by Stan Lee
“Besides, he’s given me all these toys!” Carlos stepped back, gesturing around at the mirrored chamber. “And once again, I have come up with a new variation on the Zodiac power. In this case: the inescapable trap.”
“You can’t trap the Dragon,” she said.
“Oh! That’s your dangerous voice. It’s all low-pitched and throaty. I know that Jasmine.”
“Don’t do this, Carlos. I’m begging you.”
“Good.” He looked across the room at her. “I like it when you beg.”
She struggled to rise. One moment, she thought, he seems like the Carlos I know—with maybe a few things wrong in his head. The next moment, he’s a complete monster.
“This is only the beginning, Jaz. I’m going to take the others down, too, one by one.” An even deeper coldness seemed to creep into his eyes. “Maxwell and I have it all planned. We’re going to drown Liam. Roxanne, we’ll crack in half. I’m not sure about Duane. Maybe we’ll beat him to death…”
“No. No.”
Despite herself, Jasmine felt the Dragon power growing. It surged along with her alarm, her horror at Carlos’s words. Her hands pulsed with energy.
“That’s it, Jaz.” He watched her hungrily. “Show me what you think of me.”
“You’re insane,” she snarled.
“Am I? Maybe.” He seemed honestly surprised. “Mostly I just feel free. As if a lot of useless rules that held me back are gone now, leaving my mind free to wander.”
The Dragon roared inside her.
“It feels good, Jaz,” Carlos continued. “Letting things go. Letting go of stupid ideas like loyalty, friendship. Love.”
The energy built, bubbling up inside her like lava in a volcano. All around her, the Dragon rose, whipping its savage head. Its jaws, its ancient eyes shone back at her from a thousand mirrored surfaces.
“Let it go, Jaz,” Carlos urged. “Let it out. Let it all out.”
She turned on him and spat fire. He ducked, laughing.
White-hot energy burst out of her, flashing over his head and slamming straight into the mirrored wall. Jasmine barely had time to think: He wanted me to do that—
And then the fiercest energy blast of all, the ultimate expression of the Dragon’s power, rebounded back on her. Pain surged through her, unimaginable agony slicing through every nerve ending in her body. She staggered and fell to the slick mirrored floor.
A shadow fell over her. Jasmine shook her head, struggling to remain conscious. She could barely move. Every bone, every muscle burned with pain.
When she looked up, Carlos was staring down at her. On his face was an expression of deep concern, reflected in the mirrored panes around him. For a brief moment, she dared to hope he’d broken Maxwell’s conditioning.
“Beg me, Jaz,” he said. “Beg me again.”
As she slipped into oblivion, the last thing she heard was the sound of his cackling.
“JASMINE,” ROXANNE SAID. “She did that?”
“M-maybe she doesn’t need us,” Duane said.
Roxanne sat with Liam and Ox, staring at the hologram rising from Duane’s outstretched hands. It showed Maxwell’s Australian base—and the base had seen better days. Two domes and a guard tower had been smashed flat. The central dome seemed intact, but smoke rose from a dozen little fires scattered around it.
Duane was wired into the plane’s computer and comm systems by a dozen cables. He blinked, absorbing information from some unseen source. As he used his power, the ghostly image of a giant boar flickered above his head.
“Her power readouts are off the scale,” he said. “I’ve never seen Zodiac energy of this magnitude.”
“Aye,” Liam replied, “but where is she?”
Roxanne touched her earpiece. “Jasmine,” she said, “do you copy? Do you read?”
Nothing.
She looked at the hologram again. One dome was fully on fire, blazing into the air.
Ox ran his eyes across the scene. “I don’t like it,” he said. “We’re less than half a click away now—well within their scanning range. Why aren’t they mobilizing to meet us?”
“We’re in stealth mode, mate,” Liam replied.
Ox raised an eyebrow at him. “Vanguard built this plane. You think they don’t know we’re here?”
As if in answer, the plane lurched sharply. With a dull whine, all its systems went dead. Duane’s hologram winked out.
Liam and Ox ran for the controls together.
“What happened?” Liam yelled.
Duane blinked. “Complete power loss,” he said. “Some sort of command has been entered into the system, shutting down all systems.”
Roxanne’s eyes went wide. “All systems?”
“Yes. Including the engines.”
“So we’re dead in the air.”
“It l-looks that way,” Duane replied. “Only a few cameras and comm channels are still online.”
“Vanguard,” Ox said. “They sent a remote shutdown command. I should have anticipated it.”
“We all should have,” Roxanne said.
“I know the plane’s software,” Ox said. “I might be able to override the command.” He crouched down below the console and wrenched open an instrument panel, revealing circuits and switches beneath.
Liam planted himself in the pilot’s seat and grabbed at the stick. He punched a few buttons, then threw up his hands. “No response,” he said.
“Try it now,” Ox said.
The plane lurched again.
“Power restored,” Liam said. “Wait—it’s partially down again.”
Ox tumbled sideways, swore, and crawled back over to the instrument panel.
“Make it fast, mate,” Liam said, struggling with the stick. “Fast would be good.”
“Do we know where we are?” Roxanne asked.
“Directly over Vanguard,” Duane said. “And they are powering up energy cannons.”
Duane stabbed at a touch screen several times. The hologram reappeared, staticky and wavering. It showed the plane, shaking, its nose tilting dangerously toward the ground. As a guard tower passed directly underneath them, its two big guns swiveled to aim at their airborne target.
“H-hang on,” Duane said.
The guns fired, twin energy beams stabbing into the sky. Roxanne tensed—but the impact didn’t come.
“A target this—uhhh—wobbly is hard to hit,” Liam said, bouncing and jolting about in the pilot’s seat. “Only silver lining we’ve got, I reckon.”
“It’s not gonna be much of a silver lining when we smash into the ground,” Roxanne said.
“Aye, the glass is lookin’ less than half-full.” Liam craned his head down toward the access panel. “Malik?”
Ox’s head was buried inside the console. “Working on it,” he said.
“Rox,” Liam called, whipping his head around. “You better strap on a chute.”
“Got it,” she said, and moved toward the pile of parachutes next to the jump door. “You too, Duane.”
Duane shook his head. “I have to keep monitoring.”
He ran his hand over the flickering hologram, panning across the scene outside. The plane was almost out of the guard tower’s range, but not quite. The guns swiveled and fired another high-powered energy blast—dead on target, this time.
The plane jolted. Duane’s chair slid across the floor; a few of his inputs pulled free of their sockets. He grabbed onto the table, frantically trying to steady himself.
Roxanne strode over and yanked him to his feet. He started to protest, but she paid no attention. She reached out and pulled free his wires, then shoved a parachute into his arms.
“Can’t monitor anything if you’re dead,” she said.
He pulled the parachute on and fastened the buckle.
A faint hum filled the cabin. “Back to two-thirds power,” Ox called.
“Aye,” Liam said, pulling hard at the stick. “Right rudder’s responding again, but she’s sluggish. And no autopilot. Turning into
the wind now. But we’re not gonna be in the air for long.” He whipped his head around to face Roxanne and Duane. “Everybody bail out. Now.”
Duane turned to him, stunned. “Wh-what about you?”
“I’m gonna stay with the plane.” Liam grunted, struggling with the stick. “Maybe I can take out a few of those bloody domes on the way down.”
Roxanne led Duane to the jump door and thumbed it open—just as the plane veered sideways. She lost her footing and almost tumbled out. She caught a quick glimpse of the central Vanguard dome, passing dangerously close as the plane wove its crooked course through the air.
A small line of soldiers filed out of one of the small domes, which crowded around the main structure like young creatures protecting their mother. The soldiers pointed up at the sky, struggling to aim their weapons at the wobbling plane.
“That’s a lot of soldiers,” Duane said.
Another dome loomed close, not more than five meters away. Liam swore again, pulling up hard on the stick. Then he leaned down and kicked Ox’s shoulder.
“You too, mate,” Liam said. “Make like a sailor and bail.”
Ox scuttled back out of the access panel. When his face appeared, it was grim.
“Can’t do it, mate. You need me here.”
“The devil I do. I’m an ace bloody pilot.”
“Vanguard’s sending a constant series of kill signals,” Ox explained. “I’m rerouting the systems on the fly, but they’ve changed a lot of the access codes. You’re lucky I know this plane better than anyone else.”
“And you’re lucky I’ve got my hands full, or I’d kick you out that door.”
At the jump door, Roxanne touched Duane on the shoulder.
“I’ll take the soldiers,” she said, pointing toward the ground. “You take cover there—past the main building. Wait for Jasmine, and see if you can get near the big dome—”
“No,” Duane said. “I’m coming with you.”
She looked at him. “No way. There’s too many of them.”
“That’s why I’m coming.” He sucked in a deep breath. “I won’t let you down this time. I can’t.”
She started to argue, then thought better of it. She nodded, her eyes wide.
The plane lurched sharply forward, its nose turning toward the ground.
“Ox!” Liam yelled. “Get the hell out. I’ll take me chances alone. I’m indestructible, remember?”
“You need me,” Ox replied. “Besides, nobody’s indestructible.”
“Maybe. And maybe nobody’s unstoppable, either.”
“A lot of people have tried to kill me,” Ox said. “It’s gonna take more than your crap flying to finish the job.”
He stood up and clapped a grease-covered hand on Liam’s shoulder. “Besides, I got a lot to make up for in my life. Maybe this is where I set things right.”
Together, they turned to stare out the forward windows. One of the small white domes was growing larger and larger in their view. It bore the number 2 on its roof. The plane wobbled and dropped, heading straight for the structure.
“Guess we’re gonna find out,” Liam said.
Then he turned toward Roxanne and Duane. Roxanne had never heard Liam’s voice so sharp, so angry.
“What are you two starin’ at?” Liam barked. “Get out already!”
Roxanne glanced out the jump door. On the ground, the soldiers were gathering in a circle, locking their weapons. One of them barked orders to the others, his words lost in the roaring, rushing wind.
“Here we go,” she whispered.
She touched Duane on the shoulder, and they jumped together.
IT WAS THE burning smell that roused Liam. He shot awake, looking around wildly.
The cockpit was a mess. The plane’s nose had caved in on impact, smashing the forward instrument panel into Liam’s chest and pinning him to his seat. The window was a spider web of cracks, obscuring his view.
Liam groaned. He flexed his arms, then his legs and was surprised to find he wasn’t hurt at all. It took him a moment to remember: Right. The Zodiac power.
A little fire was burning in the empty copilot’s seat. He waved at it, batting at the flames until they went out. Then he pushed hard at the instrument panel until it creaked and gave way. Slowly, he squeezed his way up and out of the pilot’s seat.
The plane had crashed nose-down, leaving the whole cabin tilted forward. Instruments lay strewn and broken everywhere, and furniture had flung across the compartment. The big table stood on its side, and just past it, toward the back of the cabin…
Ox lay beneath a large collapsed bulkhead. His eyes were closed.
“Aw, no,” Liam said.
He launched himself through the air, bounced once off the ceiling, and made a three-point landing right beside the fallen Zodiac. He planted his feet on the ground, then reached down and grabbed at the bulkhead, lifting with all his might.
It didn’t move.
Neither did Ox.
“Come on, you numpty,” Liam said, his voice trembling. “I vouched for you. Don’t die on me now.”
He touched Ox’s neck. The man’s pulse was slow but strong. He was still alive. Liam let out a heavy sigh of relief.
He turned Ox’s head to the side. Ox coughed and gasped.
“Malik,” Liam said. “Mate!”
Ox opened his eyes in alarm. He looked briefly around the plane, then at the massive beam pinning him down. Finally, he turned to Liam.
“You suck at landings,” Ox said.
They grabbed at the bulkhead together. Liam tried lifting it, pushing it to one side, then the other. But even their combined strength couldn’t budge it.
“Must be wedged against the wall,” Liam said. “Hang on, I’ll get a—”
“No,” Ox said. “Get out there.”
Liam blinked at him. “What?”
“Roxanne and Duane are outnumbered,” Ox said. “Badly. They need your help.”
Liam rose to his knees. “Mate, I can’t just leave you—”
“I’m fine. Strong as an…” Ox winced in pain, then gave Liam a weak smile. “Just go!”
Liam looked him in the eye for a long moment, then nodded. “You’re all right, mate.”
Ox grimaced. “Just don’t get cocky,” he said.
Liam turned to face the front window. Only the safety-glass coating was holding its shattered surface together. Through the prism of tiny cracks, he could see a mostly empty supply depot piled with crates and boxes.
He leaped into the air, curled into a ball, and punched straight through the window, smashing it to pieces. Seconds later, he was outside and running across the dark Vanguard compound.
From the shadows, two figures watched him go. Then they crept their way into the dome, climbed up the wing, and entered the crashed plane….
For Duane and Roxanne, things went wrong from the very start. They landed off course, farther from the main building than they’d intended. As soon as they touched down, in a clearing between the domes, a squadron of Vanguard soldiers appeared, brandishing energy rifles.
Duane sucked in a breath. Soldiers, he thought.
But Roxanne gave him a quick smile. “We got this,” she said.
He nodded, shrugged off his parachute, and assumed a back-to-back defensive stance with her. Above the two figures, the bright-plumed Rooster and the raging Pig rose up together.
Roxanne let out a massive screech, sweeping wide. Her sonic wave blasted into the first three soldiers, knocking them off their feet.
Duane gestured, the Zodiac energy trailing from his hand. The last two soldiers recoiled in shock as their energy rifles exploded.
“Good work!” Roxanne said. “I always forget—your power can disrupt machines, too.”
“Machines are easy,” Duane said. “People are hard.”
“The important thing is, you did it.”
He looked down at the soldiers, lying unconscious on the ground, and smiled. “I did it,” he agreed.
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Then he looked past Roxanne, and his heart sank.
Roxanne followed his gaze. Another squad of soldiers was pouring from one of the domes and running toward them. And from the other side of the clearing, a second squad was headed toward them, as well.
Then he turned toward the main building. A third group of soldiers was circling around the wall. They were staying close to the building, their movements careful and unhurried. They hadn’t seen the first two squads yet.
Duane glanced at the squad edging around the main building. That had been his and Roxanne’s objective, but it was impossible. They’d never make it past all those soldiers.
“Okay,” Roxanne began.
“What’s your plan?” he asked.
“In a word: run.”
Duane followed her, sprinting along the curving path. The darkness was complete, broken only by the eerie white glow of the domes themselves.
The clatter of footsteps echoed through the night. At least twenty soldiers were behind them, maybe thirty.
As they rounded one of the small domes, the path straightened out. Duane frowned, remembering the layout of the complex. They were headed toward the rear, past the main building. Soon the domes would thin out and be gone.
Then there’d be nowhere to hide.
Glancing back, he saw the soldiers round a bend, pointing at him and Roxanne. A volley of energy bolts filled the air.
Roxanne grabbed Duane’s sleeve and yanked him around a corner. A bolt sizzled against the dome where he’d been standing a second before.
“Interesting,” Duane said. “The Vanguard weapons don’t even leave a scratch on the domes. The building materials must be specially designed.”
“Interesting later,” Roxanne snapped. “Right now it’s—”
Someone slammed into her, knocking her off her feet. Roxanne cried out and fell to the ground.
Instinctively, Duane took a step back. As he watched, Roxanne’s attacker landed, unfolding his limbs to reveal—
“Liam?” Duane asked.
Liam turned to stare at him. The Irishman’s eyes were blank, glassy. Hypnotized.
“Welcome to Vanguard,” said a low female voice.
Duane whirled around. Snake stood at the end of the path curling around the last dome in the complex. Her eyes were glowing with Zodiac power, looking past him at…