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Thunderbolts - Children of the Green - #8
''And in local news, Princess Regan of Denmark is visiting Seattle on a whistle stop tour of the US.'' The reporter announced as the statuesque blonde dressed in a khaki trousers, orange tank top and green hunting jacket stepped out of the airport followed by a dark skinned female bodyguard and a man in a suit clutching a pair of bags. ''The princess is well known for her eccentric requests and is staying in a soon to be refurbished office building despite claims from the Danish..." With a yawn Reagan turned the TV off and stretched in the double bed that had hastily placed in the office. "Well the press brought it.'' She stated removing her wig to reveal dark locks, "Let's just hope our thieves are just as gullible.''
''Well whatever the case get some sleep.'' Meteorite ordered as she slipped a pistol and a tactical Tonfa under the pillows. ''Just in case, even with all the tech loaded into this complex as well as Me and Donnie just over the street we can't really afford to take any risks.''
''And the dye packs?" Victoria asked
"Properly disguised and pitted with a GPS transmitter and a photo-sensitive detonator just like you asked." Donnie reassured, "So even if they do get through us then we can turn the tables and hit them were they live."
"Which means everything is in place 'your highness'. Put you're wig back on and we'll get into position." Sara coughed before she and Donnie left the room' leaving the faux princess alone and exposed.
**
Orka scrabbled onto the sonic raft that skimmed over Lake Washington's surface clutching the broken off piece of jaw. With a grunt he threw it down at Sam's feet, the remains twisting as it glowed green in the sunlight. "That was attached to Tiger Shark." Orka grunted as MACH IV landed and scanned the remains with an optical laser. "He seemed to have plant powers, something that definitely is on the 'new developments' list."
"This doesn't come from Tiger Shark." Abe reapplied as he flicked up a computer screen from his wrist displaying graphs on elemental composition and images of DNA revolving above a storm of shifting numbers. "Not exactly."
"Not exactly?" Melissa spat. "What does that really mean?"
"What Orka fought was a Simuloid which had been injected with Tiger Shark's genetics to create an enhanced plant warrior." Abe explained.
"This sounds like a Hydra project." Melissa suggested, "Or maybe something RAID or the Hellfire Club would cook up."
"Well since we appear to have lost the Fluoroscope we have no way to track it." Sam whimpered as he edged away from Orka, "Not that we had much choice in the matter."
"Maybe we do." Orka countered, "Since the Simuloid ate the gizmo when I ripped it's jaw off."
"Brilliant." Abe announced, "Okay Mel I'm routing the frequency through you're sonic harness allowing you to track the signal. With any luck the answer to this mystery is at the bottom of the lake."
**
Meteorite laid prone on the adjacent roof to the Princess's suite peering through a pair of binoculars at the balconied window. Next to her Blizzard watched a terminal that displayed readouts of the sensors, the screen refreshing every five seconds. Silently she nudged him and pointed to the window where a figure was framed against the floor mounted lights.
"Dam the sensors just went offline." Donnie whispered.
"Tampered with?" Sara asked.
"Atomized although the laser shutter is still intact." Donnie replied as two more figures appeared next to the first and stepped over the threshold. "My god they are heading inside."
"Time to welcome our thieves to their new cells." Meteorite announced as she pulled kinetic energy from the cars on the street below, grabbed Donnie by the scruff of the neck and leapt the gap to land on the balcony. Stepping inside she saw two of the figures standing in front of the safe, one of them running a hand over the reinforced door causing it to swing open. With a cough Meteorite walked causing the two men to spin round, their hands full of stacks of fake hundred bills, the looks on their faces showing that they hadn't expected company.
"Chemistro and Skeleton Ki." Donnie stated as he stepped inside, the laser shutter descended behind him. "So that's how you get past basic security. Between matter manipulation and the ability to bypass any door, no house is safe from the pair of you."
"Your speaking as if we're behind bars." Ki snickered, "What you seem to forget is that we are working with a partner." He told the Thunderbolts as the red skinned form of Dragonfly crept out of Victoria's room. With a screech she leapt at Meteorite only for the Thunderbolt to spin round and blast her with a beam of light before Blizzard created an ice slide that the insect like villain slid along before being released, her flailing body tumbling into her partners.
"You were saying." Meteorite replied dryly, unaware of the rapidly growing figure behind her and Blizzard. Chemistro simply smirked at her before a pulse of sonic energy struck her from behind, rolling her and Donnie across the floor. Looking up she gasped as she recognised her assailant, clad in red, dorky helmet included was Antman, or someone wearing his costume.
"You took you're sweet time O'Grady." Chemistro barked. "Now how do you want us to dispose of these two?"
"No killing." O'Grady ordered, "It's what we agreed."
"Agreements change baby." Dragonfly purred as she ran a hand down his cheek.
"Yeah this gig is to good to ruin with witnesses." Skeleton Ki added as he removed a massive recurved dagger. O'Grady took one look at the knife before opening fire with his 'stingers' the blasts of bio-energy dazzling his comrades before grabbing the money and shrinking down.
"You'd better run Ant Jerk." Chemistro bellowed as he got to his feet and headed for the window before he was caught by a blast of energy.
"First you have to finish you're business with us." Meteorite told him as she and Blizzard got to their feet at the same time as Dragonfly and Skeleton Ki."
"Fine with me." Chemistro snarled as he raised his Alchemy Pistol, "First you and then the traitor with my money."
***
The sonic platform came to a stop over the place where the Tiger Shark Stimuloid had stopped, waves of pink sonic energy pulsing through the water. Her eyes flashing pink a massive wave of sonar ripped out from Melissa's body as a holographic image rippled into view in the centre of the raft. As the energy died down the image focused to reveal an entire compound submerged under the lake's surface.
"That's amazing." Sam whispered, "There is an entire city under the surface."
"This place doesn't match up with any data on the area. Either the Simuloid found a place to hide or this is where it came from" Abe told the others.
"Leave this place." Sam boomed. "You trespass against the Green." With a grunt Orka slugged Sam round the face, knocking the enthralled man onto the floor. Sam coughed before looking up at the sunset, his eyes glowing a bright green as multiple vines sprung from the water forming a dome around the platform.
"I think that you may have just made it angry." Melissa stuttered as she summoned up a sonic pair of sheers. With a groaning sound the vines began to drag their captives down into the water despite Abe joining the Thunderbolt's defence by igniting the attacking vines. With a thud the dome reached the lake bed and vines erupted from the floor wrapping around Sam and dragging him into the ground. With a hiss Orka attempted to grab Sam only for the vines to open up revealing a derelict space overgrown with vines.
"What is this place?" Melissa gasped, "Oh well I think I know who is responsible for this." She added pointing to the wall, a Shield emblazoned on the wall, "I guess we are not the first super villains that SHIELD have worked on."
"You are right human." A voice echoed from the floor as a plant like humanoid grew out of the ground. "My father will soon serve the Green again as will you as fuel for my brothers. On the last word the earth cracked and more figures emerged, revealing Electro, Tiger Shark, the Abomination, Whirlwind, Killer Shrike and Coachwhip all sprouting from the earth. And while they resembled their human counterparts it was clear they were anything but from their green skin, waving tendrils and pulsing veins.
"So these abominations are under you're control.' Sam spat, "Why send them after me I am no threat to you."
"Soon you will be one with the Green again and together father we will wipe this world of the human virus and I Terraformer, you're true son and the Green's avatar say that you're friends time on this world is over."
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