Missed Last Issue? Click here to catch up!
The doors to the records building were locked shut, but with a heave Gallowglass cut through the metal lock with his axe, before kicking them open with a grunt. The trek across the campus had been an odd one, with students and staff littered across the grounds, all in a state of deep sleep.
“Any ideas?” ShOT asked as he delicately removed a dozing receptionist from the seat on the desk and placed her on the floor. Taking her seat, Aly started to clear the desk in the search for a directory or something that would help them located their target.
“About the people or the location of Doctor Lay?” Ovu Mobani asked as she slid down the wall and put her hand on her chin.
“This is why we needed Grid.” Aly sighed as she ran her hands across the keyboard of a computer. “People may not be on fire and the campus may be intact but there is no electricity.”
“Probably an effect of the stasis field included in the sanctuary spell.” Mobani hissed, as Gallowglass walked over to a vending machine and slammed his axe through the glass before ripping bottles of water and snack food out and dumping them onto the floor. “The whole place is meant to be akin to a time capsule.” She added, as the big man took a swig of water from a bottle. “Can’t you lay some copper cables down or something?”
“Sure, but I still can’t electrify them!” Aly snapped as Gallowglass looked over at a campus map plastered to the wall. “The guy is just a head and he’s magical right, maybe we can figure out what subject he teaches.” She suggested as ShOT walked behind Aly over to the pile of food and drink. “Any ideas?”
“History maybe, perhaps science or languages?” Gallowglass grumbled as ShOT opened a packet of crisps.
“It’s PE, he teaches Physical Education.” ShOT stated between mouthfuls of food. “There is a picture in the trophy cabinet of the girls’ volleyball team complete with a severed head.” He added as he pointed to a picture. “He’s probably in the gym.”
“Do we even want to know?” Aly asked, as she got off the chair. “Because it seems a little disturbing that a severed head would be hanging out with a group of collage aged girls.”
“It would be weirder if he wasn’t.” ShOT snickered. “If were a severed head I’d be a perv too.”
**
The gymnasium was littered with sleeping nubile young bodies, all dressed in revealing tank-tops and skirts.
“Well this is embarrassing…” Gallowglass stated, as he put his axe down on the floor. “Anyone see the head?”
“Not what I’m looking at.” ShOT stated, as he looked up one of the sleeping girl’s skirts. “What, I may get my heart stopped at any moment, I am not passing up a chance like this.” He stated as Mobani and Gallowglass shot him two separate looks of disgust. “Oh come on nobody is turned on by this?”
“No comment.” Aly replied, as she shifted awkwardly, before walking over to a ball storage bag. “Hey I found him!” She called, as she removed a severed head and placed it on a bench. “Doctor Lay, we need your help with the magical cataclysm happening outside.” She announced, only for the head to yawn, roll its eyes and take a long sniff.
“Is he ignoring us?” Gallowglass asked.
“Can you blame him with all the girls on the floor?” ShOT asked, a devilish smile under his mask as he emptied the bag of balls onto the floor.
“Look you!” Gallowglass snarled as he picked up the head. “We need help, and we need it now! So either speak up or I drop your head in a pool!” He stated, as he put the head down, the severed dome ignoring him. “Fine, let’s get wet!”
“Already there.” Aly whispered, her words not going unheard by Mobani. “I’m sorry, I have a problem.”
“No problem, you just gave me an idea to get the head talking.” ShOT sneered, as he got up and put a hand on Mobani’s shoulder. “Anyone reckon this place has spare uniforms.” He added, as the others all turned to look at Mobani.
“Oh no, why can’t you get Aly to do it?” Mobani hissed.
“Because at 6’1 I’m a little too tall to fit into one of those.” Aly replied as she took Mobani’s hand and led her away into the women’s dressing rooms.
“So you don’t find any of these kids cute?” ShOT asked Gallowglass, as the pair of them sat down on the bench next to Doctor Lay’s head.
“Cute yeah, but not attractive, I prefer my women a little more mature and a lot more quirky for my sins.” Gallowglass sighed, as he put his head in his hand, before looking down onto the floor at the bag of volleyballs that had slipped out onto the floor. “Oh you have to be kidding me!” He sighed, as he bent down and picked up something plastic off the floor. “Hearing Aid, the guy needs his hearing aid.” He sighed as he looked over at ShOT. “You’re meant to be a master marksmen, how did you not see that.”
“Who says I didn’t.” ShOT answered as Gallowglass slotted the hearing aid into the head’s ear, just as Aly returned from the changing room.
“Whatever we do, do not tell Mobani about this.” Gallowglass whispered, as Aly sat down next to them before opening her mouth and pointing. “Yes we know.” Gallowglass snapped, now act natural.” He added as Ovu Mobani trotted out of the changing room dressed in the same tank top and skirt the volleyball team was wearing, as well as her gloves, her eyes burning with equal parts hatred and embarrassment.
“Uh Doctor, I…we need your help.”Mobani stated.
“I thought it might be something like that, although I profess I don’t know what hero team you are, none of you look familiar and I know a lot of heroes.” Doctor Lay's head replied, as he rolled his eyes to look at each of them in turn.
“We’re Task Force 87, and we’re not heroes I’m afraid Doctor.” Gallowglass told him. “We’re not here to harm you, or do anything sinister, we just need to know about…what was it?”
“The quantum mystical exchange occurring around the world in relation to the global firestorm, not to mention why you didn’t tell anyone it was going to happen.” Aly told him, as she shot a cheeky peek at Mobani’s legs, only for the mystic to shoot her a withering stare.
“Well as you may know, sanctuary spells take an age to create but only seconds to activate.” Doctor Lay explained as he rolled his eyes. “But in all honesty I didn’t think I’d need to warn anyone for a while, this event was predicted to occur in the year 2366, not now. In essence time was on my side, I had centuries to figure out how to stop the raising of Surtur and his mother.”
“Wait centuries, so you’re saying someone fast-tracked this?” Mobani asked as she shifted uncomfortably.
“Of course, Surtur’s global conflagration is meant to help the world, bring the end of an ice-age that grips the entire planet for a century, but at the cost of most of the planet’s biosphere.” Lay told them. “I suspect that this ‘Cult of the Wicked Fire’ may have some influence, but they are more of a symptom then cause. And while this raising is interesting and disturbing at the same time, I have something far more fascinating and potentially lethal before me. You made it no surprise that you are villains, that much is clear, but there is something about your auras that intrigues me.”
“Aura? Is that some kind of STD or something?” ShOT asked.
“It’s the segmentation of your soul, some wizards and magic users see only through auras, others use it to judge worthiness.” Mobani sighed. “And as far as I know there is no STD known as aura or anything like it.”
“So what it tells us our futures?” Gallowglass asked.
“More like the potential path your future may lead in.” Lay replied. “For example, your core is violet a sign that your actions for the most part are noble, unfortunately it bathes in an ocean of crimson, something that suggests you have problems with anger. Thankfully that anger is chained in links of blue, in other words you are trying to bind that rage with heroic acts.”
“Uh I’m no hero Doctor.” Gallowglass murmured.
“Really, because those links are getting stronger.” Lay told him. “And you, the one who spoke to me first, your entire body is blue, you were born to be a hero, it’s only the sickness, the green in your soul that has forced you to walk this road.” He added, as the three villains looked at Alyson with surprised looking eyes. “And you pervert, your mind is black with evil thoughts but it is offset by the golden glow of your core, your heart is kind indeed. Both are tainted by anger and sickness like your teammates, but staying the course could help minimise both of them.”
“Can you record that and tell my therapist.” ShOT asked, as Doctor Lay turned his eyes onto Mobani.
“As for you my dear…”
“We don’t have time for this!” Mobani snapped. “You wanted an enchanted weapon right?” She asked Gallowglass, his head nodding slightly. “Fine I’ll start on it and hopefully have it done before we get into our next battle.” She added as she walked over to where the axe was lying and walked off with it.
“I will also get to work on some mystical mathematics.” Doctor Lay told them. “Perhaps I can locate where Surtur has risen and work on a plan of action that will help us stay his mother’s hand and stop this inferno. Pervert, I have some excellent magazines you may want to look at, carry me to my lab and they are yours.”
“Deal!” ShOT exclaimed as he picked up Doctor Lay be his head and walked off towards the door.
“Stupid boy, it’s the other way!” Lay yelled, as Aly cocked her head and looked Gallowglass up and down.
“What?” He asked.
“I can see it, you could be a hero.” Aly said with a smile.
“Yeah so can I.” Gallowglass replied, as he returned Aly’s smile. “I mean in you, not so much in me.”
“You think one day we’ll wake up and find ourselves in Panopticons Tower?” Aly snickered, as Gallowglass handed her a bar of chocolate from the vending machine he’d looted earlier.
“Will never happen, people like us never make it to the penthouse no matter how hard we try.” Gallowglass muttered, as he took a bar of chocolate for himself.
**
“Let every swathe cut be paid for in blood.” Ovu Mobani whispered as she ran her hands over the axe’s haft. “May every life take its fee from the hatchet-man who slayed them.” She added as she pressed her palm against the head of the axe, a golden glowing eye stamped there for a few seconds until it faded away. “And when his need is greatest, may the blade hug the earth as if it were its lover until all blood is spilt and Gallowglass is dead!” She snarled, as the axe shuddered for a second before remaining still. “And as he falls, may the others fall alongside him in the name of their beloved, their mistress and their queen.”
Log in to comment