#66 January 2009

Fiji

What was once a fantasized vacation spot had become a struggling symbol of what happened when conflicts were forgotten. It had been on this island that the super hero groups, The Avengers and The Exiles, had waged combat against a Son of Set. This particular Son of Set was the child of an alternate reality Scarlet Witch and was thus possessed of great mystical power. Yamu was ultimately destroyed by the combined efforts of Thor and Exodus’s teams, but as a result what seemed to be a massive energy wave set across the island causing tremendous destruction. A tourist economy had been leveled in a matter of seconds, but at least the worst seemed to have been diverted.

Unfortunately, what they had thought to be just a simple energy wave was really a probability wave. Yamu had inherited his mother’s mutant ability to effect probability and in his last dying gasp he sent forth a terrible blast of power that altered the Fiji landscape. Normal citizens were made into the super powered, animals were twisted into dark malformations of themselves, and monsters rained down from the sky. No longer was it the ideal vacation spot, the island had become a wasteland dictated by Yamu’s dead imagination. It was here that The Red Skull had come with his faux daughter, Maria.

“Why are we here Father?” Maria asked as she held The Red Skull’s hand. The island had seemed like an ugly sore from The Red Skull’s air fortress. It was even uglier up close. Yamu had indeed left his mark on the tiny island and the damage wasn’t enough for the world to care. “What allies could this place possibly provide?”

“You would be surprised my darling. Those who would be useful to my plans are often found in the strangest places,” The Red Skull said.

Maria was created with a large amount of analytical intelligence, but Professor Power had also constructed her with childlike mannerisms and curiosity. The android had been built to make Captain America believe that the little girl he had adopted was indeed in the clutches of The Red Skull. The ruse had worked quite well and Maria hardly seemed to falter away from character.

“Who are we looking for?” she asked as she squeezed her father’s hand. Professor Power had even created synthetic skin for her that emitted warmth. The Red Skull wanted the illusion to be perfect.

Illusion and deception were often the best weapons against Captain America. Simple brute strength or force of will were never really enough. Captain America was possessed of a nearly indomitable will and he never backed from a foe no matter how strong. He had stood in the face of Thanos without flinching. The Red Skull had found that the best attacks against Captain America were the ones that tore at his perception of reality. Twist what he thought to be true because Captain America relied so much on truth as his foundation.

Maria had been one such attack against the foolish patriot. Captain America had believed his daughter to be merely a construction of the Cosmic Cube and that she was gone forever. The Red Skull knew that the loss of a child would cripple Captain America greatly and that he would have a desire to have her back. It was for that reason alone he built the Maria android. Illusion and deception.

“It won’t be long my darling. We’ll soon be where we’ll find our new allies,” The Red Skull said as they continued to trek across the twisted and mangled landscape.

---

Greenland

Abyss had known that his meeting with The Red Skull would have consequences and he intended to be prepared for them. He was in the same room that he had rejected the Nazi in along with Ragnarok, Charon, Elias Bogan, and Selene. Things needed to be laid in preparation and they needed to be briefed on what had occurred between him and The Red Skull. The world did not stand still and The Red Skull could be preparing a plan of retaliation as they spoke.

“I have had a recent encounter with one of this world’s most vile personalities,” Abyss said from the head of a long, drab metal table. “The Red Skull came to me with an offer of joining his cabal of miscreants, The Coalition.”

No one with the exception of Charon appeared shaken by the mentioning of The Red Skull’s name. The other three possessed fearless personalities that left them shaking in the presence of few. Charon was no coward by any means, but he understood the threats posed by certain individuals far better than the other three. He knew the history of The Red Skull and exactly what his offer might mean.

“I’m assuming you turned down his proposal?” Elias Bogan asked.

Abyss kept his hands flat against the table. “Would it have surprised you if I said yes?”

“Perhaps,” Elias said as he rubbed a hand up and down his chin. “But your ways have always been your ways. I’ve learned not to question them too much.”

For a man who possessed such powerful control over emotions, Elias Bogan was quite unemotional. He always seemed to be thinking and that worried Abyss at times. A thinking man was a dangerous man, but Vortigen had dealt with enough ambitious men in his time to know how they operated. The only nutshell that he was never really quite able to crack was Joseph Chapman. Bogan was nowhere near that caliber.

Nonetheless, he was a character to be watched as were Selene and Ragnarok. The External had been alive even longer than he had been and she was possessed of myriad abilities. The world had been fortunate that her focus had never been as big as the Dr. Dooms and The Red Skulls otherwise she may have had the globe in her grasp long ago. Abyss was trying to instill a new sense of vigor in the woman. He wanted her to see the ripe possibilities in the world much like he did. Peace and order could be brought to the planet, but first its current system had to be torn down.

Ragnarok was an unknown quality and had only recently found his way into Abyss’ web. His mutant ability was quite astonishing and honestly frightening for the old druid. Ragnarok had once been known as The Mutant Forger and he was able to create mutants with but a thought. A proverbial army could be summoned to him in a matter of minutes. He was truly a gift to Abyss, but only if he could be held in check. Ragnarok had a violent personality that thirsted for combat and violence. It was an appetite that Abyss would have to sufficiently feed if he wanted the mutant to remain an ally.

That was part of the reason Abyss was keeping those three in the loop. Charon had always been at his side and Abyss was sure of his loyalty. Fatal and his other forces depended on him so their loyalty was assured as well. The Fallen One, despite his awesome might, was bound to him by magic and Abyss was confident that control would hold.

Selene was a questionable quantity. She had once been a member of the Hellfire Club, but turned against them at the first opportunity. Abyss had been more cautious than the deceased Shaw in his approach to the External, but a personality like hers needed to feel important. She had too much power to feel otherwise.

Ragnarok was a completely volatile being and full of tremendous power. If he were a lesser person, Abyss would have had him disposed of. Having an army creator was just too powerful of a tool to discard, but much like Selene his power made him arrogant. Vortigen could hardly blame the man, but that unstable element is what made Abyss so uneasy. Ragnarok had emerged from psychic trauma in an event much like the one that had spurred the creation of the Onslaught phenomena. That alone was reason to be concerned, but the power was too great to not manipulate. He knew that he might come one day to regret it, but Abyss couldn’t ignore such a tremendous ability.

Elias was nowhere near as dangerous as the first two, but that was only because he really had no grasp of just how dangerous he could be. He had been a cutthroat European socialite wandering without purpose until his mutant powers manifested. Bogan had been a rare example of a mutant who’s powers didn’t bloom until they were well into adulthood. Abyss had first encountered Bogan when he was still just Vortigen Walker and a member of the London Hellfire Club. Walker had been impressed with the assurance that the man carried himself with. He had gone blow for blow with Chapman in witty conversation and there weren’t many who could withstand Chapman’s banter.

That was one man that Abyss wish he could have brought into the fold with him. He would have no worries with these three if Chapman was at his side, but instead they now found themselves on opposite sides of the fence. If there was an opponent that Abyss was worried about it was him. He knew the low depths that Black Air had taken Joseph to and the means he had to take to crawl back from them. The man that had emerged was not the same one that had started off as Union Jack. There was an edge to him and whatever piece of darkness had been in the man had been sharpened into a fine precision tool.

It was easy for Abyss to understand why The United Nations had drafted Chapman to run their attempt at superhuman intervention. Chapman was able to cut through the red tape of bureaucracy and establish a ruthless sense of order that was hard to argue with. He had done so for the Hellfire Club of London. In the time he ran it, it went from a scraggly group of would be manipulators to a legitimate influence in worldly affairs. Unfortunately, the rise of Shadow King and the animosity that Wisdom felt for Chapman cut that reign short. The Hellfire Club had been a test trial for Shadow King’s X-men to display their skills.

Wisdom had been a member of that group and being in The United Nations allowed Chapman to reach out and touch the former Black Air operative one more time in their long standing rivalry. Abyss had gone about getting his revenge against Wisdom in his own way. Perhaps, if they had put their minds together they would have even been able to remove Wisdom completely off the table. If they were still together Bogan, Selene, and Ragnarok wouldn’t be anything that kept him up at night.

Life wasn’t made up of what ifs though and Abyss had made his choices. In the pursuit of his goal he already knew that he would have to get his hands dirty. He just wondered if he would be able to wash the mud off.

“The Red Skull has quite the reputation, but the enemies he has made make me uneasy being around him for any length of time. He’s managed to enrage the entire Japanese government and by extension has the rest of the Asian sphere nervous. The Avengers would love nothing more than to see his head served on a platter by their butler and in particular he has invoked the rage of Captain America. He’s not the kind of man I would take lightly when he’s angry,” Abyss said.

Ragnarok finished biting off his thumb nail and said, “You take Captain America too seriously. It would be far too easy to overwhelm him. He’s only so powerful.”

“Don’t judge him by the physical,” Selene said. “His voice commands gods.”

“And he thinks of The Red Skull as his ultimate opponent. Perhaps you should have contemplated his offer more,” Bogan said.

It was impossible to read facial expressions on Elias. As a result of his mutation, his skin had taken on a deep ebony hue that made him look like a walking shadow. His facial features were no longer visible except for his beaming violet eyes. Abyss hated being at that disadvantage, but his magic rendered his face much the same way. He wanted to appear as a silhouette because if he could not be quantified then he could not be simplified. Humanity always had a fear of things they could not break down into terms they comprehend.

Abyss tried not to be offended by Elias’ suggestion because there was sense in it. “We are no simple organization and we are powerful enough on our own two feet. I fear if I was to have let The Red Skull in he would have began to try and run us like dogs.”

Selene watched Ragnarok bite off another nail and said, “I can’t imagine him taking too well to the rejection.”

“No. He took the rejection quite personally and swore that I would pay for it,” Abyss replied.

Elias, unreadable again, said, “So we have another enemy to add to our list I suppose?”

“Yes, but we knew this might happen. When trying to pursue a goal so fervently you often make enemies along the way,” Abyss said.

“Enemies are just a sign that we’re succeeding and making progress in our efforts,” Charon said.
“Without them we would lose the motivation needed to make positive change.”

“That sounds nice in a textbook, but lets be practical here. The Red Skull is gathering a force together that may one day rival our own. Are we really just going to allow that?” Bogan asked.

Ragnarok laughed. “You must have forgotten who’s all at this table. I am more than capable of mustering people that would decimate anything The Red Skull could assemble.”

“Your power has limits too,” Bogan reminded.

Abyss was glad for those limits. Otherwise, he just might have had to destroy Ragnarok. For while it was true that he could create mutants ad infinitum, he would not able to control those mutants. The more he created the more freewill they possessed and the less control Ragnarok had over them. Freewill in his creations was something that he just could not avoid. Even if he only had one mutant at his command they would eventually break free of him as well. His control was never absolute. That weakness added some degree of conservatism into Ragnarok’s erratic makeup and Abyss couldn’t have been happier for it.

“Either way the reality of the situation is that we’re looking at The Red Skull eventually making a move against us. I refuse to wait for him to make that move. I intend to rid myself of him first,” Abyss said as he waved his hand in the air and five images appeared over the table.

Looking at one of the images, Charon said, “I recognize him. His name is Black Rose. A potent mutant mercenary in Southeast Asia.”

“Precisely,” Abyss said. “I want to offer these five exclusive contracts with us and send them like a torpedo right at The Red Skull.”

---

Fiji

The father and daughter pair had made it to what was once an exotic hotel, but the wave of Yamu had twisted into what looked like a dark medieval castle from some child’s nightmares. Maria was like a child in many things, but she was not prone to irrational fear. In fact, she was not prone to any fear at all. The Red Skull wanted Captain America’s daughter, but he did not want all the useless whining that came along with such an endeavor.

“Is this where we’ll find our new friends?” Maria asked.

“Workers my dear,” The Red Skull said. “Never friends. If we think of them as friends then that means we have an attachment to them. We cannot allow those.”

Maria appeared puzzled. “Why not Father?”

“Attachments can make you weak and vulnerable. It is better to look at those around you in simpler terms. Remember this.”

Maria nodded. “Yes Father. How are we going to get in?”

Black vines dotted with white covered every potential entrance the proverbial castle might have had. Short of some sort of energy weapon or explosion they were not gaining entrance. Maria was able to analyze the vines and found that they were actually composed of some sort of organic metal. They would probably have the consistency of steel and require something more than either of them had available to break through.

“We won’t have to worry about getting in Maria. They will come to us,” The Red Skull answered as one thick patch of vines slithered away to reveal a large spillway. A thick, sickly yellow fog blanketed the newly revealed spillway. Maria found her systems unable to define the composition of the fog.

A lanky man was the first to walk from the fog and approach The Red Skull. His skin was chalk white and looked like it had the texture of sandpaper. Long, stringy gray hair and a burnt tuxedo gave the man the appearance of a walking corpse. Two soul piercing black orbs looked down on The Red Skull and asked, “Why are you here?”

“Is this not the abode of The Broken Seven?” The Red Skull asked.

The lanky man’s eyes blinked rapidly for a second and his spindly fingers seemed to twitch. “There are very few who actually seek us out. Who are you?”

“I am The Red Skull and this is my child Maria. I know no one seeks you out and with good reason apparently. Your reputation is renowned as vicious in this tiny part of the world.”

The lanky man rolled his shoulders back and bones went to popping. “Yet, you would bring a child amongst us? How fatherly of you Red Skull!”

Abruptly, one of The Red Skull’s gloves began to vibrate, but he managed not to let it show. If his glove was going off then that meant the worst had happened or was happening in Tajikistan. Thermal Man was programmed not to launch the signal until the very last moment. Something had happened and The Red Skull hoped that all he had built so far wasn’t about to head into a dire tailspin. As much as he found Damocles to be pathetic, he needed the scientist around along with the rest of The Coalition.

“What I offer you is opportunity. The opportunity to escape this place and spread your terror elsewhere. In fact, I have an immediate chance for that if you will hear me out.”

The lanky man seemingly stopped breathing for a moment and then gave a big sigh. He turned away from The Red Skull and said, “Come with me.”

---

Tajikistan

A cold splash of water struck Dr. Animal in the face and a dim light was buzzing over his head. His hands were tied tightly behind his back and his ankles tied to the legs of the chair. He didn’t quite remember how he went from being outside to being here, but he knew that something had gone terribly wrong. A new foe had attacked them, but none of them seemed to even have the will to fight. He couldn’t explain the feeling that overcame him, but he just didn’t care. The doctor knew that he should of have cared, but he couldn’t bring himself to get up and do anything about it. Whoever their new opponent was, he was possessed of a deadly ability.

“Who sent you here?” the voice of a gruff, Tajikistani man asked. He stepped into the light and Dr. Animal saw that he was heavily equipped with weaponry and had a thick metal-plated suit on. The color scheme was a mix of blue and yellow.

“The Japanese government,” Dr. Animal lied. He knew they weren’t going to buy it, but he figured he’d test them to see how far they just might go.

A gun butt smacked him across the face and sent him reeling to the floor. Pain exploded through his face as his chair was lifted back up to its upright position. He defiantly spit blood at the Tajikistani commander, but the man asked coolly, “Who sent you here? You can make this easy or you can make this hard. The choice is yours.”

Fighting against the pain, Dr. Animal said, “Didn’t think I had a choice. If I tell you what you want to know you’ll probably kill me anyway.”

The commander’s head bounced back and forth. “Maybe so, but it’d be the difference between a slow death and a quick death.”

Smiling through bloodied teeth, Dr. Animal said, “You want to know who I work for? I work for a boogey man. Somebody who’d make you all think twice about being employed here and he’s coming for me. Your best bet would be to let me go now and head home before he picks you limb from limb.”

“We use to be part of the Soviet Union. Death threats were a daily part of life,” the commander laughed. “So be straight with me stranger. Who sent you?”

With a leap of faith, Dr. Animal said, “Despite the fact you’re going to probably bludgeon me again I can’t tell you. I’m more scared of him than I ever could be of you and I have no doubt he’s on his way.”

The commander gave a chilly response. “Then I guess I’ll have to have fun with you till he arrives.”

Bending down, the commander picked up a black staff on the ground that had been by his feet. He twirled the weapon in his hand and said, “Haven’t really had a chance to use this thing in a while.”

Trying to brace himself, Dr. Animal gritted his teeth as the commander jabbed him with the black staff. Electricity poured from it and Dr. Animal jerked violently in the chair as the violent energy flowed through him. He fell backwards and slammed into the linoleum floor hard. The commander hovered the staff over his face and said, “You either tell me who sent you or I send this right through those ugly sunglasses!”

Self-preservation kicked in and Dr. Animal weakly muttered, “The Red Skull. He sent us.”

The commander stepped back from his prisoner and wiped the sweat off of his forehead with the back of his glove. His skin had taken on a lighter shade. “You were right to be more scared of him than me. What could he possibly want from us?”

Dr. Animal suddenly found himself alone in the dark and holding on to the idea that The Red Skull was going to come for them. He wasn’t quite as confident about that now as he was when he was saying it. The Red Skull at heart was interested in only himself and his interests. If saving The Coalition wasn’t in that then they all could be looking at a long stay in this barren country.

He now wondered why he had let himself fall into allegiance with The Red Skull. He went from one domineering force, Zeneo Technologies, to another. The Red Skull only saw him as a resource in much the same way that Zeneo Tech. had. Things weren’t much different except for the fact that The Red Skull granted him the illusion of freedom and independence. He should have counted his blessings and taken his own path after Japan. Instead, he was barely holding onto consciousness in a ratty base trying to steal some babies with a bad skin condition.

You’ve taken on Avengers, but get the crap kicked out of you by an old guy carrying a big stick. I don’t even want to think of the imagery implied in that, Dr. Animal thought to himself as he shook in the chair trying to loosen the ropes binding his wrists and ankles.

Eventually, his efforts to break free only pushed him further to the point of exhaustion and he was forced to give up. Ten minutes passed as he tried to catch his breath and get over the painful numbness that was sweeping his body. Then there was the nausea, but being on his back kept him from vomiting on himself. He could only imagine the pitiful sight he probably appeared to be.

You’re always trying to break free and end up right back in ropes, Dr. Animal contemplated as he sat alone in pain and darkness.

---

Tajikistan (Elsewhere)

Professor Power was being held against the wall by electromagnets that had been positioned behind all his limbs and his back. His cybernetic parts were in agony from the scrambling caused by the magnetism and he was having a hard time keeping abreast of the current situation. Anthony could see that he was in some sort of laboratory and to his surprise there were grown Serpent Men walking around as security. The Red Skull’s information had been flawed. There were far more than baby Serpent Men here.

A frail looking middle-aged woman was observing Power and a computer unit underneath him simultaneously as she took down notes. Power hated being held captive so high up, but it did provide him a bird’s eye of things. As long as the magnets didn’t begin to fry his optic systems. He was beginning to wonder if he had given too much of himself to robotics and if there was any way to reverse that. Being in his current ordeal made him fully aware of the vulnerabilities he faced being made of so much computer technology. It was double-edged sword and he was currently being cut by it.

There were at least twenty staff members walking around with their dull gray coats and blank expressions. Protecting them were seven Serpent Men all armed to the teeth with fire arms and mini grenades. Whatever they were doing in here, they were fully prepared to destroy it. That made Power all the more curious what exactly was being conducted in the laboratory. There were few things that one held on to so tightly that they were willing to annihilate it to keep anyone else from having it. The concept was childish at its core, but when you were playing on the global stage; childish behavior becomes synonymous with pragmatism.

If there was a way he could get his communications back online and work through the disruptions that the electromagnets were causing he could contact Thermal Man and orchestrate some sort of escape plan. Other than that he could only hope that The Red Skull would begin to notice their absence and come for them. Though Anthony had absolutely no idea what The Red Skull would be able to do alone. He wasn’t exactly known for his physical prowess despite his strong sense of presence.

Power lamented at that thought. He never figured he would see the day when he would be depending upon the aid of The Red Skull. It was a pathetic position for one to be in especially when you thought of yourself as your would-be savior’s equal. He could just imagine the condescending glare if they did manage to somehow escape this place. The Red Skull would gloat and dare anyone to challenge him on it. Power was not yet in the position that he could.

Then there was the matter of their defeat in the first place. The security forces of this base would have been nothing for them to take care of, but their demonic foe outside it proved far more formidable. Who was he? Why didn’t he just finish them off when he had the chance? There seemed to be something very personal in his attack.

A human guard suddenly came running into the lab and pointed upward at Power as he said, “The Red Skull sent them!”

“And now he has come for them!”

It was The Red Skull’s voice. He had somehow hacked into the communications system of the base and delivered a message of hope to those who made up The Coalition. As soon as his message was delivered a terrible rumbling shook the building and pieces of concrete broke off from the ceiling.

Everyone looked up at the roof and saw a dark violet spot growing in size. It rippled back and forth like a small pond as a chalk white man in a burnt tuxedo began to descend down from the roof slowly. His fingers were dripping black ooze that fell like tiny droplets to the floor. Every spot where the ooze stuck began to emit a toxic black gas that choked and caused panic amongst the laboratory staff. The panic made it hard for The Serpent Men security to get a clear shot at the intruder.

Power could only wonder what The Red Skull had brought to their side now.

---

Skull Air Fortress (45 minutes later)

“They’re called The Broken Seven. Humans twisted by the probability wave issued forth from Yamu after his defeat by The Avengers,” The Red Skull said from his throne.

Professor Power was in front of him, but on one knee. The electromagnets were still having an affect on his systems and he was afraid he’d have to do a full diagnostic repair before he would be fully functional again. In the meantime, he was getting abreast on the current situation facing The Coalition. It seemed that The Red Skull had tried to garner the allegiance of Abyss, but was rejected. Now he had a group of Fiji mutants at his helm and had dispatched them to attack the base.

“We were attacked by someone entirely new,” Professor Power said. “He was able to sap away our very will to live.”

“Abyss may have sent this attacker, but how would he have known of your mission?” The Red Skull asked himself as he tried to internally figure out someone who might have had it out for him. There was a waiting list for people who had reason to want to see him fail.

“He was powerful Red Skull. If he is with Abyss then he has a mighty weapon,” Professor Power said.

“My instinct tells me this has nothing at all to do with Abyss. No. This is a different affair altogether.”

“Then what do we do?” Power asked.

“We wait,” The Red Skull said. “He’ll be foolish enough to strike again.”

---

Author’s Notes

I have this nearly done for quite a few months, but just didn’t really have the desire to polish it off and have it finished. There’s a variety of reasons behind that and those who need to know them already know so I won’t go into it here. With that said, I can’t promise any conclusion to the some of the running threads here anytime soon unless someone else decides to take it up and finish it. Which I would have no problem with, but I get the feeling if I’m not the one handling it then it won’t be handled. It’s cool ultimately because that’s really just how the cookie crumbles in these things. In that regard, fanfic can be very much like comics.

But I did have fun with this story for the majority of the time and I hope you did too. Maybe you’ll see The Coalition get some play somewhere else in the M2Kverse. I don’t exactly have any high hopes for that, but it’d be interesting to see happen. Anyway I do hope those who read this story enjoyed it for what it was. And to throw in a shameless plug, I have a new title coming over to Marvel Anthology that I’d like my readers to check out. It’s X-FORCE and I promise it’s going to be a fun lil romp.

Til I write for you again,

-Brent