Impurest Cheese/Marvel Now Presents - The Syndicate #1
All Characters are owned by Marvel Comics except Molten Man III and Double Dutch
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The figure clad in a black leather jumpsuit snarled as he looked down at the men and women dressed in red hooded cloaks from the gargoyle he was perched on, short stubby horns poking out of his head and a red pairs of 'D's slapped across his chest.
"The real Daredevil doesn't snarl." A female voice stated over the radio link back to command central. "We need to make this look authentic."
"Got it control." The faux Daredevil snarled as he sprung off the gargoyle and fell down towards the group of potential victims. "I assume we have green light to engage."
"Yes now we need it to look real long enough for us to get a fix on the radioactive tracer in your gloves. Pick one of the ninjas and make sure it survives or you get your membership in the Syndicate is revoked and I know you don't want that." Control stated as the faux Daredevil landed in the middle of the ninjas, each one drawing their weapons in the blink of an eye.
"Lord Daredevil we live to serve." One of the Hand acolytes announced, "We have remained loyal unlike those who fled to the side of Wilson Fisk. We are your blade, command us and we will bring ruin to all your enemies."
"You'll do." Daredevil growled before grabbing the man and sticking dagger like claws in his chest. In an instant the rest of the Hand ninjas were on him even as his body morphed back to a pale skinned almost vampiric looking figure, his free hand ripping open the chests of any attacker who came within arm's reach.
"A few more seconds Bloodscream." Control instructed as Bloodscream ripped off the head of a ninja armed with nunchuks before throwing her corpse at another attacker, the force sending him sprawling to the floor. "Okay trace complete now get them running."
"With pleasure I always did like a hunt." Bloodscream purred as his body increased in size until he stood a full three foot taller then the tallest of the remaining Hand ninjas. With a roar he threw his former captive away before grabbing a new victim in each hand, the ninja in his left hand was quickly crushed while he drunk the blood of the one in his right, their surviving comrades looked at their weapons, then at their wounds before disappearing in a cloud of smoke. "Now it gets interesting." Bloodscream hissed as he threw the two dead ninjas away.
"Not for you." Control ordered, "Others will deal with the rest of the clan. All you need focus on is cleaning up the mess you left behind."
"Ruined my fun just for this." Bloodstream snarled, "Still at least I'm getting paid to be myself, I guess that's something, and I get a free meal out of it." he added as he looked down at the remains of the Hand ninjas and those unable to flee, panic in their eyes as he sunk his teeth into the first before draining them dry.
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"Hello operative this is control." A European accented male voice announced, "What's the status of your pursuit?"
"It's going well I guess." The black armoured wheel man stated, "Man I look like a real tool in this purple Range Rover. Whose idea was it to set this up?"
"Blame Myers for signing you up Overdrive." Control stated, "The fact of the matter is that you have a job to do. But if you're feeling bolshie then we can dock your pay."
"With what Fred takes from our earnings I would barley have enough for new air freshener and this bucket is going to need it after we have finished." Overdrive complained as he swung a hard right as the ninjas he was chasing leapt across the gap in the rooftop before dropping down into an outdoor mall, one that the driver of the Range Rover had decided would suit his own needs perfectly to keep on his quarries tail.
"Are you complaining about your passengers?" Control asked as Overdrive smacked into the rear ninja before gunning the Range Rover through a piece of public art and out into the next street, the ninjas quickly disappearing into a boarded up wasabi restaurant.
"Only because that between the three of them they create a smell that is fouler then anything found this size of Fresh Kills Landfill." Overdrive spat as he put the Ranger Rover in park outside the Hand's bolthole. "Okay gents time to get out; this tub isn't going to get you any further."
"Okay assault team we have just pulled up building plans." A third Control agent told them, this time the voice had gravely tones with a hint of a Virginian accent. "There are two ways in and out; through the front door, and through the rear although we can assume that this is there bolt hole. Expect them to come from everywhere, the place will be rigged with secret doors and bobby traps."
"How many ninjas are we looking at inside?" One of the assault team asked, his muscles rippling under orange fur, the claws on his hands extended ready for close combat.
"The Intel provided suggests nearly fifty individuals Puma." Control explained, "Bloodscream killed eight and Overdrive ran down another leaving about forty targets for your team. I will stress that you are all getting paid no matter what so can you refrain from being in competition over kills."
"We read you Control." Puma sighed as he slashed through the boards that bared entry into the restaurant. Looking back he signalled for the others to follow before heading through the doors into the dilapidated restaurant interior. From the driver's seat Overdrive looked up from issue #44 of 'Off-Road Dude Monthly' and watched as the last of his passengers disappeared inside. "Huh better them than me." he grunted before turning back to his magazine.
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Advancing through the dilapidated front of the restaurant and into the kitchen Puma and his two compatriots scanned the area, natural night vision and thermal targeting goggles cutting through the gloom. In just a few minutes the trio of killers had reached the back of the establishment with not a single sign of their quarry or the additional reinforcements they were supposed to have. Crouching down Puma gave a long sniff, taking in the smells that lingered in the restaurant including the scent of fleeing Hand Ninjas. Narrowing his eyes he crawled along the floor of all fours before finding what he was after, the slight change of smell and dust levels revealing the presence of a trap door in the floor. "Control we have a second level here." he whispered as his compatriots gathered around the hole. "Do you have any Intel about the structure and layout of the lower levels?"
"Negative Puma." Control buzzed, "Proceed with caution and consider all targets hostile."
"Okay Molten Man do your thing." Puma told the golden glowing form standing next to him. Within seconds the man was alight with living flame and had melted the edges of the hatch. Before any of the team could drop down half a dozen members of the Hand sprung out of the hole, their hands clutched on swords or throwing stars for the brief amount of time they had the advantage before they fell back down either as ripped open corpses or charred bodies, their hunters aggressiveness matching and then eclipsing the ninja's best attempts.
"I'll go first." Molten Man wheezed, his voice sounding like an out of control firestorm descending on the room. Carefully he dropped down into the room, his body illuminating the small area sealed by a locked door. "It's clear come on down." he yelled up at the others before plunging his fist into the door, the sheer heat beginning to melt the metal and wood with a hellish glow. As he landed behind his comrades Puma double tapped his ear-piece as Control attempted contact again, his voice fighting the increasing static to be heard by his operatives. "We have a partial topographic simulation of the area. You are nearing a Hand shrine of significance to this particular faction of ninjas. After the corridor you should come to an alter for the Snakeroot. Once there the Hand will aggressively come to you, it's the perfect point for a defensive skirmish due to the narrowness of the adjoining corridor."
"Repeat again Control I just lost you." Puma asked as Molten Man finished melting the door open.
He said the narrow corridor will be an advantage in the crescendo of this mission A female voice answered in all three of the operatives head, Due to signal problems I will be taking over as Control using my telepathic abilities until we can re-establish radio contact.
"You have a name gorgeous?" Molten Man asked as the three operatives strode into a corridor hewn from the bedrock of the city.
To you I'm Control Molten Man Control chided, Now focus on the mission at hand. The Hand have skilled archers armed with enchanted bows, they could easily take you down in less then a second.
"They have to get in range first." The third figure, a hulking giant dressed in purple and green scale mail with a backpack mounted generator and a two handed scalloped axe growled. "The ceiling impedes an arrows flight due to its relative lowness."
"Vassal is right, a crossbow bolt or a sling bullet would do a lot of damage but normal arrows would be less effective." Puma added, "Although it looks like we are about to test that theory. Everyone on our six." he ordered as the operatives turned to see a pair of archers armed with antiquated bows take up position and fire their first shots, the arrows splintering off the ceiling. "Okay Vassal you are our rear guard, take them out and advance behind us." Puma ordered before he and Molten Man headed towards the Hand Shrine. With a snort of rage Vassal slammed his axe into the floor, the shockwave produced ripping the rock up as it radiated out, the force causing the Hand archers to crumple under the weight of the aggravated stone projectiles flung up by the impact of Vassal's axe.
"My brother would be proud." Vassal grunted before shouldering his axe and heading towards Molten Man's glow. Emerging from the corridor he saw his two allies standing over another five bodies of their unfortunate prey whilst looking at the alter, a dark wood double headed serpent wrapped around a clay effigy of a man surrounded by incense candles.
"Control we have a problem, the alter is a fake." Puma announced as he picked up the icon and checked the base. "Unless the Hand buys all its religious artefacts from Taiwan."
Stay on mission Puma, the artefact may be fake but the actual Hand ninjas are not. Control chided.
"Yeah they move like the real thing, all quiet and sneaky I barley heard a peek as the rest of the garrison surrounded us." Puma told her as he and his allies turned around to see the remaining Hand clustered around them, swords, spears and bows all pointed at the three mercenaries. "So you guys want to do this or not." Puma purred as his team of killers readied their weapons and activated their powers without a sign of fear of the overwhelming force gathered around them.
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In the darkened control room the Operator, a blonde woman dressed in traditional Dutch costume clicked a score counter as she felt the spirit of the Hand ninja's fade before with a final click the device showed a total of fifty kills.
Okay Puma, you guys are done. Triage back to the entrance for extraction back to base with Overdrive. She thought, the message going straight to Puma down in the formally Hand infested catacombs. Congratulations gentlemen you preformed admirably and the cheques have already reached your bank accounts. Stopping she smiled as she heard Puma's response before turning to the man standing behind the chair she was sitting in. "So Kilgrave you have one success under your belt what do you do next?" Control asked.
"That depends on Fisk's reaction Double Dutch." Kilgrave replied as he straightened his black tie, the neck piece contrasting nicely with his white shirt and violet skin. "Patch him through." he added as Double Dutch opened the secure line to the Kingpin's video conference line. Shooing his control agent away Kilgrave took the seat and looked at the seemingly obese man sitting on the other end of the computer screen. "So Fisk you had a live stream to our activities what did you think?"
"I see potential in your operation Mr. Kilgrave and that is why I won't be endorsing it unless you can promise me that this is not an attempt to steal my criminal empire and annex it to yours." Fisk snarled.
"Ah but the point of this Syndicate I have created is so that it won't tread on any ones toes." Kilgrave replied smoothly, "In a way I have my empire but it supports yours by supplying operatives and resources to aid in the maintenance and expansion of something that already exists."
"And that makes you dangerous." Fisk stated, "A danger that I can stomp out before it becomes too much to handle."
"Can you?" Kilgrave asked, "I already have eighty operatives, that's a lot of men, a lot of power. If I wanted I could march in at the head of an army into your office and depose you before you could get out of that chair but I don't and that's because where I sit now I have enough power, enough connections to get what I want. Over stretching is a problem I don't wish to have to deal with because in the end that will ruin me and my partners."
"I don't like you Kilgrave. The second you over step the lines I draw around you it will be your end no matter how many bodies you have to throw at me." Fisk threatened. "And when that day comes you won't be left with enough to rebuild a hot dog cart let alone an empire of crime." On his last words he terminated the connection leaving Kilgrave sitting in front of a blank screen.
"And it looks like we're up and ready for business." He smiled, his white teeth gleaming in contrast with his purple skin. "You may have the power Fisk but I will be the one who revolutionizes the way it works and bit by bit I will have your empire without you realizing it's gone until the last piece slithers through your chubby fingers and into my possession."
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So okay check it our @batkevin74, @cbishop, @jatoe48er, @richgenx, @tommythehitman, @sc, @wildvine, @irishlad and anyone else who wants to check it out. Comment, critic and enjoy.
Impurest Cheese Out :-)
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