Marvel Mayhem: Villains Tale #11 - Exceptional Circumstances
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Last Issue saw Doombot and Brass investigate the cause of the Jester's death and the formation of Unit 87; a mysterious death squad working for Spymaster and his partner Underhill. As the issue closed it was revealed that the team of killers has caught up with 8-Ball and his crew and are ready to strike.
For more information on Unit 87 follow the link to the One Shot Issue
The An-124 transport plane shook as it headed south towards Zambia, the autopilot keeping course as the occupants relaxed.
"Man that's some turbulence." 8-Ball stated. "Hey Richard you think you can tell the onboard computer to get out of the chop."
"You're the rocket scientist." Overrider replied. "Go pilot this thing and let me and Spectre set up the techno-mage interface for the locater spell." He added as Spectre removed a map from the hold of 8-Ball's barge along with four dark green candles. "This still feels wrong." He told his team-mate. "Makes me wonder if this is how monsters like Doom and the Hooded Haunt started out."
"They didn't." Spectre answered. "Spells are neutral; it's the intent behind them that assigns a side. And speaking of the Haunt there's something I have to tell..." Before she could finish alarms sounded as Brass lumbered in carrying Doombot's head.
"We are under attack." The head announced. "Now defend Doom so I can make my escape from this inferior flying machine."
"Sensors are showing a massive energy surge yelled!" 8-Ball yelled. "Contact in...gah what the hell was that?" As he spoke a wave of lightning streaked across the surface of the plane and ripped off the right wing and a section of the fuselage, the pressure sucking objects out the hole.
"Brass magnetise!" Overrider ordered. "Jeff we need to get out of here." He added as the plane started accelerating downwards as the surge of energy sparked into the barge's fuel tanks. Seconds later the skiff exploded, the blast ripping the tail off the plane.
"Wraithwitch watch out." Spectre yelled as a section of barge slammed into the dire-wraith as the unfortunate creature was ripped out of the plane. "We need to get out of here, meet up on the ground before we crash and burn."
"Agreed." 8-Ball answered as sealed himself in the cockpit. "Go use the Impact Balls in my spare bandolier to land safely." He added as he turned off the black box recorder and threw it out the window before letting the pressure suck him out. Behind him he saw Spectre dive after him, her intangible form phasing through debris as she fell. Descending at a slower rate was a thick green orb of impact gel indicating Overrider's escape route. Tapping his belt Jeff activated his own impact gel shield, thick green gel engulfing him as he fell.
**
Overrider groaned as he slithered out of the impact gel shield and into the long grass of the African planes. Turning he pulled out Doombot's head and put it on a rock before ripping the shield open only to fin that Brass wasn't inside.
"No." Overrider gasped. "She's gone."
"Doom wants to know what's wrong. Obey your master before you feel my wrath!!"
"Brass is missing." Overrider gasped. "She must have been left behind. God I'm an idiot."
"You left the woman who loves you behind." Doom snorted. "Truly you have no feelings for Morgan just as I expected" At the last three words Overrider spun round and grabbed the head. "Ah a primitive display of violence, not shocking considering who you are."
"If Jeff didn't need you to find Rachel I swear I'd have scrapped you! Look at yourself 'almighty Doom’; you're just a broken facsimile unable to do anything save listen! So listen to this, stay away from Morgan or we'll find out how much heat it takes to melt you down!" Overrider snarled as he dropped the head face first into the dirt. "This is Overrider is anyone responding?"
"This is Spectre." A voice announced over Richard's helmet radio. "I'm by the crash site, I've contacted 8-Ball and he's heading my way. Just be quick whoever shot us down could still be in the area."
"Got it, I've got Doombot with me. Our ETA is a few minutes." Overrider answered as he picked up the head. "Let's get moving." He added bitterly as he headed towards the smoking pile of debris in the distance.
"Doom thinks this is a trap." Doombot muttered. "Listen to Doom and obey!" He ordered as Overrider banged the head against a rock accidentally. "Doom thinks you did that on purpose and demands you apologise."
"Not going to happen." Overrider answered as he slid out of the grass and into the drag mark created by the plane crash. "Spectre should be close by." He added as he spotted Impala's bracelets lying in the dirt. "I promised to get you home and I failed. Guess this will have to do." He added as he felt something wooden touch the back of his head. "Jeff that you?" He asked.
"Better question to ask is that the real you?" 8-Ball replied. "You called me from the crash site told me you and Spectre were sitting up for the spell, yet here you are out in the bush. What the hell is going on?!" He asked as Spectre appeared from the crash site and waved to the three of them.
"It's obvious you fools." Doombot muttered. "Somebody is setting you up." He added as 8-Ball lowered his cue. "Did you honestly believe that you had outrun you're foes?" Over rider turned to Jeff and nodded before covertly drawing his Desert Eagle. Silently the trio walked up to where Spectre stood hands on hips waiting for them.
"Stay quiet." She hissed as she rested her hands on her pistols, and led them down to where Wraithwitch was crouched, the Dire-Wraith busy carving runes into the dirt. "Someone here is a traitor. 8-Ball called me from this spot claiming to have Doombot's head and yet when I got here there was only Wraithwitch."
"Traizón pode esperar." Wraithwitch hissed in a lisping accented voice. "O ritual debe ser iniciado." She added as Overrider hander her Doombot.
"Well the traitor is here somewhere." 8-Ball stated. "It could be any of us." He added as Wraithwitch removed a knife strapped to her arm. "The wraith was here it must be her!" Overrider stared at Wraithwitch before opening fire, his rounds hitting 8-Ball in the gut and causing his armour to shimmer and morph into a feminized version of the Spymaster suit.
"Nice try." Overrider grunted. "But Jeff wears his engagement ring on a chain around his neck, something you didn't pick up on." He stated as Lady Spymaster lashed out with her bo-staff the blow knocking Overrider to the floor.
"I got her!" Spectre yelled as Lady Spymaster removed a pistol and fired a flare into her own shadow, the projectile emerging on the other side of the crash site and lighting up the early morning sky. Opening fire with her own guns Spectre watched as each bullet was swallowed by a shadowy vortex before re-emerging and striking Wraithwitch in the chest, thick black blood oozing out of the gunshot wounds. Leaping away out of the fray Lady Spymaster sunk into the shadows as another shooter opened fire. Emerging from the wreckage Firefight moved into a good firing position just as Spectre and Overrider took cover to where Wraithwitch was trying to complete the ritual.
"I told you Spymaster was slippery." Spectre hissed. "And he was working with...”. Before she could finish she began to wretch and Overrider noticed something move along her arm under the skin before causing her to revert back to her human form.
"Wraithwitch you still with me?" Overrider asked unaware seemingly unaware of the shadowy figure emerging from the darkness behind him. Wraithwitch nodded before running her hand over Spectre's body.
"Ela está infectado." Wraithwitch snarled. "O seu corpo é o fogar dunha larva cadáver, unha criatura usada para comprobar caeu escravos humanos por necromantes malignos. Aínda que non pode ser morto dentro do seu corpo, só eliminado." She added as the shadowy figure grabbed Overrider and begun to drag him kicking and screaming into the darkness. Before he could finish his grisly abduction Coyote was blasted by a thin lance of energy as Doombot scuttled up part of the wreckage on thin spider like legs.
"Unhand Doom's personal steed!" Doombot bellowed as Coyote retreated into the darkness. "This position is defensible, we will fight while you expel the creature from the harlot." He told Wraithwitch. "Now come at me monsters, come and taste the power of the 'Voice of Doom'!"
"Come on Jaime pull through this." Overrider grunted as a massive bulge twisted around in Spectre's lower back. "I may have lost Brass and Jeff today, don't make me lose another friend too."
**
Ghostmaker kicked 8-Ball back before stabbing a pair of long knives through his prey’s arms pinning him to a bulbous baobab tree. “I knew it was just misfortune that aided your survival last time we met. Now I finish this.” He added before drawing a katana from it’s scabbard and spinning round to slash through the hydraulic line of Brass’s left arm. “You won't be as lucky again.” He hissed as he rolled under the robot’s swipe and thrust his blade up, the tip ripping open the robot’s power pack. Undeterred Brass juddered backwards, the sudden movement causing Ghost Maker to spring over her straight into a massive metallic hand.
“Release me robot!” Ghostmaker snarled. “That is an order.” Brass nodded before slamming the assassin into a branch of the baobab tree, the wooden tip jutting out of his stomach.
“Thanks Brass.” 8-Ball coughed as he ripped himself off the blades. “We have to…whoa.” Before he could finish Brass collapsed, sparks flickering on and off internally.
“System shutdown in two minutes.” Brass stated. “Please save Richard, he’s in combat as we speak.”
“Yeah once I've saved you. I owe you that much.” 8-Ball announced. “Can you jettison a module or something, make yourself portable?”
“Electrical charge required for memory separation.” 8-Ball nodded before removing a taser ball from his bandolier and stabbing the bladed tips into Brass’s ripped chest plate. “Okay this…ah hell I don’t know.” 8-Ball grunted as he activated the taser, electrical discharge running down the robot’s chassis.
“Charge at 87% and dropping, backing up essential files for module release.” Brass stated. “Primary Target – Memory File: Morgan Rensselaer.”
“Rensselaer? But that…oh god you were human once.” 8-Ball gasped. “I remember seeing it in the paper, a kid named Eric Rennsalaer went mad and killed his mother and wounded his father. I never put two and two together until…”
“Richard copied my memories into one of the robots he was working on for SHIELD.” Brass explained. “He saved me and dammed me, gave me life but buried me in a metal coffin. I became withdrawn, distant, even begged him to let me die.”
“Is there anything I can do to…ease your suffering?” 8-Ball asked as sickly green light exploded behind him.
“No, I gave up on death three reboots ago. I still love my husband but…he doesn’t love me anymore.” Brass stated. “When I saw you and Diamondback I became jealous, you were in love and that reminded me of what I couldn't have, would never have. I was going to kill you but then I saw Richard happy once again, with friends who cared about him and that made me feel…data extraction complete. Module discharge in ten seconds.”
“It made you feel human again.” 8-Ball finished as Ghost Maker stood over him, a sword hovering over his victims back ready to strike.
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