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Join Date: Jan 2008
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Captain Midnight launched himself into the air and began unleashing small bursts of ebony energy in the general vicinity of the Sweeper teams. He remained careful not to inadvertently hit anyone, only striking close enough to keep their attention. Wraithe did the same with his energy rifle from ground level taking on another team of Sweepers. As the guards returned fire, Corey Wraithe simply phased allowing the bullets to pass harmlessly through his body.
While the guards were thus occupied Raptor made her way to the solid steel plate that separated her from her lover. She could almost sense his presence on the other side because of their strong emotional bond with each other. Alicia rubbed the bracelets on her arm as if willing them to be powerful enough for this task. Then she reached out letting tendrils of energy flow forth enveloping the steel plate.
Heaving with all her might she felt the plate lurch. The hinges screeched in protest as they slowly ripped away from the building. The steel plate was now airborne revealing John Dark’s form just inside the doorway. He stepped through to the outside and she replaced the solid steel as if it hadn’t just moved.
“Alicia…thanks” Shadowblade said dropping to one knee “this whole ordeal has tired me.”
Offering him her hand Raptor helped him back to his feet and allowed him to put his arm around her for support. Then the two of them made their way to the rendezvous point and waited for Captain Midnight and Wraithe to join them.
Corey Wraithe arrived first nearly out of breath from the exertion he put forth while battling the Sweeper teams “the Captain told us to get on the Osprey and get outta here.”
“Where is he?” Shadowblade asked.
“Continuing the diversion so we can leave, he’ll be right behind us. We have to move the V-22 should be here any moment.”
Just as he said this the tiltrotor aircraft emerged from the clouds and dropped down swiftly for a quick pickup. Once the three Midnight Avengers were onboard the pilot lifted off and disappeared back into the clouds using them for cover. Taking a closer look at the pilot’s uniform none of them could place which organization she was with.
Noticing the emblem on the upper arm of her flight suit Wraithe decided to ask “exactly what is C.O.R.E? I’ve never heard of that acronym before.”
“Not surprising” the female pilot said “we are the elite of the elite. Top Secret, we’d have to kill you type stuff.”
“That’s not really an answer to my question now is it?” Wraithe shot back.
“No it’s not” and she left it at that as she went back to flying the Osprey.
Back on the ground…
Captain Midnight continued to fire off blast after blast of ebony energy changing it up with a right left combination punch whenever one of the guards decided to get too close. The bullets from their rifles had very little effect against his invulnerable skin. This was frustrating the Sweepers to the point they would throw down their guns and charge in swinging.
“Seriously guys you don’t want to do this!” Cole shouted to them as he swung his fists.
“Just give yourself up and we won’t have to” one of the guards replied “I thought you were a hero but you’re nothing more than a glorified terrorist.”
“That’s not what this is. Trust me you’ll be thanking us later once the threat of nuclear war is averted.”
“Whether or not we go to war is the President’s decision not yours or your group of vigilantes” the guard argued.
With an uppercut Captain Midnight ended the conversation and looked around to be sure that his team had made it away safely. Then he launched himself into the air and flew in the opposite direction from the V-22 in order to lead any pursuers in the wrong direction.
In short order he did have pursuers on his tail in the form of two F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters. These single seat stealth aircraft came armed with a GAU-22/A four-barrel 25 mm cannon and a full payload of Brimstone anti-armor missiles and AIM-9X Sidewinders. The two pilots made gestures for Captain Midnight to land giving him the opportunity to surrender before they were forced to open fire.
Captain Midnight shook his head “NO” and continued along his flight path. The pilots squeezed off several bursts of 25mm rounds hitting the air all around him. A few even punctured Captain Midnight’s uniform striking him full on. The impact caused him to jerk and bounce in the air resembling a pinball as it ricochets off its targets.
“Cut it out” Captain Midnight shouts at the two pilots as he drops below their line of fire.
Unable to stop midflight the two F-35s roar overhead and the two pilots loop around bringing them back towards their target’s position. The Joint Strike Fighter on the right launches one of its Brimstone anti-armor missiles. Cole Turner sees this and smiles grimly bracing himself for the impact. The missile explodes sending him flying backwards for several hundred yards before he regains control of his flight.
Shaking off the attack, Captain Midnight looks down to find his uniform now in tatters “okay I’ve got no more time to play” he says more to himself than the pilots “I have better things to do.”
With that he heads straight up towards the heavens and disappears into the clouds.
Beautiful Sun City…
Deadlaw has taken Luminary to an abandoned apartment building where Hyde has taken refuge to recover from his battle with Dracula. The green skinned creature was wounded and tired. He paid no heed to the two others as they entered his domain. Luminary halted upon entering the living room. She had not expected the green skinned monster to look so fragile.
“Hyde?” she asked cautiously.
“Hmph” came his reply.
“I need your help.”
“No” he answered “I have problems of my own. I do not have time to solve yours.”
“But it’s important. It has to do with Dr. Jekyll’s formula.”
“Jekyll is dead, go away.”
“Hyde what’s wrong?” Deadlaw asked seeing the strange look upon the green skinned one’s face.
“It’s nothing the battle just took more out of me than I realized. I’ll be okay soon and then I will track the demon down once more and finish this fight.”
“But I need help in order to duplicate the formula’s reversal effect” Tabitha Utterson pleaded ignoring the other two’s conversation.
“Why?” Hyde asked sounding more interested in her plight now.
“Because I altered the original formula so that I could gain all of your strengths without the side effects” she said “but now I can’t turn back into myself again.”
“I’m not Jekyll anymore” Hyde said solemnly “I wished I could help but I can no longer change back either for if I do I would surely die from old age.”
“So there’s no way for me to speak to Jekyll?”
“No, now go away.”
“If I might offer a suggestion” Deadlaw broke in “my ghostly nature has allowed me to channel spirits before*. Maybe I could somehow delve into your mind and extract Jekyll’s scientific one?”
*Reference: Shadow Hawk/Deadlaw crossover comic by Trickstyx*
“You can do that?” Luminary asked now impressed by this dark vigilante.
“I can try” Deadlaw replied “with Hyde’s permission.”
Inside a darkened cavern high in the Himalayas…
Arcanum makes his way through the cold damp cave as the energy seems to become stronger and stronger as he descends into the mountain. His long brown trench coat has done nothing to keep out the weather and he shivers involuntarily from the chill. Up ahead around the next bend he hears groaning noises as if someone is in pain. He draws his hellfire revolver from its holster and quiets his footfalls being careful not to step on any of the small pebbles and debris scattered along the ground.
Peering around the corner he sees a man in a black uniform with an American Flag across his chest frozen in a block of ice “reminds me of seeing Han Solo frozen in Carbonite” Arcanum thinks “or reading when the Avengers found Captain America.”
He steps cautiously around the corner to get a better look. The groaning is coming from another man who is lying crumpled in a heap on the floor of the chamber. His legs and arms appear broken, his face is bruised and eyes are swollen nearly shut. But the two men seem to be alone and so Arcanum takes another step bringing him into the chamber.
“Who did this to you?” he asks the broken man gently placing his human hand on the man’s shoulder.
“Snow….man” the injured one replies through chattering teeth.
“Snowman, did I hear you right?”
The crumpled man said no more and instead passed out from the pain entering into a coma like state. Arcanum sent a small amount of magical energy into the man to provide some comfort from the pain. Then he turned his attention to the other man trapped in ice. The man’s uniform suggested that he was part of some super secret government organization. The large flag across his chest showed that he was truly a patriotic warrior.
“Damn, no defrost button” Arcanum swore thinking how easy it would’ve been to thaw the man out if it was like the Carbonite from Star Wars with the little control panel on the site.
Holding the hellfire revolver in his hand he use the fingers of his cybernetic hand to lower the heat setting on the gun to help ensure he didn’t burn the man trapped inside the ice. Then he squeezed the trigger sending out a small burst of flame. The ice began melting causing the entire chamber to become slippery as the water refroze on the floor.
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