Dr Dread
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Post by Dr Dread on Apr 11, 2006 19:56:10 GMT -5
Secret Society of Super Villains Chapter 1: Issue 10 "A FLASHMAN IN THE PAN" Written by David Peattie Edited by DrDread
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Post by Dr Dread on Apr 11, 2006 19:56:39 GMT -5
Still elsewhere, as Mantis braced himself for the confrontation with his ruler, two furtive figures soared above the city, concealed from view by clouds.
"An effective ploy, Wizard," Sinestro conceded as he and his comrade flew towards the Loman Building, confident that at present, the Secret Society headquarters would be deserted. "…using invisibility to put some distance between ourselves and Green Lantern!"
"Fortunately," the Wizard agreed, "we saw him before he saw us! Tempting as it might be to attack your old foe, Sinestro, we have far weightier matters to occupy us…"
By now, the Loman Building was in sight, and rather than drop down to street level and bother with the elevators, Sinestro simply made himself and the Wizard intangible and sailed through the penthouse wall into the Sinister Citadel. Landing lightly, he then set down the power-ringed chair the Wizard had been sitting in, and as soon as the Wizard rose from it, he allowed the chair to dissolve. The two then began walking towards the lounge area, as the Wizard continued his commentary.
"…such as, contacting Darkseid," he finished. On the way over, from the secret sanctuary where the Secret Society had battled Mantis, the Wizard and Sinestro had discussed the possibilities of perhaps currying Darkseid's favor by joining his camp instead of hitching their wagon to Manhunter's star. If it turned out that an alliance with Darkseid was not feasible, they could always stay neutral and see how things worked out in the end.
"Which," Sinestro agreed, "may best be done from this, his Sinister Citadel!" The renegade Green Lantern marched briskly into the main meeting area, and then, he and the Wizard were brought up short by the fact that they were not alone, as they'd thought they would be.
"Great Korugar!", Sinestro exploded. "Earthmen…in Darkseid's citadel!"
Seated before the two villains, in a plush chair, was a man in a blue tuxedo and sunglasses. He had long brown hair, a mustache and a bushy beard, and was resting his feet on a liveried servant who seemed to be willingly posing as a footstool. Another servant, also dressed in livery, was nearby, busying himself dusting the Citadel's computer banks. Casually glancing over at Sinestro and the Wizard, as if their arrival was as commonplace as a coffee break, the seated man finally spoke.
"My marvelous moniker, " he began, "is fearless Funky Flashman, fellas, and I'm here to help you help yourselves to the hallowed, halcyon hypocrisy of high-class hoopla and hype!"
He made a show of looking the pair over, then, as if appraising them.
"You, pal, with the wild widow's peak and the rather rubicund complexion, must be none other than the sensational star rogue, Sinestro," he went on, "and your fantastic friend, outfitted in such fanciful fashion, can only be that flamboyant fakir, the wondrous Wizard! Today...is your lucky day!"
As he spoke, the liveried man dusting the computers leaned over to whisper in Flashman's ear.
"Funky…are you absolutely sure about this?", he asked his boss. "I mean, they are super-villains, you know…"
"Exactly, Toad," Flashman said curtly. "And it's your vapid sort of attitude that I…Funky the fabulous…intend to erase from the miasmic minds of the pliable, plastic public!"
Turning back to the Wizard and Sinestro, Funky asked them, "How many times, my dear vainglorious villains, have you suffered the indignities of bad press?"
The two villains said nothing, their stances indicating that they still weren't sure whether or not to trust the man. However, they were still listening, which was all that mattered.
"In past pugilistic polemics with super-heroes," Flashman went on, "who got the blame for the destruction of public property? Not the heroes, I assure you!"
By this time, Flashman's alliterative style of speech was wearing thin on both rogues.
"Get to the point, man!", the Wizard said exasperatedly.
"The point," Flashman responded, "is that they have contacts! Why else do you think Superman's put up with that milksop Clark Kent for all these years?"
"And," he elaborated without missing a beat, "what their contacts do for them, I can do for you!"
Flashman rose, and when the man serving as his footstool didn't rise out of the way fast enough, Flashman kicked at him in contempt.
"Out, you overstuffed footstool!", he commanded. "I have business to bombard these deadly, dangerous desperadoes with…business which, most pointedly, is none of yours!" Then, indicating his other servant, he pointed to the door and said, "You, too, Toad! Get lost…ya bother me!"
Wordlessly, the two men slunk out of the room as ordered. The man called Toad continued to give meaningful looks Flashman's way, signaling that he still thought this was a bad idea. But he kept his tongue. Still, the disapproval was not lost on his boss, who added a coda to his curt dismissal of them.
"Get about your drab duties," he chided, "and find me someone who will rejoice in relishing on me the respect I so richly deserve! Someone sage enough to soothe me, and servile enough to suit me! In short: your replacements! It's so hard to get good help these days!"
By now, Sinestro and the Wizard were finding themselves quite amused by Flashman, and the thought of getting better press was admittedly intriguing to them. Sensing that he now had their undivided attention, Flashman felt the time was right to go for the gold.
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Dr Dread
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Post by Dr Dread on Apr 11, 2006 19:57:34 GMT -5
"Now, as I was saying, pilgrims…", he began. Alas, though, the rest of Funky's pithy pitch will have to wait for another time, because, back at the hidden retreat, the lithe form of Star Sapphire had finished making her way into the room where her comrades had engaged in battle with Mantis.
"Mon dieu, Manhunter," she exclaimed as she saw the room in chaos and disarray. "It appears I'm too late!"
Manhunter turned to face her, clearly quite pleased to have her back. "You missed the big battle, all right," he told her, "but there's still plenty to do! We're preparing for the war that's still certain to come!"
As Grodd and the others looked on, Manhunter began warming to the leadership role once again.
"In fact, we need a sentinel to stand guard at the tunnel entrance, Star Sapphire," he continued. "And you're elected! Where have you been all this time, anyway?"
Now somewhat miffed, Sapphire replied, "I told you, mon ami…I went to fetch a super-hero! And I found one! Green Lantern is right behind me…coming down the stairs!"
Wrong, Star Sapphire. Dead wrong. It wasn't the Emerald Gladiator who stealthily trod the stone stairs…not by a long shot.
Sapphire, however, knew none of this yet. Instead, all she saw was skepticism on the faces of her erstwhile allies.
"You don't believe me!", she exclaimed. "You don't believe I've brought Green Lantern here!"
"Get serious, girl," Grodd growled. "We've got work to do…and we don't have time to waste on jokes! Now, get back up there and keep a sharp lookout for Darkseid's strike force!"
Sadly for Grodd and the others, it was too late for that…much too late.
Someone had indeed followed Star Sapphire down the stairwell, but it had not been Green Lantern; Mantis had seen to that. Instead, it was the brutish figure of Kalibak that stalked into the room, swiftly grabbing Star Sapphire by the wrist as he delivered his ultimatum to the others.
"Surrender at once, fools…or perish!", he thundered. "So speaks Kalibak the Cruel!"
What happened next all occurred in a matter of seconds. Captain Cold acted, using his cold gun to create an ice-slide underneath his feet and skating along it to close in on Kalibak. With stunning speed, Kalibak reacted, flinging Star Sapphire against the master of icy infamy with such incredible impact that they were both knocked unconscious.
"I warned you," Kalibak reminded them, "And now, mortals, Kalibak shall punish all of you for defying Darkseid!"
Grodd stepped forward, then. "I think not, you brash and arrogant braggart!", he cried. "In fact, I wager you shall long rue the day…you faced the fists of gorilla Grodd!"
The ape punctuated this statement with a fierce uppercut, cracking Kalibak in the jaw and sending him to the floor. But if Grodd thought that ended the fight, he was quickly disappointed.
"You may be strong, you simpering simian simpleton," Kalibak noted, "but you are no match for a warrior of Apokolips…and especially not for Kalibak the Cruel, son of great Darkseid himself!"
With that, Kalibak threw himself into a tackle, catching the gorilla flat-footed and forcing him into the nearest wall, which crumbled under the impact and gave way. The other Secret Society members who were still conscious marveled when they saw that the hole opened up onto a view of the Pacific Ocean and the nearby Oakland Bay Bridge; they had not realized that they were this close to the waterfront.
As for Grodd and Kalibak, though: locked in battle, and oblivious to all else, the two savage forms flashed through the gaping hole they'd created…into the madly churning waters of San Francisco bay. They continued to fight, even as they sank below the surface and were swept away…lost to sight in a splash of murky water.
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Dr Dread
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Post by Dr Dread on Apr 11, 2006 19:57:59 GMT -5
While, back above at the other entrance to the underground lair, Mantis had gotten over his shock at seeing the Lord of Apokolips before him and had regained his bravado. Sensing this, DeSaad…still disguised as Darkseid…hoped to unnerve the power parasite by egging him on.
"Darkseid is here, Mantis!", he goaded. "Are you ready to challenge me?"
Instinctively, Mantis fell back into his usual pattern of obedience and groveling. "You misunderstand me, sire!", he said hastily. "I spoke in haste, without considering the meaning of my words! Ever have I served you faithfully!"
"And many times have you failed me, Mantis!", came the sneering reply.
"No, great Darkseid!", Mantis insisted. "I beg you to let me prove myself! I must have revenge on the super-villains!"
If he expected this to move his lord and master, he was doomed to disappointment. "Your vengeance does not concern me, Mantis," the disguised DeSaad assured him.
What happened next, though, came as a big surprise to DeSaad. Mantis, realizing that his life was on the line, stopped groveling and instead, scowled in fury.
"Then you force me to oppose you," the insectoid snarled. "to pit my raw power against yours! You force me to destroy you, Darkseid…for mine is the sheer cosmic power of a Green Lantern!"
With that, Mantis cast a sizzling bolt of green energy directly at the figure of his liege-lord. For a long moment, "Darkseid" was bathed in seething emerald energy, and then, the look of confidence on the face of Mantis evaporated, to be replaced with one of shock and disbelief.
"Y-you still stand…unaffected!", he declared. "It can't be!"
Crossing his arms in front of him casually, DeSaad allowed his Darkseid hallucination to crack a grim smile. "Your efforts amuse me, Mantis!"
"Fall! You must fall!", Mantis was practically screeching. "I am bursting with the power used by the Green Lanterns to protect the universe itself!"
"Perhaps the universe itself shall soon belong to Darkseid, eh, insect?", came the reply, followed by mocking laughter.
As Mantis continued to expend his stolen Green Lantern energy on the illusion, DeSaad mentally congratulated himself.
"Once more, my foresight does me credit!", he thought. "Knowing I would doubtless face the Secret Society members in battle, I prepared a device as part of my disguise that would divert energy around myself, letting it seem to drip harmlessly from my Darkseid façade…as it doubtless would from the real ruler of Apokolips! I had thought to use the device against either Sinestro or Star Sapphire…but it weathers this attack just as well!"
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Dr Dread
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Post by Dr Dread on Apr 11, 2006 19:58:47 GMT -5
Meanwhile, at Fisherman's Wharf, two breathless figures erupted from the Bay's waters…still battering each other with angry blows.
As Grodd once more punched Kalibak in the jaw, the brutish son of Darkseid seemed almost nonchalant.
"For your sake, Grodd, I hope that was not your best punch," Kalibak declared. "Because if it was, then Kalibak shall have an easy victory indeed!"
While he spoke, the surging tide had carried both combatants towards the shore, and now, instead of immediately retaliating, Kalibak leapt from the water to his feet and ran up the bank.
"But I prefer to do my fighting on solid ground, ape," he asserted. "so follow me…if you dare!"
Nimbly, Kalibak raced across the sand and up a paved ramp to an unloading dock, where incoming fishing boats were sorting their wares and getting ready to supply the stream of seafood restaurants that lined Fisherman's Wharf. One of these, the world-renowned Alioto's, had set up some tables and kettles for steaming lobsters in; these were upset and knocked to the ground by Kalibak's charge.
"If I dare?", Grodd echoed. "You run like the coward you are…and insult my courage?"
With that, the ape gave chase, darting past one of Alioto's kitchen workers, a recent émigré' from Sicily named Benito Baldoni.
"Mama mia!", Baldoni thought, as his face paled at the sight. He spent the rest of his work shift thinking about migrating a bit further south and looking for work at his cousin's winery in Napa.
"But you shall flee no further," Grodd promised, "now that I have you!"
With a final mighty lunge, Grodd leapt onto his foe's back, yet this seemed to only barely slow the brute from Apokolips down.
"You're good at braying and bellowing, Grodd," Kalibak told him, "but when it comes to combat, Kalibak the Cruel is clearly your master!"
Twisting around, Kalibak grabbed a fistful of the gorilla's fur. He then picked Grodd up, as if he were no more than an annoyance, and hurled him to the ground, cracking the sidewalk with the impact.
"And here's the death-blow that backs up my boasts!", he added, only to be shocked himself when the simian dodged out of the way…causing Kalibak's fist to strike the pavement instead, creating another divot. "What? You moved!"
Grodd did not stop to explain how, with his super-brain, he didn't even need to read his foe's mind to discern his intent…enabling him to dodge the lethal blow. Instead, before his off-balance opponent could recover, Grodd seized the opportunity to retaliate. His powerful gorilla legs came up against Kalibak's chest and shoved, propelling the son of Darkseid away from him and into the wall of a nearby building. Bits of masonry and rubble fell with him.
Were he not Gorilla Grodd, and a would-be conqueror of mankind, we might applaud the brawny titan's heroic effort; yet, how can one cheer for a victor in such a conflict, when the two adversaries are, after all, both villains? Villains playing a deadly game, with the Earth hanging in the balance?
As Grodd charged in for the kill, Kalibak recovered his wits, and grabbed a hefty chunk of the wall he'd knocked down.
"One lucky blow will not save you, ape!", he roared. "Kalibak can not be stopped!"
With that, Kalibak shoved the man-sized hunk of wall right into Grodd's face, knocking the ape down and burying him as the makeshift weapon crumbled still further. Stunned for the moment, Grodd could only watch helplessly as Kalibak then tore a lamp post from its moorings to use as a club.
"I offer you one chance for survival, simian upstart!", Kalibak proclaimed. "Swear allegiance to Darkseid…swear to serve him, even if it means waging war on your former comrades in the Secret Society! Swear it…or this lamp post will be your death!"
"I have no love for my comrades, Kalibak," Grodd replied, his strength returning. "but still less for your kind! No!"
Grodd freed himself from the rubble even as his answer echoed from the nearby walls. Again, the battle was joined, and so intent on their savage struggle were the angry antagonists that neither noticed, until the last moment, that they had tumbled directly into the path of a speeding trolley car, one of the Cable Cars for which San Francisco was so justly famous. Unable to stop, the cable car slammed into them both, sending them sprawling in either direction.
Unprepared for the incredible impact, both were left bruised and stunned in its aftermath. They eyed each other warily, wearily, searching for the slightest signs of weakness. Kalibak was the first to rise.
Lunging forward to tackle Grodd before the ape could stand up, he once more prepared to pummel his foe.
"Now, you mealy-mouthed monkey…", Kalibak gritted.
"Enough, Kalibak," Grodd panted, "and more than enough!"
"What?", the brute cried in disbelief.
"I…yield!", Grodd said humbly, flashing a thumbs-up sign to seal it.
Rising, and freeing Grodd from his grip, Kalibak smiled in satisfaction.
"Then I shall spare you, Grodd," he said magnanimously, "but only if you solemnly swear to serve great Darkseid! Well?"
"I swear it!", Grodd agreed.
"Good," Kalibak nodded. "You shall live to carry out his commands!"
Imperiously, he turned his back on the super-gorilla and began to walk away.
"Come along, now," he commanded, "and never forget that it was Kalibak who cowed you!"
"Not quite, my friend!", Grodd thought wickedly, as he picked up a boulder-sized hunk of shattered building and hefted it over his head.
"I made a wager with you, Kalibak," Grodd said calmly. "A wager that I would defeat you..."
With that, he hurled the rock squarely at Kalibak's head. It connected, hard, and the son of Darkseid fell to the pavement, out cold.
"…And Gorilla Grodd always wins his wagers…even if he has to cheat! After all, I am a super-villain…"
As he said this, and began to walk away from the scene, he found his legs wobbling and his consciousness flickering; he struggled to maintain his balance.
"And you know…the saying: there is no honor…among…thieves…"
And with that, Grodd himself fell, unconscious.
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Dr Dread
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Post by Dr Dread on Apr 11, 2006 19:59:09 GMT -5
Many millions of miles away, far out in space, on the planet Apokolips, a furtive figure stood watching over the prone body of another. Suddenly, the supine figure sat up, crying out in pain and touching the temples of his forehead.
"Dr. Bedlam!", the watcher exclaimed. "What happened?"
"That stupid ape, Grodd," Dr. Bedlam replied. "He cheated! He hit me with a boulder after pretending to surrender! The impact was so fierce, it knocked my consciousness out of the Kalibak-simulacrum I created!"
Dr. Bedlam stopped then, realizing that his companion wasn't saying anything. Bedlam seemed to be a man in his late fifties or early sixties, balding, but with a sinister looking mustache and beard. He had the power to transfer his mind into any one of hundreds of androids, most of them doubles of himself, at will; it was an ability that Darkseid found useful from time to time.
"You know, Kanto," Bedlam remarked at last, "you never did tell me why you wanted me to make a simulacrum of Kalibak and impersonate him like that! What's going on here, anyway?"
"Nothing you need concern yourself with, Bedlam," Kanto the Assassin replied. "For now, anyway. But when you need to know, rest assured…you will!"
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Post by Dr Dread on Apr 11, 2006 19:59:36 GMT -5
Meanwhile, back at the entrance to the underground lab that the Secret Society had commandeered, Mantis had finally expended the last of the energy he'd stolen from Green Lantern, and had fallen weakly to his knees.
"Alas, how the mighty have fallen!", DeSaad said in mock pity, still wearing his Darkseid disguise. "I was fond of you, Mantis, and in my own way, I shall miss you…but even Darkseid must make sacrifices to the harsh demands of discipline!"
'No, sire!", Mantis said with panic in his voice. "I was intoxicated with power…charged beyond my tolerance…"
"What a pity, then," his ruler sneered, "that you exhausted your pathetic powers in mindless mutiny…for now, you truly have need of them!"
With that, "Darkseid" pointed to his left. "Turn, Mantis," he instructed, "turn and behold the grim face of fate!"
Mantis turned and looked in the direction indicated. His face turned even paler, if that were possible, as he beheld the most fearsome sight that any of the New Gods could imagine.
"No…", he whimpered. "Not him…not him!"
As the insectoid continued to cower in fear, a strange figure came into view on the horizon. It was a black man, wearing blue leotards, red trunks, boots and gloves, a scarlet helmet and cape. He also had on skis, with which he was apparently schussing through the early evenings skies.
"Aye, Mantis," the Darkseid impostor confirmed. "He comes! The Black Racer comes…he whose touch is death to the New Gods comes…for you!"
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