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The cage-door hissed open suddenly and in a flash, the person inside sprung out into the large chamber, the whole place lit with floodlights. Blinking Gallowglass reached for the axe he always carried with him, only to realise that it was missing. Worse there were more people exiting the cages, all of them wearing costumes, and all of them looking like they were ready to rip him to pieces. Balling his fists he took a step back to give them some space, and to have time to react if they decided to become hostile.
“Where are we?” A man dressed in military fatigues asked, his face hidden behind a gas-mask. Narrowing his eyes, Gallowglass recognised the man’s accent as being English, a nation he hated with a passion.
“I don’t know boyo.” Gallowglass replied as a woman wearing a hood and a man with a bird skull over his face stepped out and glowered at each other. “All I know is…”
“Charlatan!!” The man with the bird skull snarled as he threw a punch at the hooded woman, his blow cracking her in the stomach and sending her doubling back. “You stink of farce and disrespect!!” He snarled as he kicked the woman to the floor before wrapping his hands round her neck. Stepping forward Gallowglass grabbed the smaller man’s hands and eased them off of the woman’s neck before tossing his prisoner down onto the floor next to her.
“You okay miss?” He asked as he bent down, only for the woman to slam the flat of her hand into his face, the blow cracking his nose and forcing him back. “What is wrong with you, I was just…”
“Silence brute, you speak to Ovu Mobani, I am in charge here and you will not lay a hand on me you abductor!” The woman sneered, as one of the other prisoners, a man covered in tape wandered away from the group and headed to a concrete panel on the far side of the chamber.
“You brought us here?” The British man asked with disbelief.
“No but someone did.” Gallowglass replied, seconds before the man with the bird skull jumped to his feet and ran at him.
“Good enough for me.” The British man stated as he tackled the bird skull wearing maniac to the floor. “Name’s ShOT and I know you by reputation, you’re that Gallowglass fella, the one who fought Gunship hand to hand for two minutes and almost beat him.”
“Well I did have some help from Penelope Plague at the time, she’d burnt out his immune system with some super virus. Too bad he burnt it out of his system faster then she predicted or I would have cut his head off.” Gallowglass replied sadly. “That was my one great contribution to super villainy, the only thing people remember me for.” He added as the last prisoner dressed all in green ran her hand through her long red hair. “Look someone brought us here, we don’t know why but we can assume that they have connections to the prison service since I was in jail before they took me.”
“So was I.” ShOT added. “I don’t team up with other villains, being a sniper I generally work alone but this one time, if it gets me out of here then I am willing to work with you guys.”
“I’m not.” The man with the bird-skull snapped.
“Nor am I!” Ovu Mobani added as the two villains got to their feet and focused on Gallowglass and ShOT, hatred and blood-lust evident in their eyes.
“Enough already.” The red haired woman sighed. “I can’t speak for everyone else, but my powers aren’t working for the first time in nearly a decade. I’m also sure that whoever took us is watching, and I for one want to thank them, I’ve wanted to be cured for so long.”
“Don’t thank me yet Miss Smoke.” A voice called over a concealed PA system rigged to the sides of the cages. “I can turn your powers on with a flip of a switch and if I feel so inclined, I can turn your hearts off with that same finger and the same switch.” It added as the walls of the chamber near the man in black flashed to reveal a wall of hardened plastic and a shadowy figure standing behind it. “I am General Lincoln, and I am the new boss.”
“You were for a few seconds General!!” The man with bird skull snarled as he ran at the wall, only to collapse and fall halfway to the place where the General was standing.
“And will be until I release you or you are dead.” The General stated as he folded his arms. “Don’t look at the stick, look at the eighty-seven million dollars I’m going to deposit in your bank accounts when you leave. Officially you all just got US visas and work permits as well as a nice government pay-check.”
“A pay-check means a job.” ShOT stated as the bird faced man moved into a sitting position.
“Correct Mister Thomas, the six of you are going to protect American interests and deal with threats to our nation’s security.” The General explained as the roof of the chamber creeped open, a shower of ash raining down onto the convicts from a burning sky. “Welcome to Tokyo ladies and gentlemen, and to the end of days. Or at least what some people are calling the end of days, I personally think its Satan having a cook-up but I’m in the minority.”
“No offence but with my powers I’ve started more fires than I’ve extinguished.” Smoke gasped, as a layer of ash began to form on the floor of the chamber.
“Well I didn’t hire you to be a volunteer fire service.” The General stated sarcastically. “No I need you to go to the university campus, there is a professor of Quantum Mystical Mechanics going by the name of Doctor Ley who may be able to pin down the cause of the global inferno. We want you to evacuate him and bring him to safety.”
“Go get a hero to do it.” Ovu Mobani replied in a snarky voice. “Those flames out there are a hypnosis spell, I’m not stepping out to become some zombie for an arsonist who wants to watch the world burn.”
“It’s why you were chosen, why all of you were chosen. The mystical powers of Ovu Mobani, the chemical manipulating nature of Chemical Ali, the marksmen skill of ShOT, Grid’s manipulation of electrical systems and the shamanistic warrior enhancements of the Caracara are well suited for this mission.” The General told them. “Of course I have redundancies if one of you decides to drop out.” He added as Gallowglass fell to his knees, his heart aching as it went into cardiac arrest.
“Oi stop it!!” ShOT yelled as Chemical Ali ran over to Gallowglass and went to steady him, only for her touch to leave a burning handprint on his arm.
“Why did you turn my powers on?” She screamed as Gallowglass stopped convulsing and lay flat on the floor.
“To show everyone who is in charge.” The General growled as a section of the floor recessed to reveal a box of weapons and amour. “Take what is yours and get out and remember that I am watching everything you do, and I am listening to everything you say.” He added as the villains all ran to the box and started pulling out assorted firearms and blades. Getting to his feet and groaning Gallowglass shot the General a dirty look before seeing the man behind the screen’s hand move slightly, the movement sending the villain to the hole and his waiting axe. Walking over to the others, he watched as the floor ascended up to where the roof had been to reveal a burning city scape.
“Look at me.” Ovu Mobani hissed, her words causing the villains to glower at her. As they did a flash went off causing spots to dance across their vision as their sight began to clear. “Now you are all under my enchantment the spell on the fire will keep you from being consumed.”
“If you believe the charlatan and her parlour tricks.” Caracara snorted as the villains headed for a set of stairs that led down to street level. As they descended the sheer heat rose up like a tangible force to meet them, smoke clouding their eyes as they reached the concrete of the pavement and the bubbling asphalt of the road. As they walked to the end of the road, the spherical building they had been held in lifted off, its bloated tick like body glowing in the blood red sky as it broke through the clouds of smoke that hovered over the city
“Was that a UFO?” ShOT asked as the villains watched the ship leave. “You think that General is an alien or something?”
“The only aliens are you six.” The General’s voice stated, the sound seemingly radiating through the heads of the convicts. “While you were out I removed one of the bones of your ear and replaced it with a transmitter and a microphone. Now get moving, the university is a mile and a half to the north-west, we’re dropping a radar beacon that can direct you to the gates, from there you’ll need to search the campus the old fashioned way.”
“Should we be looking for anything besides the Doctor?” Chemical Ali asked as a vibration radiated through the floor and into the buildings.
“We have reports of Fox-Fire in the city. While she may have been a friend, we now believe that she’s part of the conspiracy behind the global inferno.” The General explained. “You have permission to engage her and any other superhuman targets designated hostile by me, any civilian deaths and…”
“Yeah we know, you’ll stop out hearts.” Gallowglass replied. “Wait anyone else feel that?” He asked, as he turned to look out towards Mount Fuji, the volcano smoking in the background. “Oh come on!!” He swore as the road was wrenched up and some of the buildings collapsed as a tremor shot through the city. Seconds after the vibration had passed fire shot out of the road in a series of blue tinged jets around a section of city before engulfing it and reducing everything in the section to ash.
“Oh c**p!” ShOT swore as he and the other villains broke into a run, just as the ground shifted beneath them and another section of city was incinerated in a flash of blue.
“Whoever is behind this is using the volcano as a Geothermal Weapon!” Chemical Ali screamed, as part of the road shot up forcing the villains to leap down onto another section of city, the burning asphalt splashing up into their eyes as they landed, and sprayed up their legs with every step they took towards the university. “They can use it to carve up the city and burn it block by block!” She added as a tremor shot across their path and a section of city just in-front of them was incinerated before them in a flash.
“Then we are on a timer then!” Gallowglass yelled as the villains turned right and headed for the train station. Reaching their location they crashed through the ticket barriers and sprang down onto the platform, rivers of blue flame leaking down the train tracks. “We need to get across but I don’t fancy walking under those.” He added as he pointed to the electrical wires hanging above the train tracks, miniature lightning bolts striking the tracks.
“I can drain the energy out of them.” Grid buzzed, his voice sounding for the first time since the villains had been introduced to each other. Dropping down onto the tracks he reached up towards the line, a series of loud pops sounding as the electrical discharge arched down and struck him. “That should do it, for some reason the electricity here was still on.”
“Uhm I think I know why!” Ali gulped as a burning missile came streaking down the track towards them, the wake causing eddies of ash to fill the station with a burning haze that bit at the eyes of the villains. “What in Tokyo is faster than a speeding bullet?”
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