#1 of 3 - The Storm on the Horizon
By: Robert Rock
Castle Masada
Symkaria
After long months of rebuilding, the Penance Council had finally moved their operations back into Castle Masada. The Pendragons and the Hulk in particular had destroyed Castle Masada to the point that many thought would not be retrievable. *
(*Pendragons #47)
Those months were spent huddled together in the tight confines of Base 16-C, their fallback retreat in the Bavarian Alps, planning the rebuilding of the Castle, continuing their information gathering, and organizing for the future.
Many on the Council had seen their retreat as the end point for them. They believed that their time had passed and that they had no more to offer the world.
One member though felt very differently and had vowed that day as he fled the ruined Castle that he was going to change the way that the world viewed the Penance Council.
Now back in their main base the sting of the Pendragons’ defeat began to fade, but for one the glow of dissatisfaction continued to grow. Not hate, but dangerously close.
Where was the world that he had fought so hard and so long to make a safe place? Why were there still world threatening monsters out there like Doom and the Red King? Why were more popping up every day? It all had to stop and he had a plan to do it.
The room was dark. Only the soft glow from the chambers cast light over a solitary figure in the room. The only sounds that reached his ears were the hum of machinery that kept the chambers running. As well as, the gurgling and bubbling from the nutrient rich water the filled those chambers.
Casually the man reached up a placed his hand against the glass of one chamber. The flesh that covered the hand was flaking badly and torn in spots. It didn’t bother him, but his slow abandoning of human form seemed to be very distressing to those around him.
So close, was all he could think. So close to having you all back with me.
Wheeling back across the room the man pulled up to a small workstation. Beyond it diagnostic equipment lined the walls providing constant readings on the contents of the chambers. Heart rates, blood pressure, brain activity, and muscle stimulation updates provided the wheelchair bound former hero with an up to the second readouts on the physical condition of the occupants of the chambers.
The hero had put the second phase of his plan into effect within these chambers recently and he could tell from the current readouts that it was working to almost perfection. Soon he would have to update the rest of the members of the Penance Council on his plan. Soon, but not yet, now was a time for other matters.
Jim Hammond sat alone among dead friends remembering better days and dreaming of days to come.
He drifted off on a memory of he and Toro in action.
Germany, 1944
A pitched battle raged on the field. Trenched soldiers fired at one another across the field to the deafening sound of mortar blasts and tank fire. Bodies littered the ground like broken toys and both sides were looking at Pyrrhic victory at best at the end of this engagement, but that didn’t deter them.
Suddenly in the air above the battle, two bright lights appeared. The lights swooped down towards the battle like crashing comets.
These two flaming comets come to a stop and hover momentarily above the action. They quickly took stock of the situation and launch themselves toward the German front.
After a few moments of stunned silence, the battlefield snaps back to action. American and Canadian soldiers, hollered out their support for the recent additions to the battle, while the Germans, swore under their breaths and aim their tank fire up to the two flaming fighters.
Shells whistle through the air toward the Human Torch and Toro, both ignite fire balls from their hands the melt the shells before they reach them.
Toro dipped low, and blasted some of the German soldiers in a near by trench.
“Come on Toro, just a little more and we’ll break the German line.” Hammond yelled
“You betcha Torch. We’ll chase those Ratzi’s all the way back to Berlin.” Toro answered as he sent another blast out toward the German line.
Taking advantage of the distraction provided by the appearance of the Human Torch and Toro, the Allied Forces pored from out of their trenches and pressed the German Soldiers.
In confusion, the German’s became unfocused and scrambled to make a retreat. All discipline and train had been thrown to the wind and each soldier was out for their own lives
Jim Hammond pulled up in mid air and fired a concentrated blast of fire at a retreating tank. The tank began to glow red with heat and burnt German soldiers’ piled out and ran for cover in a trench.
With a laugh Toro called out to the Human Torch, “That showed those Ratzi goons Torch.”
“That’s not all Toro, I think we should ………………”
“Jim?” Roger Aubrey called as he entered the room.
Jim Hammond snapped out of his reverie and spun on Aubrey in anger.
“I’ve told you that I want no one in this room. The experiments are at a very fragile stage and I’ve worked to hard to recoup the set back we suffered at the hands of the Pendragons’ and your ineptitude. I don’t want that effort wasted again.”
“The rest of the council members are gathering as you asked, I was merely telling you that we will be ready momentarily.” Aubrey informed him.
Roger turned to leave; he spent as little time as possible around Jim lately. Since being trapped within the Barrier, Hammond had changed and not for the better in Aubrey’s opinion. But ever since the battle with the Pendragons’ though, he had gotten worse, he was more demanding of the Council. His patience had waned and he was often furious that they were not taking a more active role in shaping the post Barrier world.
“Aubrey,” Jim called before Roger was all the way out of the room.
“What,” was all Aubrey could manage in civil response.
“That file I left on your desk, have you read it?” Jim asked
“Yes of course, but I don’t understand what the information means to us?”
“I want her with us, I would think that it’s obvious.”
“What could a little girl who’s been locked up in a cage for the last decade provide us.” Roger said with an edge of anger creeping into his voice.
Jim Hammond wheeled closer to Roger Aubrey. Aubrey was repulsed by the state of Hammonds face. The skin sagged around the eye sockets and multiple chins hung below his face. The pallor to the skin was yellowing to the point of jaundice.
Undaunted by Aubrey’s revulsion, Hammond moved his face even closer to him.
“What could a little boy I found at a circus do? He fought the good fight as an Invader and helped form the Kid Commandos. He fought by my side in Hitler’s bunker, when I finally ended that tyrant’s madness once and for all. He gave his whole life to make this world safe and ultimately he sacrificed himself attempting to bring a madman to justice.
Now what could a little girl, granddaughter to this boy, do with the right training and guidance? I’ll tell you what she could do Aubrey, she could do anything, anything that needed to be done to make this world safe again. Now let’s go, we have a hunting mission to plan.”
With that Jim Hammond began to roll out of the room. Aubrey cast a glance around the room and saw some faces bob close to the glass within the chambers. The sight of long dead friends and acquaintances made his stomach turn, this was madness and it had to stop. Hammond needed to be stopped.
“No Jim, you’re going to far. This craziness that has affected you since the Barrier’s gone up has gotten progressively worse. I and the other members of the council don’t know your real plan is, but I’m not going to let you kidnap a kid again. Don’t you see how much damage we did last time with Cam? Do you really want to make that mistake again?
“Cam was your mistake Aubrey. You always were coming up short, Dyna-mite.”
Aubrey cringed at the mention of his one time name and reference to his stature.
“Had you just killed him as I told you, the Red King might not have gained a foothold.”
“Cam was set up to fail by our intervention with him. We built in an expectation of failure with all our talk of the prophecies. We have no idea if he would have turned to the Red King had we not told him that he would. Maybe WE caused the Red King’s foothold by our meddling and nothing else.” Aubrey was shouting now.
Outside in the hall technicians scattered to avoid the argument.
Hammond spun his wheelchair around to face Roger, his eye glared at him from the doorway. The flesh around his mouth was pulled tight in a sneer. “Well, Aubrey, let’s go see what the council thinks and settle our future once and for all.” Hammond spun around again and wheeled himself quickly down the hall.
Aubrey, let out a breath he was unaware he had been holding and felt really old. He and the others had been doing this for just too long.
Aubrey turned back to look at the chambers one more time. The face of his beloved friend Brian Falsworth was in clear view. A pang of longing shot through Roger, after all this time he still missed Brian so much. It was torture to look at his young face behind glass and not be able to talk to him or be with him again. Roger reminded himself again for the thousandth time that that thing in the chamber wasn’t his Brian and he hung his head and began down the hall after Hammond.
Behind him in the room, the face of Brian Falsworth that looked placidly asleep behind the glass of the chamber, only seconds before bore the look of rage as his eyes shot open. His mouth flew open in a silent scream.
As quickly as the rage appeared, it retreated and his face returned to its peaceful sleep.
Castle Doom
Latveria
Ministers and advisors who had been gather into an assembly to provide advice and information to Victor Von Doom sat around a table and bickered with one another about affairs of state. Some wanted to push Latveria’s technological advantage and advance their power in Europe under the Barrier. Others saw this as a chance for Latveria to improve their image and provide benevolent help to the countries trapped within the Barrier. Others still, thought that Latveria should close itself off from the rest of Europe and create a utopian country.
All bickering and discussion ceased as Doom entered the room.
“Doom would know what your childish arguing has produced.” Doom asked as he crossed the room. His metal shod feet clanged loudly on the stone floor, while his green cape fluttered behind him.
The ministers and advisors looked around to one another and searched in each other’s faces for one brave enough to speak. An elderly minister, gulped back his fear, and stood on shaky legs to address Doom.
Upon completing his journey across the room, Doom sat on his throne. Above him, newly commissioned paintings hung -- one of himself and one of his beloved mother. They replaced the ones destroyed in his battle with Death’s Head. *
(*Pendragon #30)
“Herr Doom,” the man said with a quiver in his voice. “We have yet to come to a conclusion on Latveria’s future path. We still discuss a variety of options and beg for more time.” The man’s face had gone from a flush red to a pasty grey as he spoke. Sweat beaded his brow and all his thoughts were of his family and his deep wish to see them again and not die here in this meeting.
“Doom had convened this assembly as an experiment and he believes that you have not truly understood the task put to you,” Doom replied in his deep resonant voice. He stood up from his throne and took several steps down toward them.
At his words and approach, many in the assembly wet themselves under the table, fearing the end of their lives were here.
“Doom and Doom alone will decide the future of Latveria. What you shall do is decide how best Latveria with accomplish the will of Doom. Now tell me ……..”
Before Doom could finish his sentence a great swirling black cloud appeared between himself and the assembly.
Out of this vortex stepped a nearly ten foot tall demon. The demon was powerfully built and the mere sight of him made many of the assembly faint straight away. Those that reminded conscious hovered very closely to madness.
The demon looked around the room, his eyes settling on Doom. Doom had crouched slightly with his hands at the ready, glowing a bright green from a building attack spell.
“Who dares breach the home of Doom?”
“I dare mortal,” Necromon said as the black cloud dissipated.
“Who are you Demon?” Doom asked with a commanding air to his voice.
“Careful your tone with me mortal. You may possess great power for one of this earth, but do not confuse that with true power. I am Necromon. I have recently been returned to this plane by Lord Pumpkin and I look for allies.”
Necromon cast his gaze around the room again looking at the terrified faces of the assembly.
“Be gone,” he said with a wave of his hand. A flash of blue light and the room was empty. Necromon turned back to Doom.
“The matters we discuss were not for their ears. I ask you mortal, do you crave true power?”
Behind the steel mask that was seared to the face of Doom, he smiled.
Next Issue: Penance Council meets to decide its future and recruits new members. Doom and Necromon develop their alliance. Hammond makes a pact behind the Penance Council’s back.
Author’s Notes:
Welcome everyone to the Penance Council mini. I’ve loved the idea of the Penance Council for a long time and was thrilled with the way that Barry had written them in his Pendragon series. I kicked around tons of ideas to write a story featuring them and nothing seemed to click with me. That changed when I read Gary’s Toro story in Tales. Something just clicked and I had a story. I originally planned this to be a one-shot, but the story grew as I wrote it. Now it will be at least a three-part (maybe four) mini. I’m hoping to bring several of the side stories and sub-plots that have been floating around the Pendragon Universe for a while and tie them together. If people like the outcome of the mini, I’m open to the idea of an ongoing title featuring these characters.
I’d really appreciate any and all feedback on what you think so far. You can either post on the Pendragon message board or send me an email at rarock2002@yahoo.ca
Cheers,
Robert