The Story
Chapter 34
"Kyle Reeser, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D."
Youth in Asia: Part 2 of 4
"Here it is, everyone," Agent Ryker said, making a sweeping gesture with his arm. "The S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier." CJ and Kyle couldn't help but gasp at the technological marvel that was currently carrying them through Earth's upper atmosphere. Thousands of agents, all dressed in matching blue jumpsuits, scurried this way and that, enacting God-only-knows how many missions. As CJ and Kyle took in the wonder around them, a single figure, wearing a black eyepatch and chomping on a thick brown cigar approached the threesome.
"Les Ryker! Great to see you again, man!" laughed the man. He took Agent Ryker's hand, and shook it vigorously.
"Hey, Billy!" Ryker replied. "I see that cut on your eye hasn't healed yet."
"No, it sure hasn't," laughed Billy. "But the doctors say the anitbiotics in this medicated cigar should heal it pretty quickly."
"Sounds good! Have you seen Commander Fury?"
"Yeah, he's on his way to see you now."
"Okay. I'll catch you later, then!" And with that, Billy was gone, back to yet another project. Seconds later, Commander Nick Fury, leader of S.H.I.E.L.D., stepped into the room. He held a thin package under one arm.
"Glad you're here, kid. We need your help."
"Anything, sir," said Ryker. Fury gave Ryker a look.
"Not you. Him." Fury pointed a finger at Kyle.
"Me?" gasped Kyle. "But- I'm not a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent!"
"You are now," Fury said. He jammed the package into Kyle's arms. "Fourth floor. Special Ops." And with that, Nick Fury was gone.
Charles opened his eyes yet again, waiting to see what deathtrap or doomsday device he was strapped into this time. Surprisingly, there was no deathtrap. Charles was sitting at an thick mahogany table in the middle of a quaint country inn. A cup of hot tea sat in front of him. As his eyes shifted back into focus, Charles looked across the table, into the shock-white face of Mr. Sinister. His host spoke.
"Ah, welcome once again to the land of the living. I trust we shall have no more unpleasantness for a while?"
"Where am I?" Charles muttered.
"Do you like the decor? I once owned a place quite similar to this, actually. Now, I'm afraid, that building has been long since destroyed. This is merely a model, housed within a subbasement of the building you surely last remember. Beyond that, the building itself lies on the island of Madripoor. It's a dirty place, here, but I do find it much easier to obtain certain... research tools, one might say."
"Where's Joe?"
"Ah, yes, your other friend. 'The Scavenger,' isn't he? Well, after a rather simple vanishing act into the cellar, I felt certain your comrade might not be easily... dissuaded from searching for you. And since his cellular structure holds no real interest to me, I saw to it that he was dispatched of by an ex-associate of mine, who happened to be visiting. Oh, don't make that face- he's not dead. I'm certain little Brain Child has a much more interesting fate in mind for him. But enough on that...."
"Fine, then- tell me this: who is the third Hopkins brother?" Sinister chuckled softly at that.
"Ah, yes," he laughed. "The 'man in limbo,' we might call him, since his fate has yet to be decided."
Man in Limbo? Charles thought to himself. Why does that sound so familiar?
"Patience," Sinister chided. "We shall come to him in time. First, though, I'd like to discuss a little more your mutant power."
"...mutate, like us?"
"Quiet! He's coming around! You're sure you stripped him of all his weapons?"
"All that I can find. That damnable ring won't come off his finger, but the rest of them are piled in your treasure room."
"Excellent. Wakey-wake, little human. Brain Child wants to play with you."
Joe drifted for a moment, in a daze, as though in the middle of a dream. Then, suddenly, his eyes slammed wide open, and he stared into the frothing mouth of a large-headed midget with enormous features.
"Aaaaaah!" cried Joe. "Large-headed midget with enormous features!"
"Oooh," dripped Brain Child, sarcastically. "Like I've never heard that one before. You're sooo original." Joe's brain began to function again.
"Brain Child, right? Of the Savage Land Mutates?"
"Yes. Well. I see my reputation precedes me. I take it then, that you know my associates?" With taut, nuanced gestures, Brain Child indicated each of his allies. "Giza. Lupo. Amphibius. Barbarus. Whiteout. And, of course, Vertigo. She's the reason you're here, you know. I sent her to deal with that madman, Sinister; I needed a few more 'test subjects.' It was her power that laid you under, and now I'm ready to use you in my experiments."
"Uh... that's really flattering, dude. But, you're, you know, not really my type."
"Silence!" cried Brain Child. He pulled a wicked-looking syringe from his belt. "Don't worry," he cackled. "Only 98% of my subjects have died so far. Trust me, this won't hurt a bit." He extended the syringe toward Joe's arm.
The first six hours were the worst. After that, it all seemed to melt into one grueling ordeal after another. Physical fitness tests, mental puzzles, strategy and tactics training, marksmanship. But in the end, it seemed to be worth it. Kyle looked at himself in the mirror. The time he'd spent in the Supercool costume had adapted him to form-fitting costumes, and the padding in the navy blue S.H.I.E.L.D. uniform certainly seemed more flattering. His uniform bore the insignia of a lieutenant, and the blaster strapped to his hip made him appear to be a dangerous man. He was dangerous. He was bad-ass. He was Kyle Reeser, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Just as he finished giving his new look the Seal of Approval, Kyle was summoned to the Aero Bay. A distinguished-looking older agent met him there.
"I'm Agent Warner," the man said with a thin smile. He patted the side of a small air car. "Hop in. I'll debrief you on the way, but it's a long trip to Asia, and we've got to get going."
Minutes later, Kyle was winging his way (in the company of Agent Warner) to Asia.
"Madripoor, specifically," Agent Warner explained. "You're familiar with Madripoor, I'm sure-that 'wretched hive of scum and villainy,' where nothing is illegal. A world-feared terrorist named Madame Viper has recently set herself up as the behind-the-scenes ruler of Madripoor. Frankly, that worries S.H.I.E.L.D., but we all know there's not much we can do about that. What worries us even more is the poking around she's been doing lately. She's spent a whole lot of time and a whole lot of money trying to track down some mysterious doll that's supposedly buried somewhere in Mainland China. At least one other figure, we're not sure yet who, is trying to stop her. And that means whatever she's up to, it's dangerous. We want you to track down Viper, find out what's going on, and, if possible, put a stop to it."
"Okay," said Kyle. Agent Warner looked over at him.
"Okay then," he said. "All the information we've got is in that file folder at your feet. Why don't you start going over it? It's a long way to Madripoor."
"What do you mean 'he's gone?'"
"CJ, calm down!" Ryker tried his best to sedate the angry young redhead. "All I know is that he shipped out about an hour ago. They didn't tell me where, just that he was leaving for a little bit, and that we can wait in the guest quarters until he gets back."
"You don't get it, do you?" CJ yelled. "Once more, from the top: I'm from the future. The whole reason I came back to this time was to deliver a warning. A VERY IMPORTANT warning! If Joe, Chuck, and Kyle don't find a way back to their own dimension within ONE WEEK, at least one of them is going to die! And I never got a chance to tell them that! Now Kyle- Kyle for God's sake- is off on a mission for S.H.I.E.L.D.? And that doesn't seem the least bit suspicious to you? What if this is it? What if Kyle dies on this mission? And where are Joe and Chuck? This was supposed to be the whole reason we came here! What help are your buddies here giving you, anyway?"
"Alright, alright! Jesus, Ceej! I'll look into it. Just stay here, alright? Inventory your cape or something. I'll see what I can dig up. On where Kyle's going, if I can find it. And I'll figure out where Chuck and Joe are, too."
"What about my mutant power?" Charles asked, suspiciously.
"Ah, so much!" Sinister smiled. "I don't think poor Charles Xavier ever has figured out about my little bit of treachery. Not so long ago, I'd taken over the mansion, and it was child's play to attach a piggyback signal to his precious Cerebro. The moment you joined the X-Men, I learned everything about you. But so much still puzzles me. I can't find a single shred of genetic evidence of your mutancy. Yet there it is, plain as day. You seem to be a new evolutionary offshoot altogether. Why, the evidence is right here. I've never seen Scrambler's power affect anyone the way it seems to have affected you."
"What do you mean?" Charles asked.
"Could it be that you haven't even noticed? Why, look for yourself." Sinister's finger pointed to Charles' hands. As he looked down, Charles saw the same burning blackness of the Negative Zone that had always been there. But, to his surprise, the blackness had spread, like a rash, to cover his wrists and forearms!
"Quite a surprise, wouldn't you say? It seems there is much more to your power than we realize. But don't worry. I'm sure we both will be quite amazed at the things we can learn together."
"No!" Joe shouted, slapping the syringe from Brain Child's hand. "Just because you've taken my weapons doesn't mean I'm helpless!" Throwing himself to his feet, Joe instantly realized how false that bold statement was. Mutates stepped closer to him from all sides. "Anyway-" Joe continued. "You missed one! He slammed the heels of his boots together, seconds before Whiteout and Vertigo brought their powers to bear. Blinded and disoriented, Joe wobbled drunkenly on the Dazzler's skates, careening wildly this way and that, before finally slamming into a window ledge, and rolling backwards out of the Mutates' tower.
Four stories he fell before the thickly-woven branches of the Savage Land's jungle began to break his fall. Finally, Joe landed in a heap. Nothing seemed broken, but he was sure there were bruises all over his body.
"Well," Joe said, brushing himself off. "That wasn't so bad."
That's when the T-Rex roared.
"Here we are," Agent Warner smiled. "Madripoor. Wretched hive of-"
"Scum and villainy," Kyle interrupted. "Yeah, yeah. I got it the first time. Can we just get started?"
"We?" snickered Agent Warner. "You mean you, right? This is a solo mission." He brought the air car to a hovering stop over a flimsy wooden dock. "Out you go. We'll be seeing you later."
"Wait a minute!" Kyle exclaimed, as he pulled himself over the edge of the car and touched down on the dock. "How am I even supposed to get started? Where am I going to find this doll Viper's looking everywhere for? And shouldn't I be in some sort of disguise?"
"I'm sure you'll figure all of that out before too long," Agent Warner said, nodding. "Take care now!" And with those words, he revved the engine of his flying car, and took off into the sky, leaving Kyle standing alone on the docks of Madripoor, a wretched hive of scum and villainy.
S.H.I.E.L.D.'s newest recruit walked straight ahead, towards the shore, and when he arrived, continued walking straight ahead. Something's bound to turn up sooner or later, he thought to himself.
Something did.
As he ducked into the latest in a series of dark alleyways, Kyle ran straight into three of the largest, hairiest men he'd ever seen.
"Oh, lookie here," chuckled the biggest, ugliest one. "A little S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. Are you gonna play with us, Secret Agent Man?"
"Hmm..." said Kyle, thinking aloud. "Oh damn?"
"That shouldn't be happening to you, am I right?" Sinister asked with a sneer.
"I don't think so..." Chuck stammered.
"Well of course it shouldn't, young man. I'll bet you've spent all this time thinking "Negative Zone hands" was your mutant power, haven't you?"
"Maybe," Charles replied.
"Well, it isn't," said Sinister. "All you've got is the ability to manipulate energy fields, like the Negative Zone. But it's no wonder that your power was boosted by your recent exposure to the Zone itself. Truly, how else did you think you could have been using your power since you were 'like, four or something?'"
"I didn't ever really think about it like that," Charles confessed.
"Of course you didn't. But now, I have. I propose that you've long had this ability to manipulate the Negative Zone, and that when you came into contact with the Zone, your hands were destroyed. But, you've USED the power of the Zone to 'rebuild' your body, as it were, from the stuff of the Negative Zone. That's why when Scrambler caused you to lose control, the Negative Zone energies continued to consume your body, and I suspect they will continue to do so until you are nothing but a man-shaped portal into the Negative Zone, controlled by a consciousness. And, loathe though I am to think of myself in your time of desperate need, I could use such a creature. Thus, you see, it is in my best interests that I proceed to develop your power."
"Develop my power how?" Charles asked.
"Simple," Sinister answered. "By placing your life in mortal danger. If you escape, your powers are strengthened. And if you fail to escape, then at least no one else will control your staggering abilities."
"No way!" Charles shouted. "I'd have to be crazy to agree to something like that!"
"Crazy," Sinister agreed. "Or unable to prevent it."
Before Charles could inquire into the meaning of that enigmatic statement, he felt his brain burst with telepathic fire. And then, yet again, he fell unconscious.
The T-Rex roared, and Joe screamed just like a little girl. He took off into the woods, pursued closely by the enormous "thunder lizard." This is just like T-Rex: Back to the Creataceous, Joe thought to himself. There are only two ways to see dinosaurs this real... Ally, are you alright? I thought I heard her CALL MY NAME.
Joe was so caught up in laughing at his old job's old movie, that he forgot entirely about the fact that he was actually RUNNING FOR HIS LIFE. Before he knew it, Joe had run up against a sheer stone wall. He was trapped. The dinosaur lumbered into the clearing, throwing its head back and bearing a row of sharp teeth.
Suddenly, a thick vine swung in from nowhere, and slid itself into place in the dino's mouth, like a horse's bridle. The dinosaur howled in pain as its face and throat were jerked backwards. Dust flew everywhere as the T-Rex tried in vain to free itself. Finally, the dinosaur ran away. Joe scrubbed the dirt from his eyes, and looked up to see who his rescuer was.
There, in the clearing, stood a gorgeous young woman, with long, blonde hair cascading to her waist. Her limbs were taut with muscle, but still retained a beautifully feminine smoothness. She wore nothing (not even shoes!) but two tiny swatches of cloth, an animal fur of some sort- a Savage Land bikini. The woman smiled, her blue eyes shining, not the least bit conscious of her near-nudity.
"WOW!" Joe said aloud. "I am SO the wrong Supercool to appreciate this!"
"I'll never, for the life of me, understand those damned Mutates!" Shanna the She-Devil cried in despair. "Kevin, Lord Ka-Zar to you, and I helped the X-Men shut those creeps down something like four years ago, and they never bothered us again until two weeks ago. TWO WEEKS! Not that I'm complaining too much, but where have they been this whole time?"
"Experimenting, apparently," Joe offered.
"No, not exactly," Shanna countered. "It seems that has been their big plan. Apparently Brain Child's concocted some sort of Mutate-manufacturing chemical, and he's been kidnapping some of the locals to test it on."
"And I almost became one of them," Joe said, with a shudder. "Either that, or dino food. I never did thank you for that."
"It was my pleasure," Shanna said. "But there is one way you can thank me..." She ran a single finger across her chest, slowly wiping away the sweat that had formed at the top of her cleavage.
"What's that?" Joe asked.
"Well, Ka-Zar's been gone for a while now, working on our political ties with Wakanda. And let's just say there are certain... things... he can do for me." Shanna laughed. "Well, Zabu's not really the one for the job, if you know what I mean!" Joe gulped.
"Uh... Shanna. Miss -Zar. She-Devil-lady. Ma'am. I'm not so sure that I- I mean-" Shanna put one arm on either side of Joe's head, and leaned in close. Her body pressed against his.
"What's the matter?" she asked, menacingly. "Chicken?" Joe tried to answer, but couldn't speak. Shanna continued. "You're the only one who can do it for me, Joe. You're the only one who can help me. We're going to do it. We are. You and I. Right now. We're breaking into that tower, and we're kicking some Mutate butt."
"We are?" Joe asked. "Um... I knew that. I thought that's what you were talking about. All along. I knew it." Shanna looked puzzled for a moment. Then, a scowl crossed her face.
"Men." She made the word sound like a curse. "You're all a bunch of perverts."
Kyle drove a kick at the big man's ankle. S.H.I.E.L.D. had trained him hard, and trained him well, and Kyle had managed to absorb... well, at least a little bit of that training. His reinforced boots made contact with the big man's knee, and, accompanied by a cracking sound and the big man's bellow of pain, Kyle heard the all-too satisfying sound of the man thuding against the pavement. Before his foe's comrades had the opportunity to attack, Kyle sprinted towards the open end of the alley. He turned, drew his gun, and fired. Two shots found their marks against the bodies of two opponents, and the other two big men fell to the ground.
"Hey, this S.H.I.E.L.D. stuff is easy," Kyle said to himself as he holstered his pistol.
Just then, another enormous man burst from the alley before which Kyle stood. This latest figure was certainly at least eight feet tall, with thick, broad shoulders and bulging muscles. He was dressed only in a tiny red loincloth, which appeared to be the remnants of what may once have been a more appropriate form of dress. His body was completely hairless, and strange, oozing sores were visible all along the man's chest, arms, and face. The man charged. Kyle reached for his gun, panic-stricken. He didn't make it in time, but even if he had, Kyle would have found that this particular man is completely immune to small arms. With one of his big arms, the man sent Kyle flying. By the time he came in for a landing atop a street vendor's cart, Kyle was already passed out.
When Charles awoke this time, he found himself strapped to a large metal table. His wrists and ankles were pinned at the four corners of the table by heavy metal shackles. Suddenly, a pencil-thin red light snapped on at Charles' feet. Where the beam shone against the table, a small, blue flame ignited. It's a laser! Chuck realized. And it's coming right at me! Sure enough, the thin beam of light was moving its way slowly upward, it's path tracing straight between Charles' open legs. Charles began turning frantically right and left, looking for someone or something to help him. To one side, Mr. Sinister stood by the laser's controls, watching intently.
"Sinster!" cried Charles. "Get me out of here!"
"No, I cannot do that," Mr. Sinister replied. "It wouldn't do for the test."
"Test? What test? This is my life we're- AAAAAAGH!" Charles screamed in agony as a rapid-fire string of electric pulses ran through his body.
"You tried using your Nega-Hands on those manacles, didn't you? They're designed to resist such attacks. I assure you, this machine knows everything you've ever done with your mutancy, and it will not be stopped."
"Then do you expect me to use my mutant power in a new and innovative way, freeing myself and discovering more about my power in the process?" Mr. Sinister flipped back through several pages of notes, frowned, and shook his head slowly from side to side.
"No," he said, quite frankly. "No, Mr. Hopkins, I expect you to die."
In the middle of the southern end of the planet lies the continent, Antarctica. In the middle of Antarctica lies the hidden jungle world, the Savage Land. In the middle of the Savage Land stands a thin white tower, home of the Savage Land Mutates. And, in the center of that tower, the same seven mutates stood uneasily in the same room. One of their number, the one called Brain Child, was using their various skills and abilities to test the effectiveness of the various gadgets and weapons they'd stripped from "The Scavenger."
Brain Child had just lifted the yellow vest with pod-like attachments, when the doors to this particular room flew open. There, framed by the doorway, was an athletically built woman with long blonde hair. She wore nothing but a tiny fur bikini.
"Your attacks on the local villagers end today, mutate!" Shanna shouted.
"Shanna!" cried Brain Child. "Mutates, kill her!"
From her place at the back of the room, the mutate Vertigo reached toward Shanna with her disorienting mutant power. Before she could reach the Savage Land's protectress, however, she tumbled forward after feeling a sharp kick in the back of her head. The young man she'd captured earlier in the day jumped in through the tower's open window.
"I came in through 'The Rear Window' just for you, 'Vertigo,'" Joe said, smugly. "I thought you'd appreciate it." Vertigo picked herself off the floor, but Joe kicked her feet back out from under her, pushing Vertigo further to the side of the room. "Get it? They're both Hitchcock movies! It's a joke!" Again, Joe pushed Vertigo down, and across the room. "Sorry to keep treating you like this, ma'am, but with you being a good fighter and having powers and me having neither, I've sort of got to push every advantage I can. Still, this superhero stuff is for 'The Birds.' Ha!" Another push brought Vertigo to the edge of the stairs. Joe paused for a moment, and it was all the time she needed. Vertigo bolted upright, and brought her mutant power to bear on Joe. The young man fell to his feet, lost under the dizziness and nausea brought on by her power. But she's right in front of me, Joe thought. I know she is. She must be.
"Hey, Vertigo," Joe said, knowing he was speaking blindly. "Have you ever seen 'The 39 Steps?'" And with that, he pushed himself forward, feeling quite satisfied as he felt his shoulders meet someone's ankles. Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Vertigo's affect on Joe faded. Joe stood to his feet, and brushed himself off.
"I'd NEVER do that to a lady," Joe said. "But you're no lady, you bloody 'Psycho.'" Joe smiled smugly at his victory (and his punmanship), then turned to see how Shanna was doing. Alone against the remaining six villains, Shanna was, not surprisingly, in a bit of trouble. Already blinded by Whiteout's power, Shanna had fallen to both Giza's chops and Barbarus' punches. She slumped to the ground, stunned. The villains turned to face Joe, who looked desperately from side to side for his weapons' cache.
"Hold that thought!" Joe said. "I'm having an 'oh damn' moment."
The man found himself strapped to a large metal table. His wrists and ankles were pinned at the four corners of the table by heavy metal shackles. Suddenly, a pencil-thin red light snapped on at his feet. Where the beam shone against the table, a small, blue flame ignited. It's a laser! he realized. And it's coming right at me! Sure enough, the thin beam of light was moving its way slowly upward, it's path tracing straight between the man's open legs. He began turning frantically right and left, looking for someone or something to help him. To one side, a portly man stood by the laser's controls, watching intently.
"Do you expect me to talk?" the hero asked.
"No, Mr. Bond," came the reply. "I expect you to die."
"I love this movie!" CJ said aloud to no one in particular. S.H.I.E.L.D. had been kind enough to supply her with a guest quarters while she (ostensibly) waited for Kyle to return. Naturally, they had nothing but spy movies to show. But, since this particular film had been one of one of her dad's favorites, and since she'd never had the opportunity to watch it in the future, CJ was glad to be seeing it now.
Suddenly, the doors to her quarters flew open, and Agent Ryker came running in.
"It's a trick!" he cried. "You were right, it's all wrong. Kyle's been set up. S.H.I.E.L.D. is sending him on a suicide mission!"
When Kyle awoke, he found himself strapped to a large metal table. His wrists and ankles were pinned at the four corners of the table by heavy metal shackles. Suddenly, a pencil-thin red light snapped on at his feet. Where the beam shone against the table, a small, blue flame ignited. It's a laser! Kyle realized. And it's coming right at me! Sure enough, the thin beam of light was moving its way slowly upward, it's path tracing straight between Kyle's open legs. He began turning frantically right and left, looking for someone or something to help him. To one side, a slender, cold-looking woman with bright green hair stood by the laser's controls, watching intently.
"Viper!" Kyle spat, recognizing the woman from S.H.I.E.L.D.'s files. Nervously watching the beam, Kyle decided to play the tough guy. "Do you expect me to beg for my life?" he asked, putting as much "macho" into his voice as he could.
"No, Mr. Reeser," laughed Viper. "I expect you to die."
"Oh," said Kyle. "Ohpleasegoddon'tkillmeIswearI'lltellyouwhateveryouwanttoknow!"
Viper laughed again. The beam advanced closer.
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Chapter 35
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