Weakest Link in the Chain, Part 6

Chapter Six: The Bigger They Are...

By Cris King

The peaceful calm of the nighttime skies over Manhattan is broken up by an urgent, hurtling Thor carried aloft by his Uru Hammer. A received emergency beacon from his Avengers communicard is the reason for the God of Thunder’s haste tonight. He wonders what great new danger he will learn about once he stands again within the hallowed halls of Tony Stark’s mansion. Alas, it is a destination he will never reach.

Without warning … a speeding red comet streaks in from the Asgardian’s blindside and decks him in mid-flight. After quickly gathering his wits, the staggered warrior can make out his attacker as a strange red-costumed man.

“Hey Thunder God, watch where you’re going! Geez…that’s the problem with this city, all you heroes think you own the skies!”

After finishing his taunt, Red Wind then quickly turns to fly away. “That worked,” thinks the villain to himself. “The poor lunkhead will never know what hit him.”

“Yon miscreant must be the menace that calls me forth this night. Whatever villainy this strange creature represents … he shall find Thor to be equal to the task!” With that the Thunder God gives a hearty chase.

One that is not long at all … and ends quickly on a nearby rooftop.

Red Wind settles down atop the building where he joins his partners Dymium, Thulkon, and Dr. Bruttus; who are already present and waiting. Thor cautiously lands there as well.

“Welcome Thunder-Guy! We been waitin’ for ya,” says a confident Thulkon.

The bemused Avenger reacts by venting his rage at this deception. “If it be the Thunder God you jackals desire…then by Odin, the Thunder God you shall have…to your everlasting dismay!”

Instantly, Dymium races up and touches the tip of Thor’s hammer, unleashing her power in the process. Mjolnir pulls irresistibly toward a large metal plate at the feet of the Thunder God, and out of his grasp.

“Od’s Blood!”

Thulkon seizes the moment by causing a metal strip of mentallium to fly over to Thor and wrap itself around his eyes like a blindfold. Their foe temporarily blinded, the rest of the Malevolence Union presses its advantage. Dr. Bruttus lunges forward and pounds him with his fists.

“You remember me - right, Hagar?” mocks Red Wind as he joins in the punishment by slamming his superfast body into the reeling hero.

Thor falls to the ground in pain … but also in search of his mighty weapon. “If I could but have my hammer back,” he thinks to himself. He finds his hammer by touch, only to be unable to pull it free of the magnetized plate. But before his foes can renew their assault, the Thunder God sinks his fingers into the roof’s surface and rips up as much of it as he can, causing the structure to crumble and all those upon it to fall to the next level.

Finally free of his attackers for a minute, Thor tears the mentallium from his eyes. Then he regains his hammer which still has the large metal plate and a huge chunk of rooftop attached to it. He swings it at a charging Dr. Bruttus and the resulting collision breaks off most of the annoying magnetized attachments as well as completely floors the evil one.

Dymium then causes some of the smaller pieces of metal rubble to fly at Thor, which he easily swats away. “Such petty nuisances will not keep you villains from my righteous vengeance!”

“No, but it’ll keep you distracted long enough for this,” spouts Thulkon as he flies in on his hover disks and strikes Thor from behind with a mentallium baseball bat. The prone Dr. Bruttus compounds the hero’s troubles by unleashing a mental bolt that causes great pain in the head of Thor. Then, a radiating Red Wind jets around for the coup-de-grace.

“I’ve built up enough charge to blow you into the next county, Avenger ... Goodnight!”

However, as the speeding target narrows in on the slumped form of Thor … the Asgardian’s muscled arm rises up and grabs the speedster by the ankle, a mere moment from impact. He takes his captured foe and swings him in a whirlwind motion ... first at a nearby wall (thus causing his charge to detonate and explode the structure to pieces). Then like a club at the rest of his enemies, knocking them all over. The renewed god then raises his hammer to the heavens and unleashes a furious storm -- releasing a frightening cacophony of thunder, wind, and rain.

“You mortals have trifled with forces beyond your ken! Now taste the bitter rewards of your offense!”

ZZZ-ZRRRR WAAK-K!

A devastating blast from the back tumbles the drained Asgardian to the floor. Behind him Othello holds his disintegrator rifle with the barrel still smoking from the powerful blast.

All of the Union attack en masse at Othello’s command. When the Thunder God fails to raise anew, Othello proclaims loudly, “Success … the mightiest has fallen … can the rest of this Earth be far behind?!”

Meanwhile, quietly perched on an adjacent rooftop, a crimson falcon intently observes all that has transpired with its lustrous eyes.

NEXT: A Call For Help!

Weakest Link in the Chain, Part 5

Chapter Five - Clash of Styles

By C. M. King

A blast of explosive energy scorches a hole into the floor of The Malevolence Union’s "training room" right in front of a poised Red Wind and Dymium. Followed by a boastful bellow, “Ok, let’s see what strategy you two can come up with to take down ‘Iron Man’ before his ‘repulsor rays’ cut you to shreds!” This challenge issues from Thulkon who has willed his armor into a comical façade of the golden avenger’s own armor. An Othello-made disintegrator rifle and accompanying strap-on power pack, complete his costume.

The two villains don’t skip a beat. Dymium focuses her power, through a futuristic-looking gun in her hand, to magnetize ‘Iron-Thulkon’s’ feet to the floor and keep him held fast there. At the same time, Red Wind flies through the air building up momentum for a full-speed ram of his now immobilized opponent. Red Wind easily avoids a disintegrator blast as he zeroes in and speeds toward his target. However, before contact can be made … a replica of Captain America’s shield (made out of pure mentallium) flies in from the side and clocks Red Wind in the back of his head.

“Good idea, Hot Shot, but what if Iron Man isn’t alone!? Haha! Back home I squared off against the Whizzer a couple of times. I can handle you speed-types!”

“Why you two-bit Dr. Spectrum wannabe!” snaps Red Wind while picking himself up off the floor. “I’m gonna crush you like a tin can on recycling day! Just let me build up more charge.” The enraged villain takes to the sky flying furious concentric circles.

“Aw Crap, he’s madder than a hive full of bees now!” thinks Thulkon. “Thank goodness Dymium released my feet so I can move.” As Red Wind flies at his foe full speed and crackling with energy, Thulkon forms a large, concave shield out of as much mentallium as he can spare to cushion himself from the impact of his charging ‘comrade’. The resulting collision shatters the shield to pieces and leaves both men sprawled on the floor.

“You made your damn point, Nutbag!,” scowls Thulkon. “Now here’s your reward!” He causes a mentallium sphere to hover over Red Wind’s head and then instantly change into a pure liquid form and splash atop Red Wind’s face.

The two then square off against each other trading punches. Suddenly, the monstrous Dr. Bruttus enters the room. “Othello has been successful, we are now in control of the Avengers’ communication center …ehh!!? What in-the-Hell is going on in here!?” A relieved Dymium says, “Looks like the Moron-Twins are at it again, Doc. Can you break them up?”

*********

An hour later, Dymium finds herself checking in on the captive Hawkeye. As he hangs against the wall in his chains, she curiously examines one of his arrows closely in her hands. After some contemplation she finally speaks. “I don’t understand how you’ve lived so long, hero.”

“You couldn’t expect to defeat real super-villains with these toys!” She punctuates this statement by waving the shaft smartly in Clint’s face.

After the archer composes himself, he replies … “Arrows are my tools, lady ... but I’m the real weapon. It takes more than special gadgets to make someone an Avenger, ya know!”

In response, Dymium points to the captive’s chains. “And look where all your talent has gotten you now?”

“I was duped … you guys didn’t fight fair.”

The villainess leans over so she can whisper into Hawk’s ear. “All’s fair in love and war, baby.” Then pulling back. “We outsmarted you fair and square! Your strength has always been to be allied with much stronger heroes. Taken away from them, you were exposed to be the weak link that you are ... and we simply exploited it.”

Clint’s lips and teeth suddenly form a sly, wry smile. “If you think that fighting with arrows isn’t much of a talent, then you should try it sometime. You probably couldn’t hit the broadside of Texas! Not all of us have super powers we can hide behind.”

Dymium perks right up with that statement. And her fingers crackle with energy as she eagerly strides to the other side of the room. Then unholsters the futuristic-looking gun at her hip. Aiming that gun at the arrow, the now-charged shaft instantly jumps to life and then violently shoots itself across the room … embedding itself in the wall mere inches from Hawkeye’s head.

Flush with her own display, Dymium bellows, “Yes archer, POWERS … Real Power! The kind that makes all of your skill obsolete!”

“I trust you are suitably impressed?” says the proud villainess with a playful wink. And then smugly exits the room.

Silently, with bright eyes glinting in the dim light, Hawkeye turns his head to the weapon projecting from the wall. He proceeds to remove the stuck object with his teeth. The next long hours pass in silence except for the scraping and pinging noise of a steel arrowhead on metal locks.

NEXT: THOR !!!!!!!!!

Weakest Link in the Chain, Part 4

Chapter Four - An Enchanted Evening

By C.M. King

Nighttime falls around Avengers Mansion, finding its newest inhabitants also as its only occupants this evening. In a second floor room, Firestar finishes fixing herself in her street clothes in front of a full-length mirror. Just as she is satisfied with her ensemble, an excited cry breaks her concentration.

“Check it out, Angel! How cool is this!?” Vance Astrovik stands in her doorway sporting an Avengers bomber jacket from a time before they joined the team. “I found it in a storeroom, I think it was the Black Knight’s, but I’m sure he wouldn’t mind if I borrowed it just for a bit.”

“Vance, you are NOT thinking of wearing ‘that thing’ out with us tonight are you? I know how proud you are of being on this team, and all, but I really think you should curb your enthusiasm a little sometimes.”

“Ah, Angel! This thing is a classic,” replies Justice sheepishly.

“I suppose it doesn’t even bother you that it’s far too warm outside for a jacket like that?”

“Ok – ok, you win! But watch out when fall comes!”

Soon … the couple shuts the front door of the iconic mansion behind them as they walk out arm-in-arm toward 5th Avenue. “Frozen yogurt out with the perfect man, could this night be any better?” remarks Angelica as she squeezes Vance’s hand a little tighter.

After the enamored couple has passed, the figure of Othello (still disguised as Hawkeye) emerges out from the shadows around the mansion.

Smiling briefly at the backs of the distant forms as they continue to recede away, he then turns around and slowly makes his way up to the historic manor’s front door.

“It’s too bad that Hawkeye doesn’t have an Avengers ID card anymore,” thinks the villain to himself. “But it shouldn’t present too much of a problem for me.”

With that thought in mind, Othello touches a hidden ruby inside his pocket that begins glowing at the contact of his fingertips. A whispered incantation passes his lips moments before a bizarre transformation takes place.

The man’s body begins to blur and diffuse until it has changed entirely into a cloud of black smoke. With an eerie casualness, the smoke then moves slowly … yet purposefully … under the front door of the mansion itself.

Only to reform itself into a cloud again, once inside the foyer on the other side. And then finally back into the form of the impersonated Avenger.

With alarms going off, the arm of a mechanized security system pops out of a wall of the Avengers foyer and shines a spotlight on the false Hawkeye.

“Halt Immediately! Intruder Violation,” announces the menacing machine!

A series of lasers are trained on the archer as the sinister-looking device concentrates a small light beam that falls upon Hawkeye’s eyes.

“Retina scan initiated…Match registered. Identity confirmed as Inactive Member Hawkeye. Security Alert shutting down.”

A mischievous smile cuts itself into the corners of Othello’s mouth as the machines retract themselves back into the walls.

NEXT: Skill vs. Power!!