Fast 83

The Fastest Man Alive

Chapter 83

By BigToFu

 

 

 

 

 

Frozen Planet Kelvina

Designated Leader of the InHuman’s

Markus

 

 

Standing on the cliffs overlook, Markus cast his gaze far and wide with more than just aspirations and a bundle of hope within his chest. The planet was horrible, but Inhumans knew struggle, Inhumans knew pain, and most of all his people knew how to persevere. He breathed deeply of the planet’s hard air, letting the atmosphere wash over him, the ambiance calming.

 

That bastard felt that this would cow him, but Markus was an Inhuman made of firmer stuff. With one long lingering breath, Markus allowed his venom to drip down onto the ground and delighted in the sizzle of the reaction. He should have spit in the bastard Blake’s eyes when he had the chance, now the opportunity was gone. Giving the world before him a nod of appreciation, he turned around and looked over the camp they had been staying at for the last few days.

 

Exhaling some of his venom breath, Markus allowed it to gather above his head before snapping his fingers sparking his creation.

 

“GATHER THE CAMP, WE ARE LEAVING IN HALF AN HOUR!” Markus bellowed, his voice resounding through the area. His closest confidants snapped to it, but Markus could see the stragglers in the distance paying no heed to his words. They were going to be a problem either now or eventually and he would have to do something about them soon.

 

Looking around, Markus found the large form of Lash, with rapid movement, Markus found himself at Lashes shoulder and motioned for his attention. “When everyone is ready, trail those three.”

 

Markus made another motion towards some Inhumans who appeared to be lazing behind

 

Lash looked over with a lazy eye then turned back towards Markus, “They causing problems?”

 

Instead of replying, Markus grunted in affirmation, displeasure clear on his features to those who looked.

 

“I’ll keep an eye on them while I make the rounds,” Lash replied with a dismissive shrug of the shoulders. Markus gave him a nod and turned to walk, he did note that Lash had run his gaze over the space expanded bag, but that would be an issue for later. Right now, Markus was going to make sure that the food was distributed properly while also recollecting the camping equipment.

 

A time would come when he would have to display his powers, but today was not that day.

 

 

[ 4 Days Later…]

 

 

Glaring at the frostbitten world, Markus growled through his teeth as he pulled the cloak covering his shoulders closer. That bastard Blake was going to pay if he ever got off this frozen ball of dirt. He was hoping that the fool would offer negotiations, but no. The bastard had condemned them to his frozen hell hole. If it wasn’t one thing then it was the other, fuck this planet.

 

Things had gone bad from the start and he was really starting to think that the universe was against him and his goals. Another night had come and gone with more of his people dead due to the cold. Another night came and went to wake up to deserters and thieves stealing supplies, heaters and materials. Another night came and went with him sleeping alone with no one to warm his bed or further his legacy. Those thoughts were pushed out of his mind as runners came back to let him know that ten people were down and would not get back up. From what was discovered, they had died in their sleep due to the cold and could not be recovered.

 

Flipping the page over, Markus notices that they hadn’t gone through terragensisis and had no powers on file. With a grunt, he dismissed the information because it was clear that he had lost nothing with their deaths. Nahh, he didn’t want to read about such useless people, tossing the paper aside, he exited the tent and made his way over to where the food was being given out.

 

Arriving by the food station, Markus rallied his people and gathered the bag of holding along with calling an end to feeding time. With a check of his watch, Markus found that they were here for far too long, and a second check to the horizon showed that the weather could take a turn at any time. This planet would not break him, of that Markus was certain.

 

Before he could get about his day, a spherical drone dropped down from the clouds to hover before his face. He took a defensive step backwards, arms raised as a precautionary measure. Unfortunately, he discovered that was a futile attempt as the drone’s face illuminated blue, the light cycling around the device before a holovid sprang to life.

 

A screen appeared before the drone flashing white then the symbol of that accursed Empire for a few rotations before changing once more. Blues, greens, purples, and other multitudes of colors flashed across the screen within seconds before everything settled on a dinner table. At this dinner table was a family that everyone knew, it was the royal family of Pandora, with the Emperor at the head of the table.

 

From the way things were framed, it was clear that the royal family was eating and it was clear to tell with the sound of cutlery and soft voices in the background. The audacity of this asshole to call while eating a steak dinner with extra butter on his mashed potatoes.

 

“What is it that you want Blake?” Markus asked as he pulled himself together, back straight and putting forward the image of impeccable poise.

 

Blake snorted at the question even as he cut into his steak, “From you nothing.” Blake stated even as he showed off the cut of steak he had on his fork before placing it inside of his mouth.

 

Markus raised a brow as Blake chewed slowly and he could tell what this was, a power move from start to finish.

 

“My mother has a few things that she would like to say, and you will show her all the respect that you have, or this will be your final day.” Blake stated and Markus could see the fork bend in his grip. “Make no mistake, that you will find my reaction to the words you speak to my mother versus those you speak to me to be completely different. I might not expect everyone to bow down and scrape at my feet, but I at least hold people to a level of decorum and expectations during the interaction.”

 

Blake opened his hand and placed the twisted fork to the side and got another. “Regardless of how you feel towards me, you will contain yourself when you speak with my mother.”

 

Markus went silent for half a second as he recognized the look in Blake’s eye. It was clear that one would be out of order and Blake would crush his stance on neutrality and kill him, with absolutely no care about repercussions.

 

Putting his reaction to the side, he gave Blake a nod of understanding.

 

Blake gave his own nod before looking to the side, “Mother, the call is yours.”

 

“OH, don’t you mother me,” A woman that Markus remembered sitting off to the side in the throne room was given the camera, and Markus realized that this might be harder than he thought. “If you had listened when those first reports came in and killed him, he wouldn’t be outside your reach right now tying your hands with some neutrality nonsense.”

 

“Mother,” Was Blake’s reply, and Markus could hear the long-suffering sigh punctuating Blake’s voice.

 

Markus watched as the lady rolled her eyes before turning to give him more attention, and Markus had to admit. Her gaze was chilling to the bone, and he wanted nothing to do with it.

 

The Emperor’s mother looked him over with a critical eye and it took all of Markus considerable willpower not to wilt underneath the power of her gaze. “I got a million on you dying in the first week and 3 on that old biddy breaking your spine along with another 1 on someone no longer putting up with your shit and taking you out.”

 

The holovid shifted and Markus could barely process what he was seeing. These savages were placing bets on the survival of Markus and his people.

 

“Ma’am,” Markus started trying to be diplomatic otherwise he would lose his head. “I do not believe that placing bets on such a thing is proper.”

 

“Doesn’t matter, I need you to stop being a pain in the ass.” She replied and Markus found himself caught flat-footed.

 

“Ma’am regardless of what might be between myself and your son, I must do right by those who decided to follow me.” Markus replied, he had poise and purpose in his showing. “My death would mean that they made the wrong choice, so I must carry their hopes and feelings on my shoulder and perform to the best of my abilities.”

 

“Bahh, excuses from a small and tiny man trying to make something off of other people’s hard work.” Blakes mother stated with a wave of her hand. “If you had even half of those feelings you would have led a revolt out of the mining pits. Not taken advantage of my sons’ good nature.”

 

Things went silent and the shaking of the image was all Markus got before it was cut out, but he was able to hear one final thing.

 

“Don’t you mother me Benjamin Samuel Blake, I’m just telling that parasite like it is.”

 

The video cut out and Markus found himself staring stunned as the drone bobbed in the air once, twice, before it then flew away. He couldn’t for the life of him answer how long he stood there stunned, but what he did know was that he made it back to the campsite proper.

 

 

 

[ 1 Week Later …]

 

 

He stared down at his hip where the bag of holding for the food was missing. Rage unlike anything he had ever felt before washed over him and Markus was certain that someone was going to die.

 

With a snarl of frustration, he turned out of the tent and made for Lash and the rest of those he appointed guards. It took him a five-minute walk but it felt like an eternity as Markus formulated plans on how to deal with the new obstacle of their being a food shortage. The long and short of it was that he saved some of the food outside of the bag of holding, but the long of it was that most if not seventy-five percent of the food was inside that same bag of holding.

 

He should have known better and seen it as a point of failure, but it was also his point of control over the people here. When he found Lash, he was also in a state of bewilderment as he scrambled to find something that gave Markus a very sinking feeling within his gut.

 

Try as he might, Markus could not hold onto his temper as he snarled at Lash, “What did you do?”

 

Lash didn’t answer as he kept looking around and Markus put the clue together that he had lost the bag of holding that carried the supplies for the tents and other amenities. That was all it took for a poison coated fist to swing forward and punch Lash in the side of the head.

 

“Where is it?” Markus snarled over the stuned and dazed Lash. He struck again and again trying to get an answer out of the bastard before him. Then the world jerked and spun…. that’s not right.

 

The world kept spinning until he was looking upwards at clawed feet, something red and the hulking form of Lash.

Wait, he recognized that jacket….

It was the one he put on this morning…

That’s strange, why is everything turning dark.

No… it can’t go dark….

He still has things to do….

He still has people to lead, he can’t go to sleep now.

He was to be the new King of the Inhuman’s….

 

 

[ Scene Break ]

 

Bob the Primarch.