Location, Secret

“Traitors!” roared Hellios with such force, Excalibur as a whole literally took a step back, “you knew of this base this entire time and yet you did nothing to help me!”

“Hellios, wait one bloody second!” Union Jack felt his heart pounding in his chest, but he still hoped to defuse Hellios’ anger (without a doubt though, his new friends wouldn’t leave without a fight).

“I don’t want to hear you lies, Rock! You kept the truth from me!”

“Hellios, it’s not that simple…!”

“Liar!”

Hellios, enrage, flew forward, and Scarlet Scarab just barely intercepted him in time to prevent his leader from becoming a blue and red stain.

The impact of the two super-powerful bodies was enough to knock both Desert Sword and Excalibur from their feet.

“Desert Sword! Cut them down!”

The youngest of Desert Sword, Atar, released a burst of flame towards Silverclaw. But before it could turn the young demi-goddess, Cybermancer in front of the blast and stopped it with a force field.

“I’ll take flame boy, you take the one with wings!” Cybermancer suggested.

“Deal!” Silverclaw shifted her form to that of her puma form, “good luck!”

Cybermancer aimed her free hand Atar and let loose a proton blast that knocked the young man back, but not out, thanks to the flames around the boy’s body.

To the side, Silverclaw crouched low to the ground and sprinted for the grey skinned member of Desert Sword. With a dismissive sneer, the member of Desert Sword flapped his leathery wings and was airborne in seconds.

“Care to meet me in the air, kitten?” Dahak asked in perfect, unaccented English. He growled, and suddenly his ribs seemed to grow and tear away from his body and grow in length. When it was done, his bloody ribs had grown to the length of pincers and dripped blood, “I haven’t had a good challenge in a while.”

Silverclaw felt a bead of sweat pass down her forehead.

“Hey, Cybermancer…?”

“No take backs!” yelled the armored heroine.

---

Union Jack watched in surprise as a section of the floor came up like water in a fountain, and crashed back down. Flipping backwards, Union Jack removed his pistol and fired several shots, reluctantly, at the middle aged, pot-bellied man he knew to be responsible.

Djinn waved his hand, and the bullets stopped in mid air.

“I have no love for British,” Djinn said emotionlessly, “but I have not enough hate in my heart to kill you, or even the Jew. If you let us complete our mission, we will leave peacefully.”

In one fluid motion, Union Jack released the magazine on his pistol and replaced it with a new, different one, “Thanks for the offer, but somehow I doubt a reasonable fellow like you is in charge of this rabble.”

Union Jack pulled the trigger and instinctively tried to stop it with his powers…and felt white hot something slice his upper shoulder as a result. Djinn, a far better scholar than he was a warrior (and he was a fine scholar) shouted out in pain

“I’m something of a tinkerer, mate,” Union Jack explained, “my gun shoots pure energy, something I don’t think you can control. Now surrender, or the next one goes between your eyes and right into your brainpan.”

“I give up, and my family suffers!” Djinn stamped his foot on the ground, causing a tidal wave of matter to rise up from the floor, “there is nothing you can threaten worse than that!”

“That’s what I get for being nice to the bloke,” Union Jack muttered as the wave came falling down upon him. At the last second, he jumped backwards and quickly began considering his options.

---

When Desert Sword attacked, Sabra didn’t hesitate to run towards their largest member, Haoma. Named after a god of strength, according to Mossad files the lumbering brute had been a mutant born with incredible strength, size and endurance. Apparently his handlers didn’t think that was enough, so they paid black market cyber surgeons to graft on stronger bio-armor and two rickety plasma cannons that rested squarely on his shoulders.

Thankfully, the neural interface required to grant Haoma control over the cannons, plus whatever they used to keep the goliath under their thumb, meant that the brute had a less than average mental speed.

By the time the brute had even registered that he was under attack, Sabra had already leapt upon his shoulders. With an almost disturbing amount of calm, she reached down and pulled at the oversized weapon. Haoma screamed in agony as the weapon was wrenched free from its moorings.

The metal enhanced mutant tried to reach up and grab Sabra, bucking like a rodeo bull. The super agent tried to keep her balance, but there was too little room and her foe was just too angry. Haoma grabbed her ankle just seconds before Sabra dove, and just barely managed to grab a cord connecting the second plasma cannon to Haoma’s shoulder.

With a roar, he slammed the mutant heroine to the floor like a sack of potatoes, and aimed his still (barely) functioning plasma cannon at her.

Sabra brought her hands up in front of her face, and braced herself. Haoma’s plasma cannon managed to squeeze out a single shot before it sputtered and died.

The shot slammed into Sabra hard, and sent her skidding across the floor like soap on a wet floor, and her super strong body struck the walls so hard she left a dent.

“You should have run when you had the chance,” Haoma said contemptuously, “you won’t survive my power!”

The giant metal mutant aimed both cannons…only to gape as nothing happened.

“If takes very little to break such powerful and precise machines,” Sabra stood up and brushed herself off, “now that I’ve dealt with your strongest advantage, allow me to teach you a story my people are fond of. I think even your simple brain knows it. It’s David vs. Goliath, and I will be reenacting the part of David.”

---

“Damn it Hellios! Stop this at once!” Scarlet Scarab was pounding his teammate across the face with all his might, but the solar powered had his hands firmly gripped around the Egyptian hero’s neck and nothing Scarab did seem to lessen the pressure.

“I won’t stop until I know the truth!” Hellios roared.

“I told you, I don’t know what it is!”

Aminedi, mutant master of the wind and leader of Desert Sword, watched the battle with undisguised glee. His champion was battling…no, dominating the hero many in his home region saw their champion, and he was doing it with ease. He didn’t doubt that, when this was over, that Hellios would eclipse the Scarlet Scarab as the Arab hero if the Middle east.

When his Iranian handlers had proposed this mission, citing spotty intelligence and forming a half baked plan with soldiers too eager to serve, to stupid breathe or press ganged into service, the mutant windmaster thought that they were out of their mind.

But now, watching his ‘brother’ grapple with Islam’s greatest modern hero, and winning, he honestly thought this whole scheme could actually work.

“I’m sorry my friend,” Scarlet Scarab was convinced that his friend was beyond words, and began to leech the power from his solar charged body, “I assure you that when this is over, we will find the truth out together.”

“No! You will not take my power, parasite!” Hellios threw Scarlet Scarab to the ground with such force, his impact created a miniature earthquake, interrupting everyone’s battles, and involuntarily drew their attention from their battles to his.

Scarab, mustering his will, tried to rise, knowing he was the only person on the battlefield who could remotely match Hellios in terms of raw power.

He had only gotten to his knees when Hellios came crashing down on him like a runaway comet.

“Scarab!” Silverclaw cried out. Her foe, the demonic Dahak, crept towards her, ready to take advantage of her distraction, when the metal floor groaned in protest from Hellios’ rash action, buckled and finally, died.

Excalibur and Desert Sword both cried out as the floor beneath them slid and they fell into darkness.

---

Avalon

Joey Chapman rubbed his temples, trying to alleviate the headache he felt building.

“Explain to me, in plain English, what’s wrong with our teleporters.”

“Someone’s taken control of them,” explained one technician.

“And how the hell did that happen? I thought we took precautions to prevent any blighter from being able to bloody do that!”

“Those safeguards only work against telepathic manipulation of the machines,” explained another technician, “they don’t work against energy beings who…”

“Can do the exact same thing,” Chapman finished. He rubbed his temples, “Damn superhumans…”

“The good news is that we sent a special radio pulse through Excalibur’s communicators,” the technician explained, “that way, whoever’s got control over the teleporters simply can’t transport them into the center of the earth, the bottom of the ocean or anywhere else.”

“But they can still teleport out!” Chapman snapped.

“…yes sir, they can. And we won’t be able track them either.”

“Is there anyway we can stop them?” Chapman sighed, fearing he knew the answer.

“It depends how crude you want to get,” answered the technician, “if we physically cut power while they were in the middle of a teleport, that would certainly stop them. It’d be risky, it might leave them as energy forever, or make them miss and rematerialize in solid matter, or…”

The technician’s voice trailed off, and he felt a cold chill travel down his back as he looked to Chapman, and saw a trickster’s grin.

---

The forty year old man codenamed Djinn by his native government, grabbed his tailbone and groaned loudly.

“This is a young man game,” he muttered to himself, wistfully wishing he was anywhere else.

A gloved hand reached out in assistance, “Here, let me help you.”

“Thank…”

-Krak!-

Union Jack was surprised how little guilt he felt about sucker-punching a middle aged man, but didn’t dwell on it too long. The man was clearly a civilian in this little collection and anything that removed him from the field was for his own good.

“Excalibur, form on me! Regroup!”

Some ten feet away, Aminedi stood alongside Hellios, one of the smuggest grins in history painted across his face.

“Desert Sword, do not let them pass!”

Hellios and Amined then turned their back on the collected heroes, and simply walked away.

In the back of his mind, Union Jack could feel a silent countdown beginning.

Several long, painful seconds passed, and Cybermancer, Sabra and Silverclaw limped to Union Jack’s side. Scarlet Scarab was nowhere to be found.

Union Jack imagined that this was the only time that he’d ever be disappointed to only be surrounded by beautiful, powerful women.

Standing in their way, the battered Desert Sword, who knew that they had to do very little to achieve their goals.

Union Jack knew what he had to do next, but he sure as hell wasn’t looking forward to it.

“Cybermancer, you have to stop Hellios,” Union Jack’s voice was barely a whisper, but he knew that with the sensors on his teammate’s armor, his whisper might as well be a scream, “if he gets to that chamber…”

Cybermancer swallowed hard, “…I know.”

“Now!”

Cybermancer flew forward, releasing nearly half the arsenal from her gauntlets. Mini missiles, pulse bolts, high pitched sonics and flares were more than enough to part Desert Sword like the Red Sea.

“She’s got!” Atar yelled the obvious to his teammates, and was about to give chase when a grenade exploded behind his head. Even though the flames acted as a buffer, it still made his head ring.

“We’re still here,” Union Jack leveled his weapon, “and I’ve just about had it with you pieces of crap that think you matter to the world.”

---

Once she was safely past Desert Sword, Suzi stopped and sent a secure transmission to Avalon.

“Communications compromised,” came an automatic response, “prepare for data dump.”

Within a split second, an encrypted file was downloaded onto her systems. Using the encryption key, she scanned the information quickly (luckly, Chapman was one of the few commanders who understood the importance of brevity) and scowled.

“Hellios…you shallow idiot!”

---

“…can’t change this, once it’s over…”

“…same again…”

“…hero for everyone…”

The moment Hellios saw the room, so much equipment focused around one metal platform, he knew.

This room held the secrets. His mind was swirling, and he felt his mind drift towards the past, but still he knew the truth was finally, finally! with his grasp.

But it wasn’t that realization that brought an abrupt end to his swirling memories and firmly planted him back in the here and now, but instead it was a tearing pain in his right shoulder.

“Hellios!” Amined watched in horror as the solar powerhouse staggered to one knee, clutching his shoulder that impossibly had a bullet hole in it.

Amined saw Cybermancer standing at the doorway’s threshold, and immediately summoned gale for winds powerful enough to throw a tank.

Luckily, Suzi saw it coming a mile away. A breathing mask slipped over her face and magnetized boots kept her from blowing away. With a dismissive energy blast, the leader of Desert Sword was no longer an issue.

“I know you’re confused Hellios, but I need you to trust me for just a second,” Suzi felt beads of cold sweat speed down her face. The energy absorbing bullet she hit Hellios with would only last another minute at best. Hopefully, that’d be enough time.

“They brain washed me here! I know that in my bones!”

“They did. And they were about to do it again,” Cybermancer fired a specially designed missile at the table. Once it struck, the table sparked and for a second, the two could see a distinct face.

“That was Farouk Al-Fasaud,” Cybermancer explained, “he’s an energy being who hijacked our teleporters and probably would have brain washed you while trying help you.”

“She lies!” Amined yelled, his voice seeped in desperation, “they won’t tell you the truth!”

“The hell I won’t,” Cybermancer growled, “I just won’t ask for anything. Hellios release code, omega eight reveal.”

When Hellios heard those words, it was like a dam had been opened in his mind.

“I remember,” Hellios whispered sadly, “I remember everything…”

“No…no!” Amined shot out of the room like a bullet, his heart jack hammering with fear.

“That’s all well and good, Hellios, really, but there’s still a battle going on…”

Hellios nodded…then smiled.

“Not for much longer.”

---

To his credit, the searing hot flames were the only reason why Union Jack was sweating. The flame caster, Atar, was a little cleverer than he looked, and Rock realized that too late. He created a wall of flame first, boxing the British hero in, and seemed to dare him to jump it.

Union Jack knew that the second his feet left the ground, he’d be toast. But unfortunately, if he stayed where he was much longer, he’d be toast anyways. The only saving grace, and it was a small one at that, was that Atar had something of a sadistic streak. Having cornered Union Jack, and with his teammates busy with their own battles, he felt confident enough to twist the knife.

Union Jack was about to execute a daring escape and counter attack…when the flames died and Atar was rude yanked out of the air.

In a split second, the entirety of Desert Sword was piled one on top of the other without regard for comfort. All they would remember was the blink of an eye, sudden pain and a blinding light.

When Amined moved, he could feel his ribs swimming in his chest, but he pushed past the pain, past the agony to activate his communicator.

“Farouk, get us out of here!”

“Why should I?” the voice was filled with static, but the anger was unmistakable, “I was promised revenge against the Fantastic Four, but if your men can’t even kill Excalibur, what good are you to me?”

“Just do it!” Amined roared, “you think anyone else would help you?!”

“Just remember, you owe me!”

Farouk Al-Fasaud reached out with his thoughts and energy to Avalon, and seized control of the HERMES teleporter. Once he wormed his way inside the CPU, he issued a series of commands, and the teleporter began a complex series of calculations designed to both convert matter to energy, and reassemble safely at another location.

Union Jack watched in anger as the HERMES teleport signature enveloped Desert Sword. As much as he wanted to let loose with his energy pistol, the variables were and unknowns were simply too much. For all he knew, the interactions between the two energies could cause a chain reaction that could destroy the entire base.

Half a world away, the former Union Jack wasn’t nearly so worried. Wearing insulated gloves and carrying a heavy axe, he waited until he received a signal from the technician.

“Now!”

Joey Chapman swung the axe with all his strength, severing the main power coupling. The HERMES teleporter had already taken in enough power to begin the teleport, buy not enough to finish it completely. And one of the safety features designed into the system was that once started…it didn’t stop.

So Excalibur was treated to the sight of Desert Sword screaming in pain and then fading into oblivion.

Under normal circumstances, the members of Excalibur might have been moved to any emotion from sympathy to satisfaction, but they were on edge. They had just finally grown accustomed to the idea that Hellios was on the other side and now here he stood, back on their side again, at least that’s the way it seemed.

“Hellios…” Sabra eyed her teammate carefully, “or you answer to Behnam now?”

Hellios nodded towards his teammate with a resigned sigh, “Both, actually. I guess it shouldn’t be surprising that you knew the truth already.”

“I’m not about to join a work alongside someone I know nothing about,” Sabra scoffed, “and unfortunately, there are many people in your government open to bribes.”

“Why didn’t you tell him that before he beat the crap out of Scarab?” Silverclaw demanded.

“He wouldn’t have believed me,” Sabra shrugged, half convincingly, half not.

“You could have tried,” Scarlet Scarab groaned as he stood up. He’d been conscious long enough to see Hellios round up Desert Sword, and certainly wasn’t spoiling for another fight. He limped towards his friends, and gingerly sat down on a medium sized piece of rubble, “am I to assume that you’re on our side again, Hellios?”

“Yes. Please, forgive me. I wasn’t in my right mind, by any means.”

“Why don’t you explain, Hellios,” Union Jack ordered. He already knew the truth, but he thought it best that Hellios bare his soul to the team, if only to repair the rift his rampage had caused.

“My name…my name is Behnam Goran. I was born in Italy after my family immigrated from Iran,” Hellios began, “much to my parent’s displeasure…I fully embraced my birth nation’s many pleasures, to put it politely. Had the matter remains private, I think they might have been more tolerant. But I was a good football player, excellent in fact. Ascoli Calcio were estatic when I agreed to sign.

“Wait,” Silverclaw interrupted, both in confusion and awe, “you’re the Behnam Goran? You sure you’re not still brainwashed? Behnam was killed in a car crash, and was middle-eastern!”

“Whatever made you think that the serum that gave me my powers only gave me amazing super strength?” Hellios smiled coyly, “as it was explained to me, with a few tweaks, I could become a whole new person, both physically and mentally.”

“Why did they brainwash you? Why did they fake your death and change your appearance?” Scarab asked in an accusing tone.

“…because I asked them to,” Hellios said quietly. He let that fact sink in for a moment, “I didn’t think that I could handle the responsibility that came with my powers, and that if I became a national hero I would only embarrass them further. So they created a false life for me, an ideal one that I wouldn’t feel compelled to question. But my power is tied to my mind, and when I was struck with that energy missile…I guess something came loose.”

“Understatement of the century,” Silverclaw muttered, “I guess that’s why Desert Sword thought they could recruit you, ‘cause you were Muslim and from Iran. Pretty thin string to hang their hopes on.”

“Well, they were likely going to brainwash me,” Hellios stated with a shrug.

“Desert Sword is a collection of idiots and innocents pressganged into service,” Scarlet Scarab spat, “those fools tried to recruit me some time back. Their greatest flaw is thinking that every Muslim agrees with them.”

“We should get back to Avalon,” Hellios suggested, “I’m certain the powers that be were terrified by my breakdown, and would like me debriefed. Then…maybe a party. After all this destruction, I need something uplifting to make it through the week.”

“Do you even know anyone throwing a party?” asked Silverclaw.

“There’s always a party somewhere,” Hellios answered with a bright smile, “and I can go anywhere. Why, I doubt I’ll be able to stop with just one!”

Union Jack was tired, sore and scorched. But just listening to Hellios’ voice, he sensed that he’d be grappling with another problem, very soon. Unlike Silverclaw, who only knew Hellios’ real identity by reputation and Sabra who bribed his file out of corrupt officials, Union Jack was briefed in full when he was appointed leader. Hellios was a hedonist of the first degree, and the only reason he was even considered for the Hellios serum was because his body could accept it on a genetic level and he agreed to a false personality implant.

Union Jack was already finding himself wistful for the past, if only for a second, “…Desert Sword might consider themselves lucky they’re not saddled with Hellios instead of us. They got off lucky.”

---

Elsewhere

Amined gasped at his teammates in horror. Though he wasn’t close friends with the people under him, he still cared. Their welfare was entrusted to him, and to see them in this state…

The teleportation went wrong, the mutant terrorist didn’t need anyone to tell him that. But the horror it inflicted on his team was beyond description. His mind red with rage and horror, Amined screamed vengeance to the Heavens, and vowed to spend every last breath avenging this defeat...

---

Next issue: What? You want more? We'll see...

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