Thunderbolts #19 - The Orders we Follow
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Thunderbolts Mountain, Somewhere in Colorado
Melissa landed the sonic platform on the landing pad bolted to the outside of the mountain, a twinge of fear running through her as Valarie disembarked, and walked up to the security gate slammed shut to prevent any entry by hostile forces. Shaking her head Melissa threw off the memories of being hunted in this mansion, of all the abuse Norman Osborne had given her, but not her memories of those who had stood beside her against her foes within the mountain
“The mountain has been abandoned ever since the Red Hulk cleared Hydra and HAMMER out of these halls.” Valarie explained, as the security gate slowly and painfully raised to reveal a section of ruined hallway. “The CSA brought the property off of SHIELD sometime later, but then Scourge appeared from these very halls and killed the entire staff manning this facility.”
“Any evidence that Scourge is still here?” Melissa asked nervously, as she sent a sonic pulse down the corridor, the walls glowing pink.
“Not that I’ve seen.” Valerie answered, as she led Melissa down the hallway towards a flight of stairs leading down into the mountain exterior. “I’ve been here a few times since the Thunderbolts started back up again.” She added, as the stairs ended five flights above the ground, the steps ripped out and replaced with repelling cables. Clipping on to the cable, Valarie glided down to the bottom and walked to the large bay doors connected to the flight of stairs.
“Is it in there?” Melissa asked.
“Among other things.” Valerie answered, as she swiped her key-card in the lock, the doors sliding open just enough to let the women inside. “And all of them are dangerous.” She added, gesturing to the inert form of the Thermal Man chained to the wall.
“Yeah I can see that.” Melissa stated, as she walked past a case containing a gleaming power-gem. “Why hasn’t this stuff been destroyed?”
“That’s above even my pay-grade Melissa.” Valerie announced, as she reached the hulking form of the Beetle Mk3 Armour, the lights on as it was charged ready for battle. “But thank god it isn’t, it may be the only thing we have that can defeat the General and rescue Abe.”
**
Thunderbolts Base, Burton Canyon, Colorado
Nightshade watched as the two CSA agents lifted Rock Python off the stretcher and onto the bed, a ventilator over his face to keep him breathing. Shaking her head, she went over to a secure medical cylinder and pulled out a first aid kit decorated with a bio-hazard warning symbol. Opening the top she checked inside, before removing what looked like a plaster and placed it into a tactical hard-case.
“Tilda…wait.” Rock Python wheezes, as he removed his ventilator and tried to sit up, only to groan in pain as his spine clicked.
“Curtis you’re awake!!” Nightshade gasped, as she ran over to his bedside. “Don’t move your spine had to be immobilised to prevent any further damage.”
“Your bed side manner sucks.” Curtis moaned, as he took a breath with his ventilator. “Tilda look out for Ross he’s not a friend. He’s the one who attacked me.”
“That can’t be right, he’s an Avenger.” Tilda replied, shaking her head as she turned and placed the kit she had found back in the cylinder. “It must have been Shatterfist or one of the other guys.”
“No I ran it through my head, everyone who could have done this was in-front of me except Ross.” Curtis groaned, as Nightshade turned and handed him a bottle of water. “He attacked Abe too, I know I intercepted that boomerang, I know it.”
“But the Red Hulk, General Ross is an Avenger. Attacking other heroes, working with criminals, that sounds like…”
“…something we would do.” Curtis finished. “Tilda find Erik and Melissa and make sure they know, and get Erik to stop doing this pacifist bulls**t stuff, we’re not powerful to win this without him.”
“Yeah I will.” Tilda replied, as Curtis reached down and pulled one of his bolas off the floor.
“One more thing, if you get the chance.” Curtis groaned, as he handed Nightshade the bolas, his face hardening as pain raced through his body due to the simple gesture. “Give Ross one from me.”
**
UndisclosedLocation
Abe felt every blow as Boomerang went to work on his torso, before he took a swing at his former teammate’s face, blood dripping down Myers fist. Looking out at where he was between blows, Abe saw pieces of steel beam, bare mountain stone and a tiled floor, but nothing that would help him locate where he was.
“Myers enough!” A voice snapped, as Boomerang delivered one last punch into Abe’s chest. Standing to one side, Abe could finally get a good look at the speaker clad in a crimson hooded cloak, tendrils twisting across the floor. “Mr Jenkins I would first like to make you aware that this isn’t personal, at least not for me.”
“Well that makes me feel much better.” Abe replied sarcastically, as Boomerang walked over to where Joystick and Puff Adder were standing. “You can’t be the original Crimson Cowl, from what I hear Justine Hammer was murdered by the Mandarin.”
“You are correct sir.” The Crimson Cowl replied. “But where are my manners, we have a caller who wants to speak to you.” The Cowl added, as Shatterfist turned on the console to the screen, the static clearing to reveal the brutish form of General Thunderbolt Ross.
“You!!” Abe hissed, as he tried to escape his restraints, only to be grabbed behind and slammed into the floor by Shatterfist. “Why did you do this, you are meant to be an Avenger!!” Abe snarled, as Shatterfist stood him up again, before kicking him forward.
“I’m a soldier, and like a good soldier I am following my orders.” Ross announced, as he pushed his face closer to the screen, his eyes glowing a hellish yellow. “Not that I don’t enjoy this, but mostly it’s my orders.”
“You said it wasn’t personal!!” Abe snarled, as he once again tried to free himself, only to have a bulky arm wrapped around his neck, the bones popping slightly, as Shatterfist put more pressure on his captive.
“I give him his orders, I will admit.” The Crimson Cowl sighed, as it shifted behind his cloak. “But like him I have my own orders, and I will carry them out to earn my reward. Shatterfist, if you would please escort Mr. Jenkins to his cell, despite his bruised state he is not to be trusted to run loose around my facility.” The Cowl ordered, before vanishing in a flash of crimson light.
“Wait a moment Fist.” Boomerang called. “Before we do that, I just need to stick it to my old boss.” He announced, as he took one of his trademark weapons and stabbed it into Abe’s chest, the blow knocking the air out of his lungs. “That should bleed you nice and slow,” He cackled, as something or someone moved across the room behind him unseen to all in the room save Abe, “you’ll get to see it when we kill your teammates. Like the Cowl said, for him it isn’t personal, for us it is.” He added, as a bag was placed over Abe’s head, and he was dragged away.
**
Twenty minutes passed before the guards left and Abe spoke, his eyes blinded by the constant light in the cell he found himself in. “You were there, watching, are you the one giving orders?”
“No.” A voice replied, as a black horned silhouette appeared before Abe. “I follow orders but they come from a different place to those of the Cowl’s, and it is that person I’ve been hunting.”
“Someone needs to warn the others, please will you do it? Will you help them?” Abe asked, as Scourge bent down, his demonic mask glowing with a hellish glow in the light.
“No.” Scourge answered, a dagger in his hand. “They know about Ross, I picked that up on the cameras hidden in your base. I guess that’s just one less thing to worry…” He added, the light finally going out as the power to the room shut down, “…before you die.”
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