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The Mountain Temple of Zokk, Captain Britain continued his long and grueling climb up the seemingly endless winding spiral of stairs. He had long since lost count of the steps, and his energetic jog had slowed to a brisk walk and finally to a shuffling trudge. He was hot and sweating bullets in his armor, his helmet hanging loose at his neck as he gasped for breath. He was thankful that he could breathe at all at the overwhelming altitudes that the tower seemed to reach. Apparently whatever magick had stripped him of his powers also provided for an atmosphere. He had learned that the hard way of course; nothing ever came easy for him. He had been soaring upward, and by his judgement was well over halfway up the outside of the tall tower when his powers had faltered. He had started to fall then, miles above the surface of the world it seemed, well into the craggy spires of the mountain range where the strange mystical temple sat. He was not too proud to admit that he screamed for some time as he plummeted towards the ground, but luckily it was a long fall and he had had the time to gather his wits. He had grabbed at the tower itself, his fingers digging into the ancient brickwork to slow his fall. He had winced in pain feeling as though his arm was being wrenched from its socket time and again. He was in agony when he eventually found purchase, grasping a window ledge that broke his fall- rather abruptly. Something had popped in his shoulder when he had brought his great bulk to a stop, and he had hung there for some time dangling from the tower before he finally found the strength to pull himself inside. He nursed his wound for a bit, rubbing his shoulder as he stared up into the high shadows and finally started walking. He had not realized just how out of shape he actually was, how dependant he had grown on his Otherworldly mutated powers. The armor had always been a crutch. He knew that! It amplified his natural abilities. But every time he looked in the looking glass he saw a handsome man with an almost perfect physique. He had never considered just how reliant he had become on his strength and flight, his ability to heal. Now stripped of his mutant abilities here within the tower he was out of breath and ungodly tired. He was sweating like a pig, and he was quite certain that he would have killed for a drink. His shoulder was still throbbing, and he was sure that he had huge blisters on both feet from his long, hard walk. Nothing was ever easy… He was cursing Roma loudly and vehemently by the time he finally saw the dim glow overhead that he hoped signaled the end of his climb. It was her fault that he was here in the first place. He assumed- in her mind at least- she had had good reason to rip him from his own world and send him to this backwater barbaric place. She had given him no warning beforehand however, and absolutely no clue as to what he had to do once he arrived. He had seen a huge army massing in the valley below the mountains that he had appeared upon, biding their time as they waited for the completion of some massive gateway far in the distance. Obviously they were preparing to move out and attack some neighboring realm- no doubt his own reality though Roma had said nothing. He had debated attacking the army head on and destroying the gate outright, but with rare insight had decided it to be better to attack the head instead, the army's leader. He deemed- again with rare insight- that the leader was most likely in the temple that sat high in the mountains… Which led him here, to the last few steps within sight of his goal. He was bent over and breathing hard, heaving for every breath just a few short steps from the upper most landing where he had seen the light. As landings went it was rather barren and mundane with an arching stone wall that held only one window and door. There was a torch in a sconce on the far slope of wall, and a rickety wooden bench to the right of the thick-looking oaken door. The most impressive thing on the landing of course was the huge man that stood before the door- Brian Braddock was a big man since he got his promotion. He was tall, almost seven feet, and wide, layered with muscles. The man at the top of the stairs was bigger! He was in Thor's class for size; closer to eight feet tall and muscles upon muscles honed form actual exertion rather than mutation. He was bald across his body- at least as far as Brian could see, and his pale skin was etched with tattoos of intricate design and pierced with rings and studs everywhere. He was huge, and ugly beyond belief, dressed in skins and furs and bits of metal that might have been mistaken as armor. Too, he held a huge stone axe that looked chipped and battered from overuse. If Brian could have named him, he probably would have called him Tai… Tai the slayer! The huge man's eyes were glazed and he seemed totally ignorant of Brian Braddock as he climbed the last bit of stairs, at least until he placed his foot on the landing itself. The barbarian's eyes seemed to focus, and he turned to stare at Brian who stood gasping for breath at the top of the stairs. "You do not belong here!" The man said, and Brian tried to wave him away, biding for time- "No…Wait…Give me a moment…to catch my breath…" The barbarian stepped forward, swinging his axe about from where he had had it resting against his shoulder to an offensive grip in both hands. "You are an intruder! I will slay you now!" The man's eyes flashed wild as he charged forward. He raised the axe high overhead, ready to strike as Brian sucked in air, trying to get his breath- "Bloody hell…" BRENT LAMBERT
PRESENTS...
"Worlds High And Low!" Written by
Curtis J. Fernlund Earth: The Morlock tunnels beneath Manhattan… Callisto screamed, dancing warily forward, her slim knife flashing
before her in wide, sweeping arches. It seemed rather pathetic, she had to
admit, before what she faced but it was all she had. The creature grinned
and leered at her efforts, stepping back from her cautious attacks, waving
his hands before him in a warding gesture with a chuckle. Callisto knew
that he was not afraid of her, but still she had to try. She had recognized him finally, or at least who she thought he was- or
who he had been. His crimson and gold costume was filthy and in tatters
but the huge X on his belt buckle was a dead give away to his origins. He
was one of Xavier's whelps from the Generation X team, and his name had
been Synch. She had seen his image only once, and then it had been fuzzy
and staticky; the result of the Morlock Vidhead's mutation. The girl had
been on a scouting mission to Xavier's with a few others from the clan and
had captured the images of Generation X, and Synch, which she had replayed
for Callisto and her lieutenants to keep them up to date. He had seemed
normal enough then, young and handsome, a black youth with the future
bright ahead of him. Callisto could not imagine what had happened to him,
or why Xavier had let it go on. She dodged back, feeling weaker the closer that she got to the
emaciated boy. He was casting an aura not unlike the girl Meggan had until
he had knocked her senseless. Callisto recalled that the boy's powers had
something to do with mimicking another's. She was not sure exactly. Some
reports said that when he 'synched' he took on the strength of any within
his glow. Other reports stated that he leeched all powers. That had been
before whatever had changed him, but it also seemed to be the case. Synch was obviously drawing away Meggan's powers as he seemed almost
able to fly and his own glow was sparkling brighter by the second. She
could feel her own strength and skill waning, and her friend and
companion, Marrow seemed almost totally drained. Whatever had changed the
boy had made him a mockery of his former self though. His body was thin,
his parchment-like skin wrapped tightly over his muscles and pale. His
eyes were alight with madness and lust, a craving for power as well as a
hunger. A hunger for bone… Synch apparently had been the maniac that had been slaughtering the
Morlocks and homeless Flat Scans down in the old tunnels. He had been
shredding his victim's skin to get at their bones, which he shattered then
and hollowed of marrow. It was gruesome and grotesque, and he had killed
far too many to be allowed to continue. One dead Morlock was too many! He
had captured Marrow and beaten down Captain Britain's naïve girlfriend,
Meggan and now he had his sights set on Callisto, the only one left to
oppose him since the Captain turned tail and ran away. Typical… "Surrender!" the boy cackled gleefully. He knew that he had the upper
hand. "I'll make it quick." She doubted that. He was feeling it now, nothing to lose. He had
Marrow's strength, and he was staying near Meggan, and drawing off of her
as well- "Fat chance!" Callisto screamed and lunged. He was getting cocky, and
she saw her opening. The boy's eyes went suddenly wide as she drove her
blade between his ribs, aiming for his heart. He winced as she shoved and
she felt a wash of his fetid breath as he grabbed at her arm. They
struggled as Callisto tried to slice, tried to turn the blade, but she
could feel her strength ebbing as he locked his hands around her forearm.
He grinned maliciously as little sparkles of light danced about the bloody
spot where her knife slid into his uniform. Meggan's power was healing
him, even as the strength of all three women was forcing her back. With a shove Callisto went flying across the chamber and slammed hard
against the far wall. She saw spots dancing through her sight as she slid
down the slimy brick face. Too, she saw Synch slide the knife from his
chest, still smiling, and lick the blade clean of blood. He made a fist
and shattered the knife in his grip then tossed the shards of metal
aside. She saw the boy moving towards her then through bleary eyes;
half-floating, half walking. He was glowing brightly now, his smile wider
than before. He raised his hand, stretching towards her- "Time to die." The Mountain Temple of Zokk, Captain Britain more fell to the side than actually dodged. Regardless,
the result was the same. The giant barbarian's massive stone axe slammed
down onto the spiral stairway shattering the uppermost steps with the
sweep of his mighty blow. The Captain could feel the entire staircase
vibrating with the assault, and for a moment he thought that the ancient
tower, stairs and all might fall out from beneath him. No such luck… Bereft of his powers, thanks to whatever queer spell had been enchanted
upon the tall tower, Brian Braddock scrambled to stay out of reach of the
swinging blade. He had no illusions that the barbarian could rend him limb
from limb in his present condition, but still he was not going to give up
without a fight. He had given up too many times before, and it had gotten
him nowhere. Thankfully, the great brute was not too talkative. Truthfully he was in
a class with the Hulk, intelligence wise. His witty repartee consisted
basically of grunts and groans and short, choppy sentences like "Tai the
slayer will slay you!" and "Stand and meet your doom!". It was just as
well, as Brian was having a hard enough time staying alive and out of
reach of the swinging blade without having to make conversation as
well. The man was obviously possessed. He was being mind-controlled, probably
by some magician hidden behind the door on the upper platform that Brian
had spied earlier. That made it all the harder to fight the giant of
course. He might well be a hero on this world, and if he was being
controlled it was certainly not his fault. If push came to shove however,
Brian Braddock was well and ready to do whatever he had to do to win! The barbarian yelled again, and again- he did a lot of that. He was
becoming frustrated at his inability to connect with his huge stone axe as
Brian was just too fast. The barbarian obviously had him beat in strength,
but Brian was obviously quicker both in body and wit. Luckily! All it
would take was one solid blow however, and Captain Britain would be done.
His armor was good, but the axe had a mystical quality to it that was
shattering stone and rending iron. Brian Braddock had his doubts that he
would survive even one solid blow. He had to make his move- whatever it
was. Tai the Slayer shifted his great axe and swung it high. Captain Britain
watched, feigning helplessness as he clung to the remnants of the
shattered stairway, letting his eyes grow wide with fear as though knowing
that the killing blow was finally coming. The barbarian's face stayed
angry, did not shift to conceit or satisfaction. His eyes remained glazed
and determined, a killing bloodlust locked in place. The man did not care
that the battle would be won and he was quite certain that if and when he
connected, he would simply walk back to the door on the landing and resume
his attentive position of a guard. He was gone. The barbarian swung, grunting with the effort of controlling the arch
of his heavy axe. Captain Britain was ready however, and this time he had
a plan. He shifted to the side, letting the axe drive into the stone steps
of the stairwell again. This time however, just before the axe connected
and the giant adjusted to retrieve his axe, Brian grabbed the handle of
the weapon and heaved with all of his strength, actually rolling over and
throwing his weight into his own efforts. The Barbarian grunted in
surprise as Brian used gravity and centrifugal force against him, heaving
with leverage whilst the man was off balance and pulling him along with
the force of his blow. Brian was rewarded with his efforts to see the
barbarian's eyes grow wide with surprise, his mouth flapping open in
astonishment. Brian Braddock threw all of his own massive weight against the haft of
the axe, knowing that the giant would rather die than relinquish it. That
was what he was counting on actually. He heaved and rolled, planting the
blade into the stairs and forcing the barbarian's action to continue its
logical path. He heard the man yelp in surprise as he passed overhead,
flipping over Brian like a stunted pole-vaulter. He slammed against the
wall in the tight confines of the stairwell, head first Brian was happy to
see. It was enough- He watched as the barbarian tumbled down the stairwell, caught in the
grip of gravity. The stairs were tight, and there was no room to maneuver,
no handrail and nothing really to grab onto. Brian figured that the
barbarian would keep tumbling down until he reached the bottom far, far
below. He heard the man's grunts and groans of pain as his body bounced
off of the cold, hard stone. It was almost comical; like one of the old
Warner Brothers cartoons he had enjoyed as a child. He listened for a
time, trying to suppress a smile well after the barbarian had vanished
from sight and even his cries of pain were just hollow echoes. Brian Braddock breathed a sigh of relief when it was finally silent
once again. He used the long handle of the axe to stand, then actually
tried to lift it, thinking to use the bloody thing to batter down the door
at the top of the stairs. Try as he might however he could not lift the
axe head from the floor. He harumphed and tossed the haft aside, staring
as it started to slide slowly down the stairs after its owner. Enchanted
no doubt, he decided, and totally useless. Having no other immediate
distractions he turned and started up the now broken stairs… Earth: The Morlock tunnels beneath Manhattan… Callisto hated to run! It rankled every fiber of her being to run away
from a fight, but she had no other choice. She was not stupid! Synch was simply too powerful for her alone in a one on one fight. Her
knife was gone, and she was weak from exposure to his powers. He had
'synched' with all three women in the tunnels; herself, Meggan and even
poor Marrow, and Callisto's best shots were shrugged aside by his greater
strength as a result. Too, he had tapped into the regeneration that all
three women had as part of their mutations, as well as Meggan's wider
array of abilities. Callisto knew when she was outmatched. She ran down the tunnels; tunnels that she knew as well as the back of
her hand. She had lived in the tunnels beneath Manhattan for several years
now, ever since her mutant gene kicked in, disfiguring her and giving her
the powers akin to an animal. Her senses were heightened; she could see
well in the dark and track anyone by smell alone. She could heal faster
than normal and she could hear really, really well. Her abilities had kept
her alive in the old subway and maintenance tunnels as she was learning to
fight and survive. They had helped her become the leader of all the
Morlocks, a title she had held for years, at least until Storm of the
X-Men had come along and beaten her in a fair duel. All of that of course
meant nothing as she ran for her life. Callisto had a plan however. She did not recall Synch personally, but
she had some idea as to how his powers worked. His 'synch' powers worked
in a radius that, thankfully, was marked by the glowing aura that
surrounded him. Anyone within that glow was subject to his abilities, so
the simple matter was to put some distance between him and his power
source. So far it had worked marvelously as she led the boy a merry chase
beneath the streets of Manhattan. Whatever else had happened to the boy
she had no idea. How had he become a form of vampire, sucking the very
marrow from the shattered bones of his victims she did not know, nor
really care. He was doing it, and he had killed several people in the
process. People that Callisto called friend! He was going down, and he was
going to hurt! She turned down a dark and sloping tunnel breaking from the subways and
crossing into the older sewer lines again. She saw her shadow flash on the
wall ahead of her and knew that Synch was still following. Good! Rounding
another corner she leapt up and pulled herself into an old drainage pipe
that hung over the tunnel. She pressed her body against the stone
brickwork of the old pipe, trying to control her breathing and remain
silent as Synch's glow brightened. She held her breath as he passed by
beneath. Callisto smirked, knowing that he was cornered. The tunnel went on for
a few more yards until it reached a bolted door. Beyond the door was an
area that had been sealed off for years. Captain America had fought the
Hordes of Hydra there, back when he did not care so much, and dozens had
died in a flood within. SHIELD had come in afterwards and secured the
area, sealing it tight and setting up an alarm system that she hoped was
still active. She would normally not want the likes of Nick Fury and his
agents down in her world, but desperate times and all that! Silently Callisto swung down from the pipe and edged down the tunnel
towards the glowing boy. She could see Synch examining the door with
confusion, wondering no doubt just where she had gone. She smiled and
crept closer… Synch turned at the crunch of grit under Callisto's boot. Too late
however as she was already sweeping her leg up and about. She caught the
boy squarely on the jaw with the heel of her boot, the sweeping reverse
kick spewing blood from his mouth and sending him flying. He seemed
lighter that he looked, but he still went smashing through the sealed and
bolted door sending shards of rotting wood flying. To her delight, an
alarm claxon started to blare. Callisto pressed her attack, however, not knowing just how long it
might take SHIELD to get around to investigating the alarm. She hoped that
they might think it was Hydra again, come back to their lair. That would
get them moving. Still she figured that she still had several minutes to
try and stay alive until help came. It was not going to be easy. The room beyond the shattered doorway was huge; a changing station for
the city's outdated water works no doubt, at least at one time. There were
dozens of mostly disused pipes all dumping once into a central pit that
funneled the water of New York's sewers a step further towards the harbor.
The walls were covered in slime and filth, what she could see, and the
central pit was about half full with a thick sludge. Synch was floundering
about in that, struggling to stay afloat in the muck- "Help!" he cried out, his voice suddenly all too human. "Help me!" "Bite me!" Callisto sneered as she stepped up to the edge of the pit.
The boy looked trapped and helpless as he floundered about, splashing and
trying to swim in the mire. It was like quicksand, and if he just stopped
struggling he would be fine, but he was panicking and that was fine with
her. Keep him busy until the cavalry arrived. Callisto crouched down at
the edge of the pit and lit a cigarette to watch his struggles- "Please…" he whined, and Callisto smiled, blowing blur smoke at
him. "Did you listen to the people you killed? Did you heed their pleas of
mercy, boy? Suffer!" Synch suddenly stopped struggling, and as Callisto watched her one good
eye grew wide to see the boy suddenly float up out of the mire. His
sinister smile was back as he shook the muck away and righted himself,
floating in her direction- "Shit!" she cursed, flicking her cigarette away. "He can fly!" Cold laughter echoed through the vast chamber as Callisto turned to
run… The Mountain Temple of Zokk, Brian Braddock staggered up the last few steps of the long spiral
stairs and walked across the old wooden platform to stand before the heavy
oaken door. It was a big door, and there were runes and markings etched
into the frame and the surrounding wall as well as the ancient wood
itself. Brian had been around magic enough to recognize runes of warding,
but he was not so in touch with his mystical side to know just what any of
the symbols meant or what to do to shut them down. If his powers were at their peak he would not care. He would simply
smash through the door and fly into the room beyond to trounce any and all
within. Now however he was bereft of his Otherworld mutations and had only
a dysfunctional armor for defense. He stared at the door for a moment and
finally sighed. He had no other choice. He had to get into the room
beyond. Tentatively he reached out and grasped the handle, bracing for an
explosion of eldritch flame- Nothing happened! He turned the knob, holding his breath for the billowing clouds of
noxious gas- Nothing happened! He pushed on the door with all of his might and it swung easily inward,
causing him to stumble and curse. The room beyond was much larger than it
should have been for the size of the tower. There were shelves of old and
dusty books stretching back into the dim shadows. There were bubbling
concoctions pulsing in an array of glass beakers and jars connected by
copper tubing. There were things chattering in cages along one curving
wall. The rotting skeleton of a dragon hung from rusting chains overhead.
Brian Braddock saw all of this within the split second that he scanned the
room, but his eyes finally rested on the three 'men' that occupied the
chamber's center. There was a naked and shriveled body chained to a huge stone slab in
the room's center. There was a pentagram of types scrawled onto the floor
about the pedestal, and the nude man himself was carved in runes; some old
and scabrous, others fresh and bloody. There was an iron helm locked about
the captive's head that not only gagged him but blinded him as well. His
hands and feet were gangrenous stumps wrapped in iron chain. He was
writhing about and in obvious agony as one of the other men tried to hold
him still whilst the third carved new runes into his pale skin with a
red-hot glowing blade. Both of the captors looked up as the door slammed
open against the wall and Brian stood in the doorway- "Who is this, Mortak? You assured me that none would pass your
guardian!" The man carving into the captive with the knife was obviously a wizard.
He had that typical look; sinister and dark, his black hair slicked back,
thin and greasy mustache and goatee. He was dressed in heavy purple robes
and Brian had to admit that he looked bigger than most wizards that he had
encountered before- "I don't know, Tarakis. A knight I suppose, by his odd armor." The other was large too, but dressed head to foot in a rag tag armor of
skins and fur and metals. It was a mismatched thing, but looked as though
it would do the job, as did the sword that he was already drawing; long
and sharp! "No matter! I'll dispatch this knight!" The wizard nodded, dismissing Brian and returning to his work;
torturing the poor soul on the stone slab! "See that you do, Usurper! I'm much too involved to stop now." The big warrior stepped forward, glancing at his golden helmet sitting
on a nearby table but making no move towards it. He held his sword out,
ready to fight, and with a haggard sigh Captain Britain stepped into the
room… Earth: The Morlock tunnels beneath Manhattan… "Can you feel the burn yet?" Callisto snarled through gritted teeth trying her best to answer, but
the boy simply tightened his grip on her throat. His glow was blinding her
sight, and the blurry images that she did manage to glimpse were fading
into the shadows. She could not breathe! She could hear the boy laughing even over the roar of blood racing in
her ears. She struggled, clawing at Synch who was holding her down at the
very ledge of the pit that he had come flying out of. He was choking her
to death, but she knew that that was not how he worked. Her simple demise
was not what he craved. Callisto raked her fingernails across his face in desperation- like a
woman. She gasped for a quick breath as she felt his grip ease on her
throat as he winced in sudden pain. She blinked and saw the scars of her
attack, blood glistening on his dark face in four slashing streaks. He
held her down with one hand and dabbed at the blood with golden
fingertips, looking at the dark stains in astonishment. She could see the
rips already healing, though they would leave scars; the fault in her
regenerative powers. Synch licked the blood from his fingertips away with a grin and stared
down at Callisto, leaning in close… "Time to end this, meat!" Everett Thomas stared down at the woman beneath him. He could see the
fear in her wide, staring eye as he brought his glowing hand closer. He
could feel the bones in her chest sliding and bulging already. His mouth
started to water as the craving grew. When he touched his hand to her
chest her ribs would burst free and he would feed- "No!" Thomas made a fist, tensing his body as he tried once again to fight
the urges growing within him. He hated this life and existence. He hated
hiding away in the sewers feeding on rats and mice until the hunger grew
too great. How many lives had he taken since Emplate had changed him into an
energy vampire? How many homeless humans had he slain to stay alive? How
many more Morlocks would die so he could push back the hunger that ate
away at his very being? When would it end? Synch blinked, his concentration shaken as something slammed into the
side of his face. He shook his head and saw the woman- Callisto- swinging
a fist at his face again, a large chunk of masonry curled in her grip.
Before he could react she connected, but it was too late. He had her
strengths again, now she was trapped in his aura, and her resilience as
well. It hurt, but only just enough to let his own resistance slip away.
Just enough to let the hunger wash through him again! He smiled, feeling
his broken skin knitting already. The woman had sealed her own fate… Callisto dropped her impromptu weapon as pain rippled through her body.
She could feel her ribs expanding, trying to burst forth from her chest at
the call of the vampire straddling her stomach, holding her down. She
tried to struggle on, but the pain was too great, and she was far too
weak. The boy's hand felt warm and comfortable on her chest. He was glowing
brighter by the second, his face and body just a blurry silhouette in the
streaming brilliance. She tasted blood welling up her throat- "NOooo!" Callisto blinked as the weight suddenly vanished from her chest. The
blinding glow was gone, receding suddenly into the distance. She moaned,
tried to move and immediately regretted it. She started coughing as her
chest contracted as though caught in the grip of a vise. She hacked up
blood and felt the world spinning as her healing factor returned. She
rolled over, wrapping her arms tightly about her chest and prayed for the
best. If her injuries healed too fast, if her ribs were not pushed back
into place she would be in constant agony. She did not know if she had the
strength or courage to do the job herself, but she had to try- "Rest easy, Callisto. I'll help you." Callisto felt a warmth rush through her as soft, tender hands began to
explore her body. She glanced back over her shoulder and saw the girl-
Meggan- smiling down at her sympathetically. Meggan petted her, touching
her all over and at first Callisto fought back stubborn and embarrassed.
Then she started to feel better as Meggan's touch began to heal her
wounds, even shifting her ribs back into their rightful place. She sighed
contentedly. It had been so close. Death Callisto sat up suddenly, twisting about and searching the chamber.
Meggan gasped, trying to hold her still but Callisto pushed the younger
woman's hands away- "Where's Synch?" she snapped, struggling to her feet. She swayed on
unsteady legs, feeling her strength slowly returning. She felt Meggan's
hand on her arm, supporting her and this time she let it stay. "The boy?" Meggan asked, pointing towards the drainage pit. "He's in
there! I hit him in. I stopped him!" "Little fool! One punch isn't going to stop that thing! I don't care
how strong you think you are! You can't stop him!" "Maybe she can't, Cal," Callisto turned at the sound of the weak and
scratchy voice and saw her standing in the shadows of the side tunnel. She
was leaning against the wall for support and blood dripped from gaping
wounds and shattered bones all over her body. She staggered forward,
slowly at first then running. "but I can!" "Marrow!" With a scream that was half pain, half rage Marrow leapt past the two
women, diving towards the huge pit. Callisto cursed, spinning on her heel
to grab at the fool girl but she was too slow from her own wounds- at
least that's what she would tell herself later. Marrow slipped past and
dove out over the edge even as a dim glow started to rise once again from
the murky, stagnant water. Callisto heard the sickening thud of two bodies colliding. Shouts and
curses, the snapping of bone and the two forms rose from the pit locked in
combat. Marrow was struggling, slamming a fist into the boy's face while
digging a razor sharp shard of broken bone into his side. For his part,
Synch was cackling with lust as he locked his legs about the girl, his
hands grabbing at the bones pushing through her skin and snapping them
away, feasting on the energy that they provided him. His glow pulsed
brighter with every beat of his heart and Marrow's screams of agony and
anger grew louder and louder! Callisto heard Meggan gasp in horror- "We've got to help her!" "No!" Callisto shouted, turning to hold the woman back. "You're too
powerful! He'll just leech your powers again and become unbeatable if you
get into his aura! We have to let Marrow fight this one alone-" "No we don't." Meggan smiled and raised her arm, pointing at the pair
still locked in combat above the pit. She hesitated only a moment, then a
blinding blast of radiance sprang forth from her hand. Callisto felt the
heat as the beam of energy spewed forth, searing the very air! The blast
struck Synch fully in the face as the pair toppled through the air, and he
screamed. Marrow screamed! Callisto screamed as in a blaze of fire the two fell from sight… The Mountain Temple of Zokk, Brian Braddock's head reeled as he felt the sudden surge of energy
coursing through his body. He could feel his strength returning, washing
over him. He suddenly felt alive again, and refreshed. Whatever spell had
stolen away his magical mutative otherworldly abilities outside apparently
did not hold sway here within the wizard's chamber. But of course, that made sense. The spells that had leeched away his
powers could not work here or whatever arcane ritual the robed mage was
enacting would not work as well. Brian Braddock smiled and flexed his
muscular frame. He beckoned the barbarian forward cock sure that he was
now ready for anything. The warrior- Mortak- smiled, laughing in turn. "Good!" he sneered, whipping his sword about. "It has been far too long
since I faced a warrior worthy of my mettle! I salute you, Knight! Now
prepare to meet your gods!" Brian Braddock chuckled and crooked a finger at the barbarian. "Bring
it!" Mortak charged! Brian Braddock was not an idiot. As Captain Britain he had faced
innumerable foes wielding swords, far too many of which were magical and
could actually do him damage. The Black Knight's Ebony Blade alone could
have sliced him to ribbons, armor and all. And of course there was
Excalibur! He did not know if the barbarian's sword was mystical, but he was not
about to take the chance. As the warrior charged, Brian used his superior
speed and skill and simply stepped to the side letting the sweeping blade
dig into the stone floor. There was a shower of sparks, and the brute
grunted with the force of his blow, spittle flying out of his foul mouth.
Brian stepped back and spun to bring his elbow down hard onto the back of
the Usurper's neck with a bone-wrenching thud. Mortak staggered forward with a grunt, but Brian pressed his attack,
racing around to drive his fist into the warrior's kidneys. Mortak moaned
with the force of the blow, shooting upright in sudden pain, grabbing at
his side. Braddock pulled back and punched him squarely in the jaw with
enough force to spin his head about. Blood spewed from the barbarian's
lips and a tooth went sailing across the room. Mortak stumbled drunkenly,
trying to regain his senses, but Braddock did not give him the chance. He
grabbed the Usurper's long, greasy mane and forced his head down even as
he whipped his own leg up. There was a sickening crunch as Mortak's face
slammed into Captain Britain's knee. Braddock felt the sudden weight of
Mortak's body as he lost his footing and went limp, hanging from the
Captain's grip in the tangled hair. Brian opened his fist and Mortak the
Usurper fell unconscious to the floor. Captain Britain turned his attention to the wizard then. The man in the
robes was staring at him with a blank look of disgust, occasionally
glancing at the heap of barbarian puddled on the floor. His knife was no
longer glowing hot as it rested in a bleeding gash on the captive's
chained body. The form on the slab quivered occasionally, and moaned at
least until the wizard sighed and set the blade aside in a small brazier
radiating heat near his elbow. He settled back in his chair and rested his
elbows on the arm slats, steepling his fingers as though considering the
Captain- "You're of the Captain Britain Corp, aren't you?" he asked calmly,
looking Brian up and down. "616?" Brian blinked, then nodded. "Yes." The wizard smiled. "I thought as much. Roma set thee on my heels-" the
wizard hissed, wincing. "Sorry. Old habits die hard it seems." "You're from Earth 616?" Brian asked, everything suddenly falling into
place- well, enough of it at any rate. "Yes and no." The wizard smiled and stood, casting a glance at his
captive before moving to a small table against the curving wall. He
plucked a decanter from the overloaded surface and filled two glasses with
a dark, purple liquid. He strolled forward and held out a glass to the
Captain. "Brandy, Captain? It's quite good I assure you. One of the only
things on this backwater mudball." Brian licked his lips and tentatively
took the offered glass. The aroma of the alcohol was heavenly, and he felt
his addictions rising quickly to the surface. This was not going as he had
expected. He watched as the wizard downed his drink and poured himself
another- "As I was saying, I am not originally of 616, but I came here directly
from there. I had a slight… altercation and in a desperate attempt to
survive teleported myself here. It was a random, harried experience, but I
was short of time and options when it happened. I've since been trying to
leave, to return but as I'm sure that you've noticed this dimension of
Katharta is somewhat limited and behind the times." The wizard shrugged,
sipping at his brandy and Brian went to do the same but oddly found his
own glass empty- "Another?" the wizard asked, pouring before Brian had a chance to
decline. Brian seemed confused. His head was buzzing and he was finding it
hard to focus on his train of thought. What- "I assume Roma sent you here to stop me? What did the precious Guardian
of the Multiverse say to you, Kill him before he destroys your
dimension? Truly, her sight is quite limited and one-dimensional for
one who is supposed to see all. So like her father. "You see, Captain. I am from Otherworld! I was an ally of Merlin!" the
wizard smiled warmly. "All I want is to go home." Brian's head was spinning. He raised his hand to drink again, but again
the glass was empty. He did not remember… All that he wanted was to go
home too. Nothing wrong with that. Nothing at all. "I-" He staggered, his hand falling on the stone slab for support. He
glanced at the poor creature chained down and covered with runes. Some of
them were glowing, and he was writhing in agony- "What-" He saw a flash of light through one of the windows. Far in the distance
the great arch was aflame, crackling with eldritch energies. A roar came
up from the assembled army; thousands of voices rising in awe… "Captain?" the wizard sneered, plucking up his blade again. It was
glowing white hot. "Are you well?" He thought of Betsy. He thought of Meggan… Meggan was in trouble… The glass shattered in his hand as he stared at the body chained to the
slab. It was glowing, its inner energies flowing out and away, powering
the arch. It was the wizard- the true wizard of Katharta, Dimension 10011,
its Sorcerer Supreme. Brian Braddock stared at the dying, shriveling form
and knew what he had to do. He raised his fist high, mumbling an
apology- "No you fool!" Tarakis cast his glass aside and lunged at Brian, but he was too late.
With all of his otherworldly might Brian Braddock drove his fist through
the emaciated form chained to the slab. There was a wet, sickening crunch
of bone and blood spewed up and out of the cavity that Brian had created
in the man's chest. His body arched against the bonds and he screamed, his
voice muffled by the iron helm locked to his head. Then he fell back… The world exploded in a sparkling glorious white, and suddenly they
were not alone. There was a creature standing there, huge and red with
cloven hooves and horns sprouting from his forehead. Brian Braddock
blinked in astonishment, staring at the new creature that greatly
resembled the imagery of Satan that had been driven into his head as a
child. "Satan?" The creature laughed. "No!" he said with a voice that sounded like a
rock crusher. Steam billowed from his nostrils as he grinned, his spaded
tail whipping about behind him. "No, I am not Satan, Captain. But thank
you." The creature stood over the desiccated body on the slab for a moment
and dipped his finger in one of the open wounds. The man did not even
flinch though the demon scooped out a large glob of flesh and blood, which
he directed into his fang-filled mouth. He sucked his finger clean as he
strolled towards the spot where Tarakis had been, now a smoldering bit of
ash on the stone floor. He shrugged- "Pity." He turned back to Brian with a wide grin. "Got away again, but
I'll get him eventually, little bastard." The demon gave Brian a queer,
sidelong glance. "Wouldn't want to go hunting for me, would you, Captain?
I offer a great retirement plan!" Brian Braddock stared, his mouth
flapping but unable to form a sentence- "I-" he stuttered, then, "I…" The demon held up his hand to stay
Brian's babble- "Say no more, Captain. I know your loyalties lie elsewhere, but I had
to ask. I would not be the scum that I am if I didn't." The demon laughed, and as his tail whipped about he disappeared in a
flash of fire and smoke that left Brian Braddock gagging and gasping for
air. Luckily it did not last long, as seconds later he vanished as
well… Otherworld… "He really was from Otherworld you know? An associate of both of our
fathers. Merlin said that he tended to dabble in the darker sorceries
however, and he was eventually driven out. Another stray thread that my
father failed to clip from the grand tapestry. I had forgotten, and the
information had somehow been erased from the computers." Captain Britain stared at Roma as she in turn watched the swirling
images in the Well of Infinite Knowledge at the End of All Worlds.
She was smiling over a job well done, apparently missing the scowl of
contempt that Brian Braddock wore. He was done, through! He wanted to go
home! "It will take some time for Katharta- Dimension 10011- to heal. Klonus,
their supreme sorcerer is dead of course, and it will be some time for a
replacement to come to power. Mortak survived, as did his Tai the Slayer,
but with the Gateway destroyed they have no purpose really. With no new
worlds to conquer, Mortak's rule will become stagnant and Korrek the true
heir will eventually find his way back to power. I believe Tarakis was
destroyed as well-" "You believe?" Roma shrugged. "He is a being of great power Captain. He is almost
immortal. He may have teleported away again, but with his plans to invade
Asgard of 616 ruined it will be some time before-" "Asgard?" "Yes!" Roma nodded, twirling a finger in the well to disperse the
fluctuating images. She was done with her viewing, and Captain Britain was
almost done with his audience. "Tarakis planned to invade your reality's
Asgard to seek revenge at the hands of Thor and Firelord! His idea was to
then move out across your reality, eventually. The Asgardians would have
defeated him of course, but far better that he never get that far in the
first place. You did well, Captain." Nothing. It was all for nothing… "Send me back!" he snapped, his patience wearing thin. "You bloody cow!
Meggan was in danger and you took me away! She could be dead! Send me
back! Now!" Roma smirked, raising her hand, "Of course, Captain. I'll be in
touch." "Don't call me again!" he snarled as the woman wiggled her fingers. His
body tingled as he started to fade away. "I won't, Captain…" Roma, Guardian of the Multiverse turned away after
her favorite champion finally faded from sight. She smiled, turning out
the lights of the room that they had occupied, ready for bed- "At least until I need you again!" Earth: The Morlock tunnels beneath Manhattan… Brian Braddock appeared in a chill darkness. He stumbled as he always
did after leaving Otherworld, coming into a new and strange gravity. His
stomach roiled, but he held down the bile that pushed at the back of his
throat, eventually making his way forward. He was back in the Morlock tunnels he soon discovered, and before long
he saw a more than familiar glow. He ran forward, eventually flying after
a few steps- "Meggan!" he shouted and he saw the woman he loved turn. Her eyes were
sparkling with tears, but a smile soon widened on her face as she flew
forward to meet him. They embraced in midair, spiraling upward in joy of
reunion as they kissed. Finally, his heart pounding in his ears, Brian
broke the embrace and held Meggan at arm's length- "Meggan! The girl?" he asked. "What happened?" Meggan's eyes grew
sorrowful and filled with tears again. She broke his grip and buried her
face in his shoulder- "Oh Brian…" Captain Britain wrapped his arm about his woman and floated down
towards where Meggan had been, at the edge of a huge, smelly pit. Callisto
was still there, on her knees and apparently crying as well. Before her
were the remains of two bodies. One; the male was burned to a crisp and
skewered with the broken shards of dozens of bones. The girl was skewered
as well, but the bones were pushing out rather than in. Her body was a
withered husk, as though the very life had been sucked out of her. They
were both sopping wet, Marrow and the vampire. He was too late- "Callisto…" he started, not sure just what to say. He had not wanted to
come in the first place, but had he not been taken away by Roma he could
not help feeling that things would have turned out differently- "I…" "Get out!" Brian Braddock blinked, landing not so far away from the woman's
trembling body. He reached out, intending to embrace her as he thought she
was about to cry again. She spun about however as his hand brushed her
shoulder and she swatted it away. He saw that her eye was totally dry of
tears. She had not been trembling in loss, but in anger- "Bastard!" she shrieked, whipping the sharp, jagged point of a bone up
under his chin. "Damn coward! If you hadn't run off, Marrow would still be
alive! Get the hell outta my tunnels or so help me I'll cut you down!" Brian felt the point of the bone at his throat and backed away. The
woman was obviously mad, but as he glanced at the Marrow girl's body again
he could understand why. He saw a look pass between Callisto and Meggan- a
short look of understanding and respect. Meggan tried to smile, but was
forced to turn away with a sob. She tugged Brian along with her, not
looking back. "Meggan?" he asked, looking back himself. "What happened?" "Later…" Meggan sobbed, starting to run, to fly. "Later…" Braddock glanced back as they left and saw the Morlock leader kick the
boy's body into the huge pit. There was a splash, and Brian put the pieces
together; the sopping wet bodies, one burned by Meggan's blast, the other
sucked dry of life. They had drowned, locked in battle as the girl plunged
her spikes into the vampire whilst he leeched her very life away. Brian
shuddered. It was horrible. He watched Callisto, his heart heavy with sudden grief. He had not
wanted to be there, but now he wished that he had been. Callisto's body
faded with distance into the darkness as Meggan led them out. The last
thing that he saw of the Morlock in the fading glow, she was kneeling down
beside the body of her friend. Her body was shaking… THE END Story © Curt
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