He had come so close. Red skull had nearly found his ever-elusive victory. The alliance he had forged with Thanatos and the others had nearly brought The Avengers to ruin. Before his alliance’s failure the Red Skull had achieved some small victories. He had managed to wreck much of Japan with his new group, The Coalition, and embarrassed the Avengers in the process. Most of all, he had struck a blow against Captain America. A robotic version of his daughter, Maria, had been portrayed to Rogers as the flesh and blood creature. Maria had become Skull’s daughter and his newest device to torture Captain America.

There was one more tool that the Red Skull had created to cause his arch-foe despair. He had captured the Bucky of an alternate world that Captain America had encountered. This Bucky’s mind and body were twisted to make him the Red Skull’s “son”. Captain America did not responded well to the adoption plan of either person, but there was little the patriot could do about it.

Given the circumstances, the Red Skull had expected Captain America to come running here to free his captive loved ones. He hadn’t yet, but that made the Red Skull only more suspicious. Silent men were men with something to hide. He could be formulating a plan of attack to free his beloved daughter and friend. Captain America was not the kind of man who left his friends to rot. Fortunately, the Red Skull was not without his allies.

“I understand your reasons for us keeping a low profile, but it is not something that we can maintain forever,” Professor Power said. Of the Red Skull’s new allies, Anthony Power was the closest to an equal. Power had kept a low profile for quite some time and the Red skull knew that he was not eager to do so again. In his heyday, Power had achieved a great deal of influence. The Red Skull knew desire when he saw it and Professor Power was brimming over with it.

The Red Skull gave professor Power a reassuring pat on the shoulder. “In good time my friend. I just want our next move to be the right one. We must be methodical in the course of achieving our goals. That is how we won in Japan.”

Anthony could not have been more frustrated. Being cooped up underground in Europe was not exactly what he expected to be doing after Japan and Thanatos’ alliance. He thought that the Red Skull would seize the opportunity to make their goals realized. Power would have broken away and went about doing it himself, but he needed the Red Skull. As much as he hated to admit it, Power was not yet ready to strike out on his own. He needed the resources and allies that came along with The Red Skull.

Still, there were many things that Power felt like he was better suited to handle. Thanatos’ plan might have succeeded if Anthony had been allowed a bigger role in it. The victory of Japan would have been made all the more glorious if Power had been handed control over what was done in the aftermath of the attack. Great opportunity had been squandered there. Eventually, if the Red Skull’s eyes remained closed to such opportunity then Power would have to open them for him.

“I understand wanting to take things slow, but we can’t wait forever. Many are snatching power that we are not.”

Red Skull walked over behind his desk and pulled a manila folder from one of the metal drawers. He held it up and said, “Look at this, Power, and question my motives no more.”

He handed the folder to Anthony who quickly gobbled up the information contained in it. His cybernetic enhancements gave Power’s mind increased information processing abilities.

“Was this recently?” Anthony asked. His face was a shade paler. If the information he had in front of him was to be come a trend then he was beginning to see why the Red Skull had started taking such a back seat role in the world lately.

“Very recently,” The Red Skull said. “Abyss’ conference was struck without warning. No one knew what hit them.”

“Excalibur had never shown themselves to be this capable in the past,” Power said. The UN team had been stumbling over itself for quite some time. If they were capable of getting themselves together in such brutal fashion then what of the other superhuman teams?

“This was bound to happen,” The Red skull said. “We have had the advantage over the Captain and his friends for too long. Their victories have come fleeting. They’re responding.”

Anthony now fully understood the Red Skull’s reasoning for backing off. “You want to ride out the wave. Take advantage of the situation once it passes.”

The Red Skull smiled like a teacher pleased with a student. “Precisely. And the more resources we have once this passes the better of we’ll be.”

Power felt foolish. An intellectual like himself had succumbed to a need for action. There was an amazing irony to it. The Red Skull had had the right idea all along. Staying under the radar made them more mobile. Still, there was one loose end to all of this and it worried Anthony. “What of Captain America? Under the radar or not he won’t forget about us.”

“And that is something I fully intend to deal with, but first I want to build my superhuman reserves. The more resources I have available the better off I’ll feel when we strike the Captain,” The Red Skull said.

Power nodded. “As will I.”

“In fact, I have sent out the others to do just that.”

---

Vietnam

The tonic shop was normally packed with people looking for solutions to cure sickness, increase their sexual stamina, and a host of other instant miracles. Today though this shop was deathly empty and it wasn’t because of the blistering heat outside. The shop’s owner was having unexpected company and he didn’t want his customers scared by the foreigner in their midst. Vietnamese, especially the poor had every reason to be distrustful of outsiders. Their country had been used as a rug mat for many decades.

Frankly, the foreigner had little interest in the fears of the locals. The Red Skull gave him a task and Dr. Animal had every intention of completing it. Even if the shop disgusted him. It was appalling to see animals locked up in liquid bottles and being sold as miracle juices. What terrible tortures these animals must have undergone? Dr. Animal’s ability to communicate with wildlife allowed him a more intimate connection that few could understand. Animals were very much people to him.

“Does my business make you uncomfortable?” the owner asked. He was seated on a stool behind an old cash register when Dr. Animal entered the store.

Two large pit bulls followed Dr. Animal as he entered the shop. The storeowner saw them and laughed. “I hope you don’t think those animals are protection.”

Adjusting his square red glasses, Dr. Animal said, “Of course not. They’re just the beginning if things get out of hand. It is my sincere hope that does not happen.”

“So what business do you have with a humble shopkeeper?’ the storeowner asked. His eyes were full of intensity. Clearly he was insulted at Dr. Animal’s abrupt arrival.

Dr. Animal didn’t entertain the man’s comment. “The Red Skull wants your services at his disposal and is willing to offer a hefty price for them.”

“The last I checked the Red Skull id not possess a high affinity for people of the Orient,” the shopkeeper said as he pulled out a sword from underneath his cash register. He laid it on the table as warning.

“There aren’t many that the Red Skull cares for, but he is a practical man that recognizes talent,” Dr. Animal said. He had seen the sword, but felt no threat from it. The shopkeeper may have been confident in his abilities but Dr. Animals was just as confident in his.

Tension only kept growing between the two men and the shopkeeper’s intense stare wasn’t helping. “My talents are not to be sold as cheaply as my tonics. What is the Red Skull bringing to the table?”

Dr. Animal wiped the sweat off his bald head with d amp handkerchief and asked, “Do you have anything to drink?”

“The only thing your delicate system could probably handle would be water,” the shopkeeper said as he got off his stool. “I’ll bring you some.”

“I’d rather not,” Dr. Animal said as he put up a hand to halt the shopkeeper. “Your water is crawling with microbes. I can hear them chatting away.”

The stench of decay permeated the whole shop and made Dr. Animal doubt the water quality even more. At this point he was sure that the Red Skull had sent him here as a joke. He had to have known that this was an animal tonic shop. It was sick humor on the part of the Skull. Unfortunately, he doubted the Nazi knew any other kind.

“So again. What does The Red skull have to offer?”

“Resources,” Dr. Animal said. “The Red Skull has contacts and technology that trump anything you currently have. A young mercenary like you could o well with the amount of potential employers he knows.”

“I have enough contacts of my own. I need none of yours,” the shopkeeper said.

“The Red Skull is more than willing to prove how much assistance he would be to you. He can make the Ruby Dragon a name to be feared,” Dr. Animal promised.

The Ruby Dragon snapped back. “I make my own reputation!”

“I make my own name. I thought that once too. It doesn’t work. In this game we’re playing it’s about who you know. Who better to know than the Red Skull?”

Picking up his sword to examine it, Ruby Dragon said, “I could think of a few people.”

“But you’re a fighter. It is only with the Red Skull that you will have your chance to prove yourself against the ultimate fighter,” Dr. Animal said hoping that this new line of logic would be enough to convince the mercenary that joining the Red Skull was in his best interests. At least for the short term.

The shopkeeper knew well what fight Dr. Animal was speaking of. “Captain America. The chance to do battle with him would be a tremendous honor.”

“And your chances of encountering him are exponentially higher if you’re fighting for the Red Skull,” Dr. Animal said. The shopkeeper was becoming interested in the offer. He said the name of Captain America with such eagerness. It was obvious that the idea of that fight had crossed Ruby Dragon’s mind before. In a world of reputation there would be no better claim to fame than having beaten Captain America in a fight.

Ruby Dragon moved from behind his cash register and clicked on a dusty ceiling fan. He was getting tired of Dr. Animal wiping his forehead. “If I am such a valuable commodity why didn’t Red Skull come himself?”

“He’s laying low. After Japan, people want his head. Which is why he wants you. He needs protection,” Dr. animal said.

‘How soon would I have to leave?”

Dr. Animal pulled the passports fro his jacket and said, “In two days I’m expected to go back and report to him.”

“Then I’ll be ready tomorrow.”

---

Panama.

There are many burnt-out trains left over from Just Cause because the government simply didn’t have the funds to dispose of them and the metal husks served better as inflammatory symbols. In recent times the trains now served as secret meeting places for the mutants of the Central American country. The Red Skull had dispatched Rasputin to the country along with Bucky, as a bodyguard. They were to recruit a mutant gang leader named Sapphyre. Having Bucky rough up enough people had earned them an audience, but the setting was to be of the lifeless trains. Sapphyre would have the advantage.

Bucky had protested the meeting place, but Rasputin knew they had no choice. They were going to have to take their chances. Bucky had years of experience and had been trained by his world’s Captain America. Besides that, Rasputin was assured in one thing. Buck was precious to the Red Skull and if something happened to him then it was a no-brainer their deaths would be avenged. Rasputin could only hope that the name of the Red Skull was enough to put fear into those they were soon to meet.

“We shouldn’t be doing this,” Bucky said. His tone was flat, but Rasputin knew the caution behind it.

He could barely see Bucky in the dark of the burnt train, but the old man tried to turn towards him anyway. “We have no choice in this. The Red Skull won’t accept our excuses. He wants results.”

Bucky knew just how true that statement was so he had said nothing in reply. The Red Skull was a harsh father, but with the evils that plagued the world he had to be such. Atrocities like Captain America existed so there was no room for being gentle in such a world. Survival depended on how clever and ruthless you could be against your enemy. Bucky felt honored and safe in the company of a visionary like the Red Skull. He saw the world in a way that only an honored few could. Now he hoped to convince Sapphyre of how much that vision might affect his life for the better.

Rasputin wasn’t as convinced as his bodyguard. He had faith in the Red Skull, but he was shaky on whether the mutant gang leader could be convinced to trust him. The Red Skull did not have the best of reputations even amongst the criminal community. His political views tended to polarize everyone around him. While Rasputin didn’t care for the Red Skull’s politics he was able to nimbly look past them. The Red Skull had provided him with a second chance. Politics aside that wasn’t just something Rasputin could brush off. He could only hope that Sapphyre was blessed with such wisdom.

According to those that they talked with, that didn’t seem to be the case. They described the mutant as stubborn, vicious, and quick tongued. Rasputin assumed that it was his viciousness that The Red Skull wanted. Still, that trait didn’t lend itself well to verbal negotiations. The idea of talking seemed less appealing once you became use to killing anyone who disagreed with you. All the old man could hope for was for Sapphyre to at least hear them out.

After that thought the rusty train began to shake and Bucky grabbed Rasputin’s shoulder to steady him. Looking out into the darkness, Rasputin asked, “Is that you Sapphyre?”

A geyser of bright blue flame shot up from the rusty metal floor only feet away from The Red Skull’s two emissaries. The flames fizzled into the tall, muscular frame of a dark-skinned Panamanian. His eyes and lips were the color of the jewel he decided to derive his name from. “I heard the Red Skull was looking for me. You two his boys?”

Immediately, Rasputin said, “We do not come in violence. The Red Skull has an offer. He sees promise in you.”

Sapphyre rolled back his shoulders and cracked his neck. “Big leagues huh? You blancitas stay thinking you can control any and everything.”

“This isn’t about control. This is about opportunity,” Rasputin said.

Sapphyre was far from convinced. “All you blancitas care about is power and who you can trample over next.”

“And you don’t?” Bucky asked. “I see your name is behind many of your countrymen’s deaths. How are you different than your blancitas?”

Rasputin looked at Bucky in horror. He needed to be quiet or things could get ugly fast. Sapphyre did not look at all pleased with the implications of Bucky’s statement. “I look out for my people shithead. And they look out for me.”

“I believe that we have far more in common than you think Sapphyre. The Red Skull has a lot to offer you,” Rasputin said in hopes that he could relieve some of the tension Bucky created. He should have known better. The young man was too impulsive. Perhaps the Red Skull needed to fine-tune the mental conditioning done on Bucky.

With his Tavistick, greatly improved by Centurious, Rasputin was able to send the ten mutants surrounding the burnt out train car. They were surrounded and the only way out was negotiation. Bucky was a tremendously skilled fighter, but Rasputin wasn’t sure if he could fight them to safety if things went sour. Rasputin wanted to try hypnotism, but he wasn’t sure if Sapphyre’s powers afforded him any immunities. Attempting mental coercion when it might not work could very well be a suicidal move.

“What could we possibly have in common?” Sapphyre asked.

“We both want more and will do whatever it takes to get it,” Rasputin replied. He hoped that it would be enough.

Sapphyre looked like he was contemplating what Rasputin had said. “Let me ask you something. Do you trust the Red Skull?”

The old man wasn’t sure how to answer. Being honest could potentially put him in danger. “I trust him enough.”

Folding his arms across his chest, Sapphyre said, “If I come then the rest of my gang does too.”

Smiling with satisfaction, Rasputin said, “Deal.”

---

Back at base.

“Did they have any problems with where they were sent?” Professor Power asked. He couldn’t imagine the well-tailored Dr. Animal handling the heat of Vietnam well. The same could be said of the cloaked Rasputin in the humidity of Central America.

The Red Skull gave a rare grin and said, “I sent Dr. Animal into a tonic shop. I’m sure mein freund is having issues with the bottled rats and birds.”

Humor on the part of the Red Skull? Professor Power was shocked. Usually, his ally was always so apocalyptic in his outlook. Power wasn’t even quite sure how to respond. Still he couldn’t just look dumbfounded. “What of Rasputin?”

“He has Bucky with him. He’ll be fine, if not paranoid. The old man is cowardly,” The Red Skull said. Power wondered what else was said when he wasn’t looking.

“So are we only looking to add two into our fold?”

The Red Skull shook his head and said, “I have a larger recruitment plan in mind. Ruby Dragon and Sapphyre are just the beginning. Like Zemo, I need my own entourage.”

“I thought Zemo was dead,” Power said.

A furled lip was the Red Skull’s response. “Magneto is many things, but a clever liar is not one of them.”

Power wasn’t as familiar with Magneto as his partner had been, but he did agree with the assessment. Magneto was a revolutionary first and foremost. Clever manipulation was not the mutant leader’s usual tactic. He seemed to prefer a zealous fanaticism above all else. Still the idea of Zemo being alive and well was an unnerving one.

“Couldn’t Magneto have just been attacked by an imposter?” Professor Power asked.

The Red Skull shrugged. “Possibly, but I doubt it. The amount of damage done to that pathetic country is Zemo’s signature move. What they deserve for having a Jew lead them.”

“Either way,” Professor Power said. “A nation of mutants is a dangerous element no matter how you look at it.”

“In that respect, Magneto is actually useful to me,” The Red Skull said.

That was Professor Power’s dose of irony for the day. The Red Skull actually found one of his “pathetic Jews” useful. Of course it was a simple equation to devise. As long as Magneto leads Genosha the world would be on edge and a little less stable. Instability was what the Red Skull operated best in. For the Red Skull to admit what he had felt wrong on some level though because he wouldn’t have made such an admission without there being more to it.

Not wanting to press the issue, Power instead chose diversion. “So where do you intend to send the rest of us?”

“I’ll tell you such things when I have made a final decision,” the Red Skull said. He would have to keep an eye on Power. Sometimes it was easy to forget just how intelligent the man really was. At many points in his life he had tangled with the most powerful heroes. The Red Skull hated that term because none of them were heroes. They were mindless slaves to a blind system that could not comprehend the truth. The truth that the Furher had attempted to establish decades ago.

Power knew that he would have to stay two steps ahead of the Red Skull if he was going to be safe in this partnership so he noted every facial expression and every word the Red Skull uttered. It was the only conceivable way for Power to keep from chafing under The Red Skull’s leadership. He needed something to keep his mind working. The two men’s egos were too large for one to ever be subservient to the other. Unfortunately for Power, The Red Skull had maintained a consistent presence while Power took an extended leave of absence. So far that had put Power at a disadvantage, but he was determined to break that. The Red Skull’s new recruits seemed a ripe opportunity. They could make the balance of power in The Coalition more favorable towards the professor. He would just have to be careful about how he went about it.

---

NEVER THE END.