La Carne Festa, Rome
“And then Fixer says well that worked but now we've got to save the dam world.” Mentallo stated as he sat at the head of the table, a glass of wine in his hand. “And I might be dressed like Iron Man but I’m not fighting the Mandarin just to get laid.” He finished, the rest of his team-mates laughing as he finished, even the Wink, had face covered with a black veil.
“Hang on I got to see this.” Cobra hissed, his forked tongue the only indication he was anything other than human. Raising his hand he covered the top half of Mentallo’s face and smiled. “Huh and Ms Marvel really thought you were Captain America. I guess you have the same chin.”
“We all have a tale like that.” Nightshade purred as she chewed the end of a breadstick. “I still remember the time I turned the Falcon into a werewolf. Those were the days, all you needed were some henchman, a bit of weird science and a warehouse space to rent and hey presto you were a super villain.”
“Before my time.” Silencer announced. “My first mission I ran afoul of the Thunderbolts, back when Hawkeye was leading them. Me and a few guys were working for the Stiltman to form the new Emissaries of Evil. It was some kind of racketeering business or something”
“Now that guy was a dreamer.” Jackhammer grunted as he took a sip from his can of beer. “To Wilber Day, the tallest man I ever knew.”
“To Wilber Day.” The others replied as the waiter brought out a massive lobster and placed it on the table.
“God that thing is huge.” The Endotherm swore. “If I didn't know better I'd think that somebody was dosing the lobsters with Pym Particles.”
“I think that might be one of mine.” Nightshade cackled as she lifted up the tale to see a barcode stamped on the creature’s rump. “Yep I knew it, can’t believe any of them are left. A while ago I partnered up with Mr. Fish to run a scam selling genetically modified lobsters. I think it was Spider Woman who shut us down that time.”
“Ah she’s the worst.” Mentallo chuckled. “So Wink what’s your ‘nearly got em’ story?”
“My story isn't for telling.” The Wink answered
“Ah we all have one we can tell.” Jackhammer snorted. “I got punked by Nomad. Nomad people, that’s just embarrassing. What’s worse is that he then dropped a skip on me. I stunk for a year after that.”
“So this happened what three weeks ago?” Cobra hissed. Jackhammer gave a little chortle. “Okay Cobra what’s your tale?”
“My tale involves me being hunted down by the entire Serpent Society over three days at my uncle’s beset. I took out their heavy hitters and specialists and only had three of them left on my tale; Rock Python, Boomslang and Coachwhip. I knew I could take them when…that smell, what is that?”
“What smell?” Silencer asked before giving a long sniff.
“Oh no, I know that odder.” Cobra snarled. “My uncle used to smell of it all the time. It’s his old partner Mr. Hyde and he’s close.”
“Hyde here?” The Endotherm asked as a pair of vans stopped across the road from the restaurant and the doors slid open and a hulking man stepped out followed by five other people. “This isn't a coincidence; Zemo has double crossed us.” He added as Hyde pointed at the table.
“Time to leave.” Mentallo stated. “Keep together and run towards the Spanish Steps while I distract them.” He added before concentrating on the approaching villains, his team-mates scattering as Hyde flipped a Ferrari out of the way and loomed over Mentallo. “Huh so Tommy was right you are working for Zemo. Which is really interesting because so do we.”
“Which one is this?” Hyde asked the man in armour standing next to him.
“Mentallo, low level con man with limited psychic abilities.” The man answered as Mentallo tiptoed past Hyde and his entourage. “He will be easy to break.”
“He’s escaping!!” The only woman in the group screeched before summoning waves of green energy and trapping Mentallo before he could escape.
“Countess…Vertigo.” Mentallo grunted as he writhed in pain on the floor.
“It’s just Vertigo snob.” Vertigo answered. “Whiplash restrain him!!” She ordered as the man in armour flicked his wrist and long glowing cables lashed out and slithered around Mentallo before binding his arms to his side.
“Alright piker!” Hyde snorted as he slipped a thick finger into Mentallo’s mouth and begun to push up, the force sending Mentallo’s jaw cracking. “Where are the rest of your friends?” Mentallo just closed his eyes and shook his head, the motion causing Hyde’s frustration to build up until with a sickening crack he tore Mentallo’s head off, the mutant con-man’s body exploding into a shower of photons.
“Did you kill him?” A man armed with a wide array of weapons asked.
“He sent us after a f*****g decoy!!!” Hyde roared. “Zaran earn your keep and track those w*****s down!!”
“I knew I should have accepted that job in Seattle.” Zaran groaned. “We have a problem with psychic phantom signatures bouncing all over the place. Some kind of mental smokescreen covering the potential escape routes the cartel could have taken.”
“I’m getting the same feedback on my visor.” Another member of the Master’s sighed as he flicked through his visor settings.
“Nobody asked you Boomerang.” Whiplash snapped as he cracked one of his trademark weapons. “This is infuriating, how could they have escaped from us?”
“I can track them.” The last member of the team stated in a cold flat voice. “They may have covered their trail mentally but the one we identified as the Endotherm has a unique radioactive signal to him. A radiological artefact from his armour probably but one that I can track.”
“And Atom Smasher comes in with the save.” Boomerang chirped as the sound of sirens flooded the streets. “Wait what are Italian cops like?”
“Dead if they come near us.” Hyde snarled. “Let’s go hunting. I plan to do something unpleasant to that little mutant when I catch him for tricking me.” He added as the Masters followed Atom Smasher towards the Travail Fountain and Spanish Steps. As the left a blonde waitress poked her head around the corner of an upended table, her body fading as her psychic disguise dropped. “Masters of Evil? Zemo?” Mentallo said with a concerned frown stretched across his face. “Keep running guys, I'm going to get to the bottom of this once and for all. I just hope it comes in time to save you.”
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