87 (One Shot)
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Some of you may have noticed a certain number appearing in my work. Project 87 was a cool alternate idea I had for the Thunderbolts featuring a suicide squad style lineup. In the end they have become a 'Cape Killer' Unit working for 'Underhill' (readers of Villains Tale will know who he/she is) a government agent hellbent on reducing the population of costumed heroes and villains in an attempt to cut down on super crime. As such the team is available for anyone in the Marvel Mayhem Group to use.
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Impurest Cheese
Spymaster stalked into the laboratory in the deepest sub-level of the Black Lodge Medical Facility and sat down in the chair. He thought he had silenced 8-Ball after his infiltration of Police Plaza One but low and behold the idiot’s team-mates had brought him straight to his door. Fortune was rarely so kind and he hadn’t passed up the opportunity he had been given hiring assassins to finish the job but once again fortune went hand in hand with failure. And now the senior partners in the endeavour; Underhill, Hooded Haunt, Sidewinder and himself had all agreed to stop sending the amateurs in to bat, it was time to send the very thing that made 8-Ball and Overrider a target.
“So let’s see my men then.” A commanding voice announced. Not bothering to turn Spymaster waved Firefight in and the mercenary captain sat down in a chair next to him. “It’s a shame your not coming with us sir.” He stated. “Your expertise is legendary.”
“Underhill believes I'm better served behind a desk.” Spymaster replied as a second figure wearing a feminised version of the Spymaster armour stepped forward. “Don’t worry too much I want you to meet Marya Penskiyov the new Spymaster and my top agent.”
“I don’t put any faith in franchise villains.” Firefight snorted. “I need proof she’s any good.”
“The footage you captured Marya.” Spymaster told his agent. Silently Marya tapped one of her gauntlets and projected a holographic image of a line of cells each containing a restrained super criminal. “That image comes live from the Living Fortress in Seattle; the Thunderbolts have no idea that they have been bugged, even Blackheath who knows the entire facility like the back of his hand.”
“Impressive, but I’ll reserve judgment until after the targets are dead. Rumour is that there is a ghost and a sorcerer working with them now. The Hooded Haunt said she’d cover the magic aspect but so far she’s made little effort to supply an agent.” Firefight grunted as the two Spymasters exchanged knowing glances behind their masks. “What am I missing?”
“First let me show you what the lab has been working on.” Spymaster suggested. “Lower Specimen One.” He ordered as a set of test tubes moved along a rail and stopped in-front of the trio of villains. “This is Freakout, one of the Derangers and your point man.” He announced as the first tube lit up to reveal a man dressed in a jump suit, a ballistic mask covering his face. “You'll find that he is immune to telepathic suggestion and feels no pain, he'll walk through a bullet storm if you ask him to.”
“Readouts say he’s baseline human, no resistances.” Firefight announced. “One bullet could kill him.”
“True and that’s why using a dosage of MGH we were able to give him a temporary healing factor while my metallurgists inserted an adamantium weave under the skin. It’ll kill him eventually but that’s why we have clones on standby.” Spymaster explained. “Next we have Tokamak, you may have heard of Operation Whitewater; well that was staged to extract him from the Raft. At current the public believe he is still incarcerated in the prison.”
Firefight narrowed his eyes as the second tube moved along the rain to reveal a man sized ball of energy. “Well does it just float or does it do something else?”
“What you see is Tokamak’s internal core; we extracted it and inserted nano-transmitters to the bacterial colony that gives him his powers. He now can serve as the team radio, team energy sponge, machine specialist and he can also use the energy powers to speed up regeneration.” Spymaster explained. “You may want to keep an eye on him and his personalities?”
“Personalities? How many are there?” Firefight asked.
“Only the two. Ideally we want ‘Mak’ in control and not ‘the Swarm’. If that happens use the release trigger programmed into the core to release a concentrated antibiotic surge to render the Swarm unconscious.” Spymaster explained as the tubes retracted and left the three villains alone in the room. “The rest are down in the briefing room ready to go, Tokamak and Freakshow will have their mission parameters updated when they are loaded on the Executor.”
“Speaking of that.” Firefight stated as the three left the room and walked along a corridor overlooking the hanger. “Who do we have flying the shuttle while we’re on mission?”
“Remotely operated from base. Should something go wrong though we have a ‘logistics guy’ to get you back home.” Spymaster announced as they headed downstairs and into a darkened room, several figures clustered around a holographic map table. “Meet the graduates of Project 87.” He told Firefight.
“So this is the crack team of assassins?” Firefight snorted. “All I see is a woman with a violin, a feral monstrosity and a child who looks unable to take a punch let alone throw one. Ghostmaker is the only one I recognise and he failed to kill the target last time.”
“I would not be so quick to judge Firefight.” Spymaster stated. “That monstrosity is Coyote, a dark-force manipulator. We learned a lot after the failed experiments with the Smuggler especially about temperament and mutation after the first kill. Coyote was already a murderer before we infused with his powers and had the right mindset unlike Josten. As such his mind is intact rather than shattered like the other test subjects.”
“And the girls?” Firefight asked. “I won't risk soldiers who can't pull their own weight.”
“Rhapsody is a telepath whose music can cause hysteria, servitude and even death.” Spymaster explained. “She also has a flute equipped with a blowdart if you were wondering about more conventional weaponry. As for Sycorax…well read this.” He snorted throwing a copy of Shakespeare’s the Tempest to Firefight. “Her powers are darker then anything the Coyote can muster. Now tell me what you think of your team.”
“I’m more at ease but until I see them in action I'm not willing to make any judgment on performance.” Firefight replied. “I assume you've all seen the lists?” He asked his team, the villains nodding as he walked past them. “I assume you all chose to be here?” He asked again, his team nodding. “Good, in ten years we will be seen as heroes on par with the Avengers and the Fantastic Four but now to the bloody business of slaughter and death! It’s time to go hunting!!”
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