all of the fixtures and furniture were made out of stainless steel.  The whole thing was massive, having several commercial grade stoves and refrigerators arrayed around the room and the noise from the pans reverberated loudly.  So much for the element of surprise… 

 

Zwiggle sat on the far side of the rather large kitchen on a metal table.  He was cleaning his nails with a small file and didn’t look up as he addressed the team, “Well, that took you long enough.  We expected you at least an hour ago.”

 

Jumper stepped forward, “What in the world did you hope to accomplish?  Come quietly and there won’t be trouble.” 

 

Zwiggle looked up, “trouble?”  He smiled, an expression that sent chills through the Knights.  “You have no idea how much I like to stir up trouble.”

 

From out of nowhere a large dark shape slammed into Jumper, sending him reeling into a breadbox nearby.  Just as quickly as it happened, the shape disappeared again.  Right afterwards, an arc of electricity shot from the other side of the room and ricocheted off of a metal table to hit Atomix in the chest, sending her back into the hallway.

 

Battle was joined.

 

Zwiggle shimmied for a second and appeared right behind StrongArm in what appeared to be a teleportation of some form.  StrongArm’s only warning was the sight out of the corner of his eyes of Zwiggle’s hands on either side of his head as a garrote slipped around his neck.  He barely had time to slip a few fingers in-between the diamond coated wire and his neck.  Zwiggle planted his foot in his back and began to pull as hard as he could.

 

Dark Heart turned to help StrongArm and the dark blur shot out of nowhere to hit him hard in the chest.  Before he could hit the wall, the fast moving shape had grabbed his arm and flung him across the room.  He hit a refrigerator hard, crushing the door.

 

Atomix reacted instinctually and began blasting everything in sight with bright beams of energy.  One managed to graze the dark shape and sparks flew as it singed his gauntlet.  It must have short circuited his suit and Silvermane became visible to the team.  He turned to Atomix, an evil grin on his snarled lips, “you shouldn’t have done that meat sack!” 

 

Atomix barely had time to erect a kinetic barrier before Silvermane’s claws came crashing down on her, leaving claw-mark trails of energy across the shell she created.  It wouldn’t last long.  He was way too powerful for her.

 

StrongArm struggled to get the twine off his neck.  His eyes blazed with an inner light and he pulled hard enough to get his entire hand under the rope.  Taking as deep a breath as he could muster, he pushed and felt the garrote come off his neck.  A moment later, his hand shot forward as the wire disappeared and the pressure on his back went away.

 

Zwiggle materialized in front of him, garrote in hand.  He must have teleported.  He put his hand on StrongArm’s chest and let loose with an Atomic Grasp.  A bolt of energy shot from the other side of the room and hit him in the back as it bounced from one metal appliance to another.  StrongArm swung mightily and connected with Zwiggle’s arm, sending him flying onto the floor but then collapsed on his knees as he grabbed his now burnt chest.  Another second bolt of energy shot at him and knocked him to the floor.

 

Dark Heart shook his head and stood up uneasily.  He glanced about, getting his bearings.  The hit was a hard one and he nearly lost consciousness.  Turning slightly, he caught a blast of energy shooting out of a freezer nearby.  It hit a few metal appliances and hit StrongArm in the back.  The freezer door then shut tight.  Moments later, the door cracked again and another bolt shot out. 

 

Dark Heart smiled.  The door shut again.  He casually reached over and put the pin in the handle, locking the door.  Whistling, he moseyed away.

 

The door shook and a muffled voice could be heard inside, “uhm… hello?  Anyone there?”

 

Zwiggle stood back up and walked over to StrongArm, intent on finishing him off.  He put his hands together and began summoning a ball of dark energy to do the job.  “Thanks for the workout.  It was fun!  Now it’s time to end this.”

 

''''''

 

Silvermane stepped up beside Zwiggle dragging the limp form of Atomix by the arm.  She was bruised and bleeding, but still alive.  He wanted to see this.

 

Zwiggle lifted his arms and a purple and black ball of dark energy formed over his head.  His eyes turned jet black as the energy flowed through him into his blast.  StrongArm, barely conscious, could only look up at them but there was no fear in his eyes. 

 

Just then, the breadbox behind him exploded and a bright light burst forth.  Jumper floated into the air and arcs of electricity shot from him to nearby metal.  He put his hands together in front of him and an electrical discharge projected forth, blasting Zwiggle through the wall into a small conference room. 

 

Silvermane dropped Atomix and charged him.  The two massive heroes began trading blows and it was quickly obvious that Silvermane had the advantage.  As powerful as Jumper was, Silvermane was simply more agile.

 

As they waged war across the kitchen, Dark Heart ran up to Atomix and helped her to a sitting position.  She grabbed his hand and looked into his eyes, “I’m drained.  I’m so sorry, but I need to borrow some of your energy.”  Without another word, and before Dark Heart could react, she began drawing his energy into herself in a form of vampiric drain.  Dark Heart’s skin began to pale and black lines shot up his arm from where Atomix was holding his hand. 

 

She turned her head slowly to face Silvermane, who was not putting Jumper on the defensive.  She shot a psionic blast at him that sent him reeling.  Jumper kept up the pressure and planted a haymaker on him that sent him flying onto a stove, ripping it from its plumbing. 

 

Silvermane recovered quickly and picked up the heavy appliance, hurtling it at Jumper.  As exhausted as he was, he couldn’t get out of the way and both the hero and the 1,500 pound stove went flying back into the hallway. 

 

Silvermane, sweating and breathing heavily from the battle, turned to Atomix.  “Time to finish what I started little one.”  He took a step towards her. 

 

Atomix, still drawing energy from Dark Heart, let go of his hand.  He fell to the floor unconscious.  Turning all of her energy on the open gas lines that once connected to the stove.  She shot a small bolt of energy at it.  It was all she could muster and she collapsed on the floor afterwards.

 

It’s a good thing she did.  The resulting explosion as the propane filled corner of the room lit up sent tables and all manner of metal flying.  Had she been sitting up still, an iron skillet would have nailed her in the head.  As it was, a falling table blocked most of the blast.  Silvermane, however, wasn’t so lucky.  The entire corner of the room went up in flames and he went reeling into a large freezer.  Along with a stove, two tables and the walk in freezer, he was blasted through the wall of the kitchen and down into the ocean below.

 

StrongArm got to his feet shakily and leaned against the wall catching his breath.  Jumper stepped back into the room through the hole in the wall by which he left.  Draconaire stumbled back into the room.  As the smoke and confusion from the explosion cleared, small fires could be seen around the room, although none was large and they were burning out quickly.  In the darkness their foes were nowhere to be seen. 

As they strained to find them, a strange green glow began to fill the room.  

 

……

 

Far below, Skë|âñìmâ| felt the explosion.  He looked up.  The shell of energy around the amulet had steadily grown and was now at the hull of the cruise liner far above.  It had expanded rapidly.  Looking down, he could no longer feel the stench of mammals in the submarine.  His brethren called out to him, begging to be released from the metal coffin.  He would soon oblige.  All in due time…

 

''''''

 

Cap led the way towards the large dining area.  It was directly off the main deck near the pool.  The deck itself was in disarray.  When the ship was taken there must have been a panic because folding chairs and pool supplies were strewn about haphazardly.  The pool itself and the surrounding playscapes (for kids and adults) looked inviting and he noted to himself that a cruise might make a nice vacation some time. 

 

Bringing himself back to the present, he saw the main doors to the dining area before him.  He motioned to PkPkay to take the lead and Knockout stepped up beside him.  PkPkay hadn’t opened the doors fully when a bright flash of light erupted from the room beyond.  Fire and energy blasted the doors off their hinges and sent PkPkay flying backwards into the pool behind them.  As billowing pillars of steam rose from it, a flaming man in metal armor blasted out of the room and tore into Cap.  The two took to the air and began an aerial dogfight, each taking as good as they were giving.

 

Knockout looked back towards the missing doors only to see a slender woman standing there with angelic wings.  She looked so diminutive and harmless that she let her guard down for a moment.  Ziggy took advantage of it and shot a psionic bolt of energy at her, scrambling her thoughts and sending her to the deck, gripping her head tightly. 

 

“You really shouldn’t underestimate your opponents dear.”  Ziggy moved forward and pulled a wicked looking dagger from her waistcoat.  Knockout was helpless on the deck, so powerful was the mental assault.

 

PkPkay reached up to the side of the pool and pulled himself out.  That was one tough hit.  Whomever the guy was, he was punching it out with Cap above.  Cap seemed to be holding his own at the moment.  Turning, he saw Ziggy moving in on Knockout.  She had blood in her eyes and it didn’t take a brain surgeon to tell what she was going to do with that blade she was holding. 

 

Jumping out of the pool, he crossed the distance between them quickly.  All things considered, he was almost a quick as Cap and he was taking advantage of it.  Ziggy hardly had time to look up when he planted a rock solid fist on the side of her head.  She went down hard. 

 

He reached down to help Knockout up when the ship rocked.  A loud explosion from below them and a plume of black smoke to their right indicated that the other team was facing their own set of baddies. 

 

It was then that the first pulse of energy hit the ship.  High above, Phoenix and Cap were locked in combat when the first section of the green energy pierced the water and washed over the ship.  Both combatants stopped and looked down at the liner, watching as it was engulfed in the green shell.  Looking down, he could see Knockout and PkPkay collapse on the deck and begin convulsing as the waves of energy assaulted them.

 

“What have you done?!”  Cap turned to Phoenix, his eyes blazing.

 

“Don’t look at me.  They told me this was just a robbery when they hired me two weeks ago.”  Phoenix didn’t look at Cap, but was instead fixated on the ship below them and the green energy encapsulating it.  Their rivalry forgotten for the time being, the two descended down towards the shell.  Passing through it, Cap felt a tingling sensation and recognized it immediately. 

 

“Magic…”  His voice was thick with disgust.  He had proven to be impervious to magic in the past, thankfully, and had little need of it.  Some of his greatest foes had been magical constructs and creations and he knew it well. 

 

“My armor systems were magically enhanced years ago and I also bear immunity to it.  I fear your companions were not so fortunate.”  Cap followed his foe's gesture as he pointed downwards and not a moment too soon.  He deftly dodged aside as a bolt of black energy shot up from the deck of the Pacific Princess. 

 

PkPkay was flying swiftly up towards him, his eyes glowing an unearthly color reminiscent of a black light.  His skin was ghostly white and Cap could feel a chill emanating from him even before he got to them.  With a guttural roar he let loose another attack.

 

“PkPkay, what are you doing?”  Cap was aghast.  Something was wrong.  Phoenix was about to say something when a blast of similar black energy slammed into his back.  Jumper and StrongArm were flying out the side of the ship through the hole made during their battle.  They, too, had a pallid look and both glowed with an unearthly light.

 

Cap allowed the Quantum Flow to course through him and opened his vision to the life around him.  Everything pulsated with the energy of the universe as he peered down at the ship.  Where his friends should have appeared as brilliant points of light representing the life that filled them, they instead appeared as dark black holes in the fabric of space.  He knew then what had happened.

They had been transformed into hideous undead. 

 

Cap erected a shell of energy around the two and looked over his shoulder at his foe as the three other heroes pounded his barrier with dark energy.  “You, what’s your name?”

 

Phoenix was dumbstruck by the events unfurling, “Aren’t these guys on your team?”

 

The barrier was hit yet again.  StrongArm flew up to it and raised both arms, bringing them down with massive force.  Even through is alien exo-shell, Cap started to perspire with the effort.  He turned to the iron clad warrior beside him again, the military man in him coming to the surface, “WHAT IS YOUR NAME?”

 

Gathering himself, he faced Cap, “Phoenix”. 

 

“Phoenix, can you submerge?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“I need you to find out what’s causing this below the waves and stop it.”

 

“But I…”

“That wasn’t a request.  You caused this, you fix it while I hold these guys off.”  A blast from below told him that Knockout had joined the fray.  Beside her, six men in wetsuits raised firearms and began to pelt Cap and Phoenix with 9 mm machinegun fire.  Even at this distance they were very accurate.

 

“I didn’t cause this!”

 

“Phoenix, look at that deck!”  As Phoenix did, he saw dozens upon dozens of the shambling undead pour out of the dining hall.  Beyond that, he could see the Coast Guard ship, which had just been caught in the green light.  Sailors were falling down and convulsing on deck.  The barrier continued to expand.  He turned back to Cap.

 

“I didn’t sign up to do this.  This is an abomination.”

"Whether you did or not, you helped to enable it.  The question is now what to do about it?"  Cap let his shield down and darted off.  The undead heroes followed shooting black fire out of their hands. 

With that, Phoenix knew what to do.  He blasted downwards into the dark depths of the Atlantic Ocean.

 

''''''

 

So, the merc we hired has a conscience after all…

 

The voice in his mind was sinister.  It was hollow.  He couldn’t shut it out.  As he descended, a school of nurse sharks swam by.  Flesh was peeling off their bodies and their eyes had sunken in.  Whatever this energy was, it was affecting the sea life too and they were degrading quickly.  If that happened to the people up above then they would be lost.  He had to act quickly.

 

The flames normally surrounding his armor had been put out largely by the water around him.  He turned on some powerful headlights built into his helmet as he dove, giving him a little vision.  The radar in his suit was worthless here.  He would have to remember to build in a sonar array for such occasions.

 

It wasn’t long before he came on a frightening sight.  A large vessel was lying on the ocean floor and he had found its nose.  He started down its side, examining the markings. It was an American submarine, Freedom according to its name.  He examined the hatches going down one side and then the other.  There was no breach in the lower half of the hull.  He turned to ascend when the first hands grabbed him.

 

What do you think you are doing?  You’re no hero…

 

Men long dead assaulted him.  They had magically enhanced strength and speed and some moved quickly through the water, not having muscle and skin to slow them down.  They slammed Phoenix against the hull of the sub and began to pummel him hard.  He shot a blast of energy at one, blowing it in half and scattering it.  A backhand to another was slowed by the weight of the ocean and did little to damage it. 

 

He let his rocket boosters in his boots light up and shot upwards.  Three of the undead creatures hung on and started to tear into his armor.  His systems began to flicker as his power supply was attacked.  He grabbed one by the head and attempted to hurl the beast only to find its head in his hand.  As the body kept tearing at him, the head bit down on his armored hand.

 

He wasn’t paying attention to his direction and slammed into the curved side of the sub with some force.  It dislodged two of the undead men and they fell back to the ocean floor below.  He managed to knock the other loose and it swung around to grab his chest plate with both hands.  Planting its feet on his belly, it began to pull and he could feel the metal in his armor begin to bend.  At this depth, he would be immediately crushed if it came loose.  He managed to get his hands between himself and the creature and unleashed a Relic Storm on it, blowing it far into the dark sea before him.

 

His armor was torn and battered, but the internal systems were still operational.  He turned to find himself on top of the sub.  Looking around, he stopped as he saw an unearthly sight.  Floating above the ship was a small pinpoint of light attached to what seemed to be a thin chain like a necklace.  A thin beam of energy was rising from the ship directly into the amulet.  As he watched, the amulet leeched power from the submarine and grew in intensity until it was nearly painful to watch and a burst of green energy went out in all directions.  The concussive wave passed over him, pushing him backwards, and he felt a ting of energy course through his body. 

 

An alert went off inside his suit, “Alert, magical force has penetrated internal systems.  External armor damaged.”

 

He felt a turning in his stomach, and his body went cold. 

 

Yes… you are beginning to feel the power.  Embrace it and rejoice!

 

The voice was back.  He looked around to find the source but whatever it was floated somewhere out of his light’s range.

 

He felt a sharp pain in his gut.  Given the speed at which the remaining people above had converted, he must have had enough protection from his suit to get a low dosage.  It was still working on him, but he had a moment to ponder his own death he supposed.  His mind started to wander.  His vision clouded and he found it difficult to focus.  He felt hatred well up within him and his blood pressure shot through the roof.  A strong desire to destroy all life began to take hold of his mind, blotting out every other thought.

 

NO!  He shook his head violently.  Pushing a button on his gauntlet, he injected himself with a muscle relaxant and felt his blood pressure drop sharply.  That would buy him a few more seconds.  He wouldn’t go out this way.  Real heroes were above and had risked their lives to save lots of people.  He was a real hero at one time, long ago.  His life flashed before him and he remembered the betrayal he experienced that drove him to aimlessly offer his services to the highest bidder in an attempt to hide from the world. 

 

He remembered what it once was to be a hero and he wanted that one last time.  He would not die a mercenary for hire.  His blood pressure began to rise again.  He felt a wrath build again and this time had presence of mind to know where to direct it.

 

He raised his arms towards the glowing light, priming his Omega Man Blasters.  “Sure you sick b*****d, I feel the power.  You will too.”

 

Stop, you fool!

 

A ghastly figure came into view on the other side of the amulet.  His features were skeletal and he looked like Death itself.  His robes were ancient and his hands were gaunt.  He dashed for the amulet as Phoenix unleashed his most powerful attack on it.  The blast cracked the amulet, sending out beams of energy in every direction.  Moments later, it erupted in an explosion that sent Phoenix hurtling off into the darkness. 

 

Before he lost consciousness, everything went cold and dark. His battered armor lost power and the crushing weight of the Atlantic Ocean bore down on him.

 

''''''

 

Phoenix opened his eyes slowly.  It was dark and frankly a little cold.  He reached down and pulled the covers up over his shoulders a bit more.  A soft beeping sound could be heard above his head and little red and green lights lit up the room.  He could smell isopropyl alcohol in the air and knew at once he was in a hospital.  He lifted his hand in front of his face and examined the small plastic tube that was connected to a needle in the back of his hand. 

 

The door to the room opened and light poured in.  “So, you’re finally awake.  We were afraid we’d lost you.”

 

A white man of medium build stood before him.  His hair was shot through with streaks of silver and white and he wore a Bermuda shirt and shorts.  He pulled up a chair and sat beside the bed.

 

“You probably don’t recognize me like this.  I’m Captain Atom.  We traded punches a while back... ”

 

Phoenix remembered him.  Cap reached over and pulled the covers up over Phoenix’ shoulders a little more.  “I wanted you to know that whatever you did saved everyone.  Once the power source was destroyed, everyone reverted back to their normal selves.  You did it.  You’re a hero.”

 

Phoenix’ eyes watered up.  He was too tired to say much, but his expression was speaking volumes.  Cap continued.

 

“You did really well out there.  I read your file and you had a stellar record until about 5 months ago.  I don’t want to talk about what happened since then right now.  That can wait.  What I want to do is offer you an option.  Join us.  Be a Reverent Knight.”

 

Phoenix’ eyes lit up.  He looked up at Cap.  His mouth was parched and his lips were chapped, but he managed to croak out a “thank you” before falling back to sleep.  He was a hero again!

 

It was the best sleep he’d had in a very long time.

 

……

 

Somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean, a very mangy Silvermane sat on top of a floating freezer.  It bobbed up and down with the current.  He did not look to be in a good mood.

 

A soft tapping could be heard from inside the freezer.  A muffled voice came through, “can you PLEASE let me out now?”  Silvermane had heard that question at least a hundred times in the last hour and slapped the top of the freezer hard.

 

“I told you to shut up!  I gave you an air hole.  What more do you want?”

 

The two floated for a few hours more before Zwiggle and Ziggy pulled up in a small speedboat to pick them up.

 

 ……

 

Skë|âñìmâ| bowed before his master.  He knew better than to disturb him unnecessarily, but this seemed to be an important enough event to warrant such a disturbance. 

 

The room he was in was a dank one made of stone.  The walls were coated in mold from the humidity and the floor was slippery.  Little was in the room save a large wooden chair rotting with age.  There were two broken wall sconces, but neither would hold a candle even if Skë|âñìmâ| had chosen to light them. 

 

On the chair was a being of great power, one which should not exist.  The Great Archlich Archimedes leaned forward.  His cold dead eyes belied his power.  A single skeletal hand rose from the armrest to which it had been affixed for centuries and turned palm up.  “Rise.”

 

Doing as he was bid, Skë|âñìmâ| rose uneasily to his feet.  “Master, I have failed.  The stone was destroyed.  The Great Undeath was thwarted.”

 

A hollow laughter emanated from the Archlich’s skull.  “What you think you know is false.  The trial run was a resounding success beyond my dreams and you were pivotal to its fruition.”

 

The Archlich rose from his rotting throne.  As he did, his clothing, once rich and beautiful, tore and ripped.  As he floated across the room, Skë|âñìmâ| felt a chill in his own bones the likes of which he had not felt since his own undeath.  It both terrified and excited him at the same time. 

 

The Archlich led him through hallways of rotting wood.  Had he needed to touch the floor, he would have surely gone through it as there was little in the way of support beneath his cold feet.  Skë|âñìmâ| followed him, although it took a great deal of willpower to follow him.  Although Skë|âñìmâ| could levitate, he had not mastered flight yet and moving this way was difficult.

 

They both finally stopped in a room dimly lit by a single candle made of black wax.  The light it emitted was ghostly and danced along the walls, creating a shifting pattern of shadows that seemed to move of their own accord.  The Archlich raised his hand and a section of wall in front of them collapsed, revealing a secret chamber, the door to which long ago rotted beyond use.  Inside was a massive throne suspended in the air over the small chamber made of a glowing green stone.  Other than a small chip in its right-hand armrest, it was intact.  The stone itself seemed to pulsate with moving apparitions as if it was a container of souls. 

 

“My dear Skë|âñìmâ|, you must have wondered where the stone came from.”  Skë|âñìmâ|’s gaze went to the chip in the armrest. 

 

“There is much more here.  This is the throne of Hades himself, ruler of the underworld of the Greek Olympians, stolen by a mighty sorcerer many years ago.  That sorcerer was cursed to an eternity of undeath as a punishment.”

 

Skë|âñìmâ| could feel the power ebb and flow through the mighty undead and floated backwards a bit as it began to spike.  His master was angry and many would suffer for it.

 

“Soon, every man, woman and child on earth will know my pain.”

 

His hollow laughter was not a sound that would have given joy to any living creature.