Chapter 65

Fastest Man Live

Chapter 65

By: BigToFu

Sol Solaris

Getting out of dodge.

Stretching, Sol Solaris sighed as she felt the bones in her back pop like they came from a bag of pop rocks. Looking at the flight suit hanging up in the locker, Sol couldn’t help but think about what it took for her to get here. Less than three months in regular time, they had found her inside asteroid M locked away in the cryopod.

Even if she didn’t have any memories from before, she was happy with those she made in the here and now. Shaking those thoughts from her mind, she stood up and got dressed for the trip planned for today.

If everything worked as it should, she would be heading out of the system with the rest of her crew to someplace called the Nova Empire. Zipping up her flight suit, Sol stood in front of the mirror to take in her appearance.

Her face was composed of a liquid metal mask that shaped itself to the contours of a female’s head. Twisting her head from side to side, Sol let out a sigh accepting that it was far better than that ugly thing she was found with. It was a monstrosity of hard lines and shapes that wrapped around the star that comprised her head.

The liquid metal face mask was overlaid with magic and a few things that would hold and isolate the miniature star her X-gene manifested. The power of the star was then absorbed and redistributed back into her body for later use.

Checking herself one way then the next, Sol decided that she was happy with her appearance before leaving the changing room. Halfway down the hall, she met with a purple-skinned Atlantean she had befriended during her time training in the temporal chamber, Julian O’Tarr.

It turns out getting your ass kicked by Logan tends to help you make fast friends with your teammates. Or that could just be the urge to team up and find a way to kill the hairy bastard.

Giving her friend a smile, they bumped shoulders as they continued on their path to the flight bay. The silence only lasted until they got past the elevators and were already in the flight bay. Pausing on the gangplank, Sol stared down at the ship that would be taking them across the stars.

She was a frigate class ship called the Normandy with a full stealth loadout. It wasn’t one of the largest shuttles the Empire had, but she was near to being one of the fastest ships around that wasn’t assigned to a Queen or patrol mission.

The Normandy was easily over five hundred eighty feet long from tip to antiproton thrusters. State of the art rail guns capable of punching holes in superalloys with an ECM suite capable of jamming even subspace communications.

Letting out a slow sigh, she turned to her friend, “Ready for the adventure?”

Julian looked a little pensive in her bright blue jumpsuit as she rocked back and forth on her heels. “Honestly, I don’t know, but then again. I have already made it so far out of the ocean. With this, I can become the first Atlantean ever to have traveled the stars.”

“So, that means no talking you out of this then.” Sol replied with a smile and chuckle.

“As if, you just want a reason to back out is all.” Julian said lightly.

Sol rocked on the spot a little, “So that means there is no hope of you talking me out of this then?”

“None.” Julian replied with a pop before turning her friend towards the stairs. “So move, we have places to be and things to do.”

Accepting the light ribbing for what it was, Sol turned and they both made their way down to the Normandy and her crew. With all of her training up to date, including the combat modules, Sol was going to be the mission commander on this trip with Julian as her Spartan second-in-command.

The moment she stepped foot on the back of the sleek red and white ship her omni pinged, updating her on the ship’s current details. The good news was that since she was already in charge, the updated crew roster didn’t change. What did change was the new cargo manifest.

From what she could tell, besides all of the gold and precious gems, they had included half a ton of vibranium for the markets. Letting out a sigh, she dismissed the information as Julian went for the command center. Walking along the ship’s interior, Sol checked each compartment as she felt the ship thrum to life around her.

It would seem that everything was perfectly timed because as she walked into the command center right outside the flight deck, the intercom came to life.

[Star Gazer, this is StarFleet Command, over.]

[StarFleet Command, this is Star Gazer, we read you loud and clear, over.]

Sol looked around the command center for a moment, meeting the gaze of her flight team. Each shared a nod with her and a smile before she turned to look at her pilots and got the same in return.

[StarFleet, this is Star Gazer requesting permission to launch, over.]

[To infinity and beyond Star Gazer, StarFleet command gives their approval and blessing. The Emperor bids you well. Go forth and adventure!]

Letting out a sigh, Sol settled into her captain’s chair as she stared at the holo-grid depiction of the surface outside. It did make her feel a whole lot safer with solid walls around here without windows to compromise the hull of her ship. “You heard the pretty lady! Joker, hit it.”

“You got it bawss.” Joker replied with his Texan drawl.

The instruments she was looking at shifted and so did the holo-screen. The surroundings changed from the ship bay of the space station to that of the vast void.

“Activating the Speed drive in …. Five…. Four…. Three…. Two… One!”

The ship lurched forward and the world outside the ship shifted to that of reds, greens and blues as they left their world and homes behind.

=[O]=

Benjamin Blake

Emperor

Standing there looming over everyone in the command center of Atlantis, I said nothing as they all scrambled. I wanted answers and no one was going home until I got them. Everyone in my family checked in to let me know that they were safe and I found it interesting that Anna was on the island instead of Xavier’s institute.

It didn’t really bother me even considering it was a funny point that I was going ten toe’s with her mother after healing her. I would have to talk with that boy later…and there I go turning into that father who carries his shotgun: I guess dads of little girls are pretty universal about that. Ehh, doesn’t matter my kids were my kids and I would protect them no matter what.

“Sir!” Control technician one called out. The room halted for half a microsecond as my attention snapped to him. For a moment, I felt like letting the silence stretch as the tension ramped higher and higher, but it wasn’t the time for mind games.

“Yes?” I asked, prompting him to speak.

“Admiral Andromeda has arrived with Madam Namora, and Admiral Faora.”

Nodding, I turned back to look out over my nation. Instead of being top side and looking down over my island, I had chosen to use the Atlantis station since they had used this as their way into my nation. From my reading and understanding of demon warding, salt was an essence of earth and caused a purification effect.

That had caused me to let my guard down about anything like that coming from this angle. Further reports showed me how they were able to get around the demonic scanners by using a summoning portal inside the private guest rooms. That allowed them to not only bypass the island’s main wards but also let them accomplish their goals; since I kept certain scanners out of homes and hotel rooms.

I was trying to allow my people their privacy, but it would seem that one rotten apple has ruined the cart. Now I had to rethink how the fire detectors needed an upgrade to make sure they can pick up not only carbon monoxide, but a whole suite of things. That would not only have demons on that list, but also illegal portal usage and angelic artifacts and rituals among other things.

A mental command brought up a hologram window of Selene inside of her interrogation room. Within that same room were not only the demon that I had captured, but also Flash within all four limbs missing and a few other people. What was notable were the two Atlantean. What I found interesting was the one inhuman from the upper caste from when Black Bolt was still alive.

The humans were obviously inconsequential, but they were going to get the same treatment all the same. I was not going to stay my hand, it was time to bring exterminatus for any who dared to reach for what was mine.

From what I could see the two humans beside Flash already had their turn and were already turned into mummified carcasses for the others to see. The Atlanteans and the Inhuman could already tell that they were very misinformed on what the reprisals would be. That was clear since they couldn’t even stomach their comrade getting eaten by an energy vampire.

Putting them out of my mind, I turned my attention to Selene while ignoring the ladies standing at attention behind me, they could wait. What was happening inside that interrogation room was gruesome, yet it had to be done.

[Interrogation room…]

Selene slowly strolled around the room with her black painted lips curled into a cruel smirk.

“I will take from you what you would not freely give. And then I will absorb your life essence…and you will be no more. So, know your end is near, and despair.” Selene said as she slowly trailed a hand from one of her prey to the next.

“Ohh, you were such a fool to go against him. I can easily deal with you, as you have seen with my torture of you. But, what you didn’t take the time to know is he defeated me with very little effort. He allowed me to live and now I willingly stand at his side. But, I learned from that…too bad you attacked his family, you will never get that chance.”

Stifled gasps came from those in the room behind me but I paid them no mind as I continued to watch the live footage. Selene poked one with a finger then drained them of their life force a little bit so the rest could see what she was doing. She pulled a little life force from one with the hell mark on his chest and smiled… “Yessss, I think a little oriental five spice would go well with you!”

Bringing my omni to eye level, I spoke two words. “Do it.”

Selene never replied verbally, but what she did next was clear for all. The cult member with the hell mark on his chest never stood a chance. Selene’s hands became coated with black and purple magical sigils before he started to scream. The screams turned to low groans as everyone watched him wither right before their very eyes.

“Ohhh, who shall I make a meal of next,” Selene purred as the rest of her prisoners looked on in shock and horror. Even the large demon had his face set into a grim look of understanding. He tried his shackles some more but they didn’t even budge an inch. From the cuffs, black smoke would waft upwards as his skin sizled each time he tried to harold to get out of it, then again cold iron purified and rolled with sea salt was what kept everyone chained down.

Was it overkill to use something like that on a demon, ha! There was no such thing as overkill when it came to demons and their cult members.

“So,” Selene purred as she slowly walked up to Flash Tompson as he hung from the straps that held him up. “Would you like to tell me who your master is, or would you like for me to discover it in a more fun way?”

Flash’s face went from pure hatred to terror before flicking back and forth. The indecision was clear in his eyes for all to see, but before he could say anything. Flash burst into fire and his screams were one I could have done without hearing. The scream he released was not one of a man on his deathbed but of a scared simpleton dying with nothing to his name.

Squinting at the weird sigal I noticed around his mouth, I pulled up the video footage of the cell and fanned it on playback and ultra-slow speeds. Rotating the image, I zoomed the camera in closer to Flashes head and placed his mouth center for all to watch. What I found almost made me grind my teeth at the discovery.

Looking back up, I noticed the rest of the cult members with the hell mark burst into flames. It would seem that someone is as paranoid as I was since they placed silencing arrays on the followers. The only thing that kept me from grinding my teeth was the fact that the very large demon was still there chained up like a trussed turkey.

“Shame, I was sure Benjamin would have liked to be the one to kill him. Ohh well, another thing your master can answer for.” Selene said with a sigh and nod at the demon.

The demon grunted as he shifted in his shackles once more before speaking. “Take me into your service and guarantee my life and I shall tell you all that I know.”

“Ohh, you think that you actually had a chance,” Selene sighed with a shake on her head. “All of this,” She said with a wave of her hand to the room and ashened remains of the cultist. “All of this was just a show to loosen tongues and weed out the mentally weak.”

The demon growled, but Selene paid him no mind as she trailed a black painted nail up his chest. “No, you won’t be getting off that easy. You, your master and all those standing with your master have all forfeited their lives, even if they haven’t figured it out yet.”

“Do your worst, you can’t kill me if you want what I know.” The demon growled for all to hear.

Selene smiled a cold cruel smile, “I will take what you will not freely give, then I shall take your life force, so do not despair for I shall torment your soul for the countless years ahead of me.”

Black and purple flashed before the screaming started, “ggggrraaaaaggggghhhhh!”

Snorting, I waved a hand silencing the screams before turning around. Selene was going to get me what I wanted from the demon’s head, but I already had an idea on where that led with the latest reports coming in. I had a healthy dose of paranoia, so that meant that of course the prison cell was lined with wards that traced all magical signals in and out. Of course, there were wards that blocked signals, but there were always those you just couldn’t block. That’s why I had tracers set up. Now all I had to do was wait for my lead magical experts to get back to me with a location.

Turning from the screen, I looked over those assembled, instead of speaking, I sent a command through my neural implant to the command table. On it played the camera footage of the bombings that took place across my Empire.

In the video, it wasn’t just humans but also Atlanteans and Inhumans that carried the hellmark on their chests. What really carried the attention of the video was the symbols on the shoulders of the terrorists. It was the symbol of Attuma the Atlantean who wanted the throne during Namor’s rule.

Can’t lie and say that I wasn’t angry, but there were just no words to describe how furious I was with the situation. There wasn’t going to be anywhere to hide because I was going to bring a reckoning across the seven seas.

As the video played, the air before me shimmered with the heat of my exhale. Squaring my shoulders, I looked her right in the eyes, my gaze intense.

“What is your position with Attuma?” I asked her with the room silent, tension weighed heavy in the moment. My words settled over everyone and not even Namora wanted to break the silence.

Andromeda gulped but kept her back straight as she returned my gaze. “He has already forsaken his vows in his first attempt for the throne. This baseless attack against civilians has shown he values nothing, not even the people. Yet, he is my father, so if I must speak on his behalf, then I would like to request that his obviously imminent death be swift.”

“Noted.”

Silence descended around us as no one wanted to break it, there was a sound as the door opened and Ororo strolled into the room regal as always. My military leaders standing at attention gave her a small bow before going back to stand at attention.

Idly, I noticed that I could still detect the acrid smell of ozone wafting from around Ororo. I found that interesting because we were deep beneath the ocean in one of the Atlantis command centers. Yet, when I turned to look, small crackles of electricity curled off the ends of Ororo’s hair.

The battle ready armor she wore was all black with white and gold lining and I could also see the scuff marks from battle. A chair was brought out and Ororo took a commanding seat in the room. Still, I said nothing as I looked out the window at the surrounding oceans. No one spoke as they waited for me to share my thoughts on the matter.

Ororo settled into her seat, her back was straight and with her hair flowing over her shoulders. The look in her eyes spoke of hidden anger and I couldn’t blame her for feeling that way.

The silence extended while Ororo gathered herself and I reviewed multiple reports coming in hot from the recovery efforts all over the Empire. My soldiers had mobilized, yet I had no army to have them conquer.

It was as if fate herself was listening in on my thoughts. Outside the window, there was a massive boom and crash as the world lit up with bright lights. Unfortunately for them, I was prepared for it and a good chunk of my guards followed me around wherever I went.

Ororo was on her feet, so all it took was a quick turn as I swept her up into my arms bridal style. I checked over her suit to make sure that her underwater magic was in place before I ran us to the site. We arrived on sight with a crack of thunder and rolling of water as I came down hard. The landing cracked the ground, but I paid it no mind as I stared down the army before me.

If I was an idiot I would be asking who in the hell this was: but I wasn’t. Attuma was striking while the iron was hot. The surface strike was to pull attention up there, but he never foresaw me being here in Atlantis. Divide and conquer was so simple and easy, yet all it took to mess up such plans was a paranoid unpredictable person.

Arrayed outside of Atlantis, floating in the open ocean was an army like no other. Floating at the front of the army on a giant starfish was a large blue man the size of the Hulk. Arrayed around him was a vast army numbering into the thousands and all I had with me were my three hundred guards and those I have protecting the city of Atlantis.

This man had fucking balls, he attacks my Empire and then brought his armies thinking he could conquer ashes. Well, fuck him and his little starfish, too.

Attuma stood there larger than life with a hammer three times the size of my head. He had a fixed fin winged Helmet on his head that was clearly a type of gold. The suit of armor he wore was shaped like an upside down triangle with curved edges that flowed over his shoulder. What really stood out to me about his clothes, was the mark on his chest.

Instantly I knew that it wasn’t a hell mark but there was something about it that struck me as all too familiar, but I couldn’t place where I had seen it before. There was a horizontal line in his chest with two vertical lines on the ends. At the end of each line, there was a circle and in the middle, there was a half-line going down with another circle.

If that wasn’t enough, I also noticed the flowing lines down Attuma’s arms and legs. He raised the hammer high above his head and that was when it clicked. Lightning struck the hammer and the ocean roared to life as he put on a display of power.

“Leave my ocean’s surface dweller, never come back and I shall spare your pitiful life.” Attuma’s bass filled voice spoke, traveling for all to hear.

While he spoke and gave his grand speech, I was coordinating my forces and leaving plans for Faora and Andromeda to take over for me once the battle starts. Cannons were hidden atop building structures because: paranoia, so why the fuck not? They were turned to create overlaying mass fire and shield generators were coming online. Yet, while I was planning a counter strike and giving codes to Athena to activate contingency plans, the memory struck me.

It struck me so hard that I ended up taking a half step back. “He is holding the hammer of Nerkkod, fucking hell!”

Everyone heard me gasped and spoke. “That’s not possible.”

That hammer being here shouldn’t be possible, but yet here it is. Fuck, if I knew my lore, and I would like to think that being a big comic guy before my original death took place that I did know my stuff, that hammer was from the ‘fear itself’ arc in Marvel comics.

Those hammers were forged by Odin’s brother using their family’s god-force. He got the idea after witnessing his brother Odin using a cosmic Storm to create and cast Mjolnir. These hammers were nigh unstoppable and the only reason the other side won, comics wise, was because of a fluke.

I didn’t have the fucking Odinsword on me, but I also wasn’t the marvel writers which meant that Attuma wasn’t going to turn into a giant fucking serpent at the last second. So no lucky shot at his head, instead I had to worry about devastating body blows that could shatter mountains and roil oceans.

There was my speed, but that hammer made him next to damn near unkillable. He needed to drop that hammer because if this fight gets dragged out, I was going to need something big to kill him.

I wanted to keep saying that it was impossible, but wasn’t I already an impossible anomaly? That sense of dread and uncertainty buzzed at the back of my mind. Turning I saw the fear on Ororo’s face and realized that this was the first time she saw me uncertain about the possibility of winning the battle to come.

Steeling myself, I smiled then put on a brave face, pulling her in for a hug then a kiss. “You can take the army with the forces we have, but no matter what, I’ll lead him away.”

This wasn’t a fight I could just take anywhere I wanted to. Anywhere out in space would not only empower him, but also draw the gaze of ole one eye and the rest of those cosmic ass hats.

Taking a deep breath, I focused back in on what he was monologuing as I slowly shifted into a stance.

“With my conquest of Atlantis, I shall then purge my oceans of your world’s filth.”

As Attuma spoke, I pulled the trident from the magnetic clamps on my back while pulling out my chainsaw blade. Activating it, I felt the light hum of the motor come to life in my hand.

Taking another needed deep breath then letting it out, I gave Ororo a roguish grin before vanishing from my location. I reappeared right before Attuma while he was in mid speech. Without giving him a chance to react, I jabbed my chain sword into the open visor of his helm and revved the blade in his eye.

He screamed and the water ran red with his blood and optic fluids. Unfortunately, I was right about his body getting reinforced by that damn hammer as the orbital bone kept the blade from digging any deeper.

Flipping over his head, I landed behind him, set my back and broke his stance. Grabbing the dark green cape that he wore, I hauled him after me as I ran for the deepest darkest trench the ocean could provide.

Pain unlike anything I have ever felt before shot through me and I screamed as my side opened up from a blow that could have taken my head clean off. Twisting and rolling, I caught a glimpse of Attuma rearing back with his hammer with one hand over his ruined eye.

Stopping myself before crashing into the side of the trench walls, I spun out of the way as Attuma came at me with a roar. The ocean’s flow surged at his shouts and I had to pulse some power outwards to break the constricting grip it placed on me.

“Why do you fight?” Attuma growled as he pointed the hammer at me. “They are not your people, surfacer, so why?”

Standing straight with my back to the trench wall, I snorted at him. “The moment I killed Namor and took his kingdom they became mine.”

Attuma snorted at me. “Greed: such a pathetic excuse to get yourself killed.”

Giving him a nasty grin of my own, I spoke. “Ohh, it’s not only greed, someone colluded with you to send demons after my family. I’ve tried to stay neutral and kept the conquest and destruction to a minimum, but this last attempt at my family only means one thing.”

Attuma steeled his gaze as he shifted the grip on his hammer to a two hander. “And what is that?”

“Once I kill you, I will have to salt the earth in such a way that everyone will dread the thought of having my attention turned towards them.” I informed him before dashing forwards once more with my trident poised and ready.

“Mighty large words for a surfacer about to die.” Attuma snorted at me, yet I could feel his power rise.

“I could say the same for you, since my plans are to burn down the realm of whichever demon decided to offer you assistance.” I replied with a growl. Setting one hand on my trident, I crouched low, then sprung forward with a resounding sonic boom as I shot towards him.

Landing at Attuma’s side the earth shattered from my hand braking. Twisting, I dodged the hammer blow by mere inches as I jabbed my trident upwards. Nothing connected because the blow I dodged shattered the earth we were standing on top of. Cracks shot up the cliff face as chunks of boulders started to rain down around us.

Spinning my trident, boulders sliced into little pieces as I bobbed and weaved around Attuma and his massive hammer. Floating several feet above his head, Attuma turned to me and brought his hammer forth.

A projection of some sort wrapped itself around the hammer before a massive bolt of lighting was shot directly at me. All he was able to hit was an after image of my form as I reappeared by his left ankle with my trident, tips buzzing with high frequency emissions.

A swipe took out his heel, but it looked like my actions were something Attuma was waiting for as a meaty hand clamped down on my own.

DEATH!

Everything slowed down to a crawl as the hammer of Nerkkod came swinging upwards at my chest. My eyes went wide as I let go of my trident and shifted methods of attack. Then again, it was always said that the best defense is an even better offense.

Balling my hand into a fist, I then writhed it in lightning and power similar to what I used on the Moon. The water boiled, but we both ignored that in the pursuit of killing each other.

The hammer swung upwards and my fist came down hard. We met in the middle with a cataclysmic clash of might. Agony and pain flared loudly in my senses, I could have sworn I tasted the color red for a half second.

All around us, the crushing weight of the ocean ceased before blasting outwards from the shockwave of powers clashing. My arm disintegrated up to my elbow while half of Attuma’s body blew apart. Using my left, I recalled the trident and spun it around for the briefest of moments before throwing it at Attuma.

He proved his worth as he batted the trident aside, but I was already on him. Juking to the side, I caught the blow he was bringing down on me with my left at his wrist. Pushing upwards and to the side, I delivered a devastating headbutt and grinned at the grisly sound of a crunch.

That was cut short as Attuma turned his body to the side and checked me with his shoulder. There was a boom and I grunted from the impact as I was forced to move several steps backwards.

My eyes were wild and my blood pounded in my ears, yet, I would not back down. We traded blows after blows, but for every five I gave him, I had to dodge one of his hammer swings. My arm had started to regenerate with the bone first, but I ignored it to jump back into the fight.

He roared, ripping his helmet off his head with his barely regenerated arm. In return, I roared right back at him as I rotated out of the way from the landing point of his swing. The world went silent as I stood inside of his guard, my bones dripped red as they stuck out of the other side from his throat.

Gritting my teeth, I pulled back as my thumb dragged through his larynx. Kicking his legs out from underneath him, I stood over his form as he knelt before me, my hand still gripping the inside of his throat. Luck was the only thing that kept me from actually grabbing hold of his spine.

Pulling him close, I growled in his face. “I told you, you would die for that.”

He looked at me as blood bubbled up from between his lips. I pulled him in close to hear the final words of such a foe.

“You should have gone for the head.” Attuma whispered in my ear. The sigil on his chest blazed to life.

“Nooooo!” I roared my own response as my powers leaped to obey. The world around us exploded with technicolor as the hammer activated some sort of failsafe. I was blasted backward into a wall of water that rushed in to greet me.

Instinctively I could feel the gravity shift from the Terra standard, automatically my brain screamed at me about trans-dimensional warping. Yet, I had to brush that thought aside since the battle was taking place underneath the ocean.

I might be the avatar of speed, but I wasn’t of the mind to use it for stupid things. I wasn’t Barry Allen, which meant that I wasn’t going to play stupid games in hopes of winning stupid prizes.

Something massive swam by causing me to shove those thoughts aside as I got ready for battle once more. The Trident charged with power raised before me stopped as I counted the teeth. Did I mention the very big fucking teeth? The monster had to be over twenty meters tall and sixty meters long.

Okay, maybe there was something there about me not being in Kansas anymore. Swimming around and making sure that I was clearly out of that monster’s way, I then went upwards towards the surface.

I went up, up and up some more before breaching into the void. As I breached the surface, I automatically noticed that the stars were different. Not only were the stars different but the orientation of the planet, it’s three moons, and did I forget to mention that the ocean led right into open space.

This planet was pure impossibility by Earth’s normal standards, but fuck if I knew what they were smoking back in the day at marvel for there to be a completely oceanic planet. Dipping back underneath the surface, I let out a huff before retracing my steps and energy signals to where I originally arrived.

Jet streaming through the water, I noticed that I was still breathing oxygen from the surrounding water. My omni was running numerous scans of the situation, but one thing really stood out for my attention and that was the location flashing bright red on the GPS.

[Mindanao Deep]

Fuck, that was one of the no go zones in the Atlantean archives, but I had also marked it off limits due to the fact the High Evolutionary had a ship within the area in comics. With all of my duties, I had never gotten the chance to explore the area. Hell, I didn’t even get the chance to send someone to check it out, now here I was clearly on another planet.

Putting my bitching aside as I arrived at the location of my arrival, I took in the devastation that had occurred to the area.

Mountain sides were destroyed and there were dead sea monsters floating around with parts missing here and there out of their carcasses. There was a shiny glint of metal at the bottom in all of the mess and I swam down to check it.

What I found were the remains of Attuma’s helm, guess he couldn’t save it. Settling down on the ocean planet’s floor, I took a moment to observe the area. Letting out a sigh, I then closed my eyes and reached out for the fabric of the time-space reality. What I found was something akin to a wire mesh netting covering the patch that brought myself here.

Well…. Fuck…

Trying not to grind my teeth, I activated my scanners and went in search of Attuma. There was no way in hell, I was going to leave his fate up to chance.

=[O]=

“The proxy has failed to retrieve that which has been bargained for.”

“He has.”

“We may send another of our choosing.”

“The Titian has chosen a champion from Asgard.”

“So, his plans come to fruition.”

“Yes.”

“Then we shall wait for his move, then use it as a distraction for our own.”