Revenge: Act 1: A Time To Die - part 1
by BlueBard

Previously...

El Diablo rocketed toward the aliens protecting the second portal. Deadly beams speared upwards, narrowly missing him and forcing him to evade backwards. "Ay, Caramba! I can't even get close enough to drop my Inferno blast on them! Looks like that portal's about to open again. I'm gonna try it one more time!" El Diablo spiraled back toward the portal just as it flared brilliantly. "There's three more coming! I'm gonna try to nail them before they get all the way through!"

Mentor shouted telepathically, "Diablo! Wait! Those aren't -- "

Across town...

The Ant painfully scrambled up on his hands and knees and shook his head. His ears were still ringing from the explosion.. "Ouch," he said. "Forgot about those flyers with the plasma rockets."

A trio of flying aliens streaked over their heads and swooped down on the giant anthill. WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH! The airborne invaders fired a barrage of plasma rockets down at the swarming giant ants. BA-BA-BA-BOOOOM! Massive explosions scattered the ants and partially caved in the mountainous anthill.

Ant groaned in empathy as he heard the screams of the giant insects. Many of them had been killed or injured in the triple blast, their exoskeletons dripping with ichor. The survivors sprayed acid at their attackers, who simply flew out of range.

Law rolled to her feet. "Ant! I sense others coming through the dimensional portal!"

Sure enough, Ant looked over in time to see the distant portal flare and three figures emerge out of the blinding light.

"Law, those aren't aliens! It's Liberty Lad, AlcheMiss, and Microwave!"

AlcheMiss turned to Liberty Lad and Microwave. "Okay, boys! Keep me covered while ah deal with this portal!"

"engaging hostile entities." Microwave's body glowed brightly as he duplicated himself. The duplicate immediately cut loose with a barrage of radiation at the nearest aliens.

Liberty Lad threw himself into a pack of aliens. "You guys call yourselves warriors?" he taunted. "You look pretty feeble to me!" The enraged aliens fired on him, but the incredibly agile youth tumbled, rolled, dodged and somersaulted over their heads. Only too late did the aliens realize that every shot that missed Liberty Lad hit one of their own.

"Hey! Don't leave me out of this action!" Ant cried. He grabbed a manhole cover with one hand and slung it at one of the flyers. The spinning metal disc sailed through the air and bounced off its target, knocking the invader out of the sky. "Hey! That was pretty neat! A flying disc! I ought to patent that!"

Another flyer spun around and took aim at Ant with a plasma rocket, only to be hit from behind with a spray of acid from one of the angry insects. "AArrgh!" it screamed in agony and dropped out of the air.

Between the army of giant ants, a squad of Microwaves, and the combined might of Ant, Law, and Liberty Lad, the aliens were thoroughly demoralized and routed. Then, the portal flashed brilliantly and disappeared, cutting off all hope of reinforcements.

"I yield!" cried one of the alien warriors. "I yield also!" cried another. The invaders still standing had no courage to face such a powerful force of defenders, and surrendered. Microwave and his duplicates quickly moved to disarm the alien invasion force, while alert soldier ants stood ready to attack with clacking mandibles any who tried to resist.

"Glad you guys showed up!" Ant exclaimed in relief. "I thought we were goners!"

"sensors detect two other dimensional portals have been closed. our future selves in this timestream are apparently having success at the other portal locations in the past."

"Huh?" Ant replied in puzzlement.

AlcheMiss sighed. "You couldn't figure out what he said, Bookworm? Ah think we've been givin' you too much credit for brains. Come on with us and Ah'll explain it to you... in English!" She gestured and a new portal opened.

Near City Park some minutes earlier...

Eve ran for her life through the abandoned streets, pursued by a pack of the otherworldly warriors. She'd been forced to separate from Blackbird minutes ago.

WHOOSH! Eve heard the discharge of an alien rocket and instinctively ducked into a nearby alley. BOOM! The force of the blast caused her to stumble, but she was fortunately unhurt. Eve scrambled deeper into the shaded alleyway, hoping to escape her pursuers.

Eve turned a corner and stopped short. Dead end! Eve studied the trash-strewn cul-de-sac with chagrin. She began to wish she'd spent a little less time in the park and more time learning the rest of the city.

A gang of aliens charged into the alley behind her. "Surrender, female! Lower your primitive weapons!" cried the leader.

"I appear to have no choice," Eve conceded pragmatically. "How can one stand against so many?"

The alien squad leader leered at her. "You'll get a chance to meet us one at a time later, human female," he said harshly. He barked a command in an unintelligible language and the warriors moved forward to restrain her. "Take her back to the portal. Once we've subdued Freedom Force, we'll round up more of the human females to take back with us."

"Let her go, foul creature," a low husky voice murmured from the rooftops.

"Ah! The other female!" The alien pointed his raygun at Eve. "Surrender yourself, or this one will die a painful death of radiation poisoning."

"Harm her, and I'll make sure you pay for it personally," the avenging heroine growled softly.

"Enough of your threats, human! If you attack, then you will both die. You cannot stand before the might of the Dominion! Surrender now!"

"Flee, Blackbird," urged Eve. "Save yourself. I am not afraid to die."

"Silence! Come down now, or she will perish!"

"Don't shoot... I'll come." Blackbird sprang off the roof and landed lightly on the ground. A few of the aliens moved swiftly to cover her.

"You should have fled," the alien leader observed dispassionately. "You humans are too soft, too sentimental. That is why the Dominion is strong, and Humanity is weak."

"You're wrong, Alien," Eve replied. "Justice, Courage, and Love are the strongest forces of all. Without those, the Dominion will one day weaken and fall."

"Enough prattle! We will return to the portal now." The aliens marched the captives back out onto the street and back to the park. The squad leader stopped short as he looked into the ravaged park. "Where is the portal?!" he exclaimed in surprise.

AlcheMiss stepped out from behind a fire-blackened tree trunk. "That was mah doin', you ugly creep!"

Before the aliens could react, the Ant burst up out of the ground beneath their feet. "Take this, Bulb-head!" Ant shoved the squad leader with tremendous force. The alien sailed through the air. For a split second, black bark filled his vision as he was hurled headlong into the tree trunk. WHAM! Everything went dark as the alien slid to the earth.

"Evil must fall!" Blackbird cried out. She let out a piercing shriek of sonic energy and dropped the alien warriors in front of her. AlcheMiss pointed at another alien and froze it solid in a block of ice. Within moments, the squad was soundly defeated.

"There are more aliens in the vicinity," said Blackbird. "We should fan out and subdue them."

"Good idea," Ant replied. "Why don't I stay here and help Eve and Blackbird round up the rest of these clowns while you move on to the next portal with the others, AlcheMiss?"

"Sounds good to me, Bug-Man." AlcheMiss grinned. "Y'know it's not exactly ladylike, but ah'm startin' to enjoy whompin' on those melon-headed creeps. Good way to relieve all of mah frustration!" AlcheMiss opened another portal and stepped through.

"Oh boy," Ant muttered under his breath, "must be that time of the month again. Those aliens won't know what hit ‘em!"

Down at the riverfront, a short time before...

A squad of aliens scoured the boardwalk looking for the ocean-going team of Man O' War and Sea Urchin. "Stay alert!" the squad leader barked. "The mutant humans are somewhere nearby!"

Merry popped up from her hiding place in indignation. "Hey! Who're you calling a mutant, you grey-faced freak?" She let out a piercing squeal that stunned the squad leader.

"Attack!" cried one of the other aliens. Coruscating rays sizzled as the aliens fired on the blue-skinned girl. Sea Urchin shot up into the air, easily evading the beams.

Sea Urchin swooped down on the squad. "Nyaah, nyaah! Bet you can't hit me!"

Man O' War launched into the air. "Sea Urchin! No!" he shouted.

One of the aliens fired his plasma rocket at the small darting figure. BOOM! The blast caught Merry in midair and slammed her into the brick wall of a warehouse. "Aiie!" she screamed with pain as she fell to the boardwalk. A short distance away, the aliens guarding the dimensional portal cheered.

"SEA URCHIN!" Man O' War bellowed as she slumped to the ground. A berserker rage took hold of him, and a crackling ball of electrical energy sizzled in his hands. "Take THIS, ye motherless fiends!" he howled as he hurled the lightning ball in their direction. It leapt from his hands and exploded among the aliens in blazing fury. In a flash, Man O' War was among them. POW! With mighty punches, he sent the aliens hurtling through the air and crashing into the docks. One of the aliens managed to sear him with a burst of radiation, but Man O' War ignored the pain and proceeded to pummel the offender.

The aliens guarding the portal ran toward the fray as the portal flashed brightly with power. "Reinforcements!" the aliens crowed.

"Yeah, but not for you!" Liberty Lad exclaimed as he stepped out of the glowing gate. He pitched an energy grenade into their midst and it exploded, scattering a few of them.

A small brigade of Microwaves streamed out of the portal, followed by Law. "all units engage hostile invasion force," they spoke in unison. A violent battle ensued as Man O' War, Liberty Lad, and the Microwave duplicates fought against the alien horde. Law's sword flashed and struck aside any alien in her path as she valiantly fought her way to Sea Urchin.

"Sarah..." Merry groaned weakly, as Law knelt at her side. "I... don't... feel... so good." Blood trickled from her mouth and nose.

Law reached down and softly stroked her brow. "Don't be afraid, little one. I will heal you."

Behind her, an alien pointed a raygun at the woman's back. "Die, human!"

"Not this time, y'hobgoblin!" There was a blur of green and blue. WHAM! Man O' War landed a massive punch against the alien's jaw, sending it sailing out over the pier and crashing into the waves.

A warm, bright aura surrounded Law and the injured girl. The warmth filled Merry and knit her broken ribs together even as it regenerated the damaged cells of her body. A slight trickle of blood dripped from Law's nose, and she sank to the ground next to the girl as her chest began to ache. She cradled Merry in her arms as Man O' War stood over them protectively.

"Don't fear," he said over his shoulder as he faced the ongoing battle, "I'll fry any o' these goons to cinders that tries to come anywhere near ye. You just rest there, lassies."

"Just give me a minute," Sea Urchin panted. "I'll be as frisky as a sea lion in no time."

The portal flared again as AlcheMiss stepped through. "Hope y'all saved a few for me, boys and girls!" AlcheMiss blasted a flying alien with her repulsion spell. "Got you, you ugly fiend!" she exulted as the alien smacked into the side of a large tanker and fell into the bay. "Now let's see about this portal!"

Microwave left his duplicates fighting the aliens and moved to stand next to AlcheMiss. "self will protect alchemiss entity. defense subroutine engaged. scanning for hostile entities within range."

"Why Lightbulb! Ah didn't know you cared!" she replied dryly. As before, a bright aura of power surrounded AlcheMiss as she focused her will on the dimensional portal. Shortly there was a bright flash, and the portal disappeared. "Three down, three to go!"

The last three aliens had taken cover behind a large metal shipping container, and kept the heroes at bay with their rayguns. The Microwave duplicates advanced upon them, ignoring the radiation beams until the squad leader fired his plasma cannon. BOOM! The Microwave duplicates were blown backward by the force of the blast, and the rest of the heroes took cover themselves.

"Ha-ha-ha-ha!" chortled the squad leader. "You will not defeat us that easily!"

Nick darted across to where Microwave stood scanning the scene of the battle. "Hey, Microwave!" he exclaimed in a soft voice, "I've got an idea!"

Meanwhile, Man O' War called out to the besieged aliens. "You'd better give yourselves up now, before we get really angry!"

"We will not surrender!" the squad leader shouted defiantly. "The Freedom Fortress will fall, and then the Dominion will wash over you like the very oceans!"

A bright flash of light and the sizzle of energy behind them startled the alien warriors. They whirled around just in time to see Microwave drop something, then teleport away.

"Shields!" the squad leader cried in desperation. It was too late. A burst of energy exploded outward, slamming the aliens into the shipping container and knocking them unconscious.

"Delivery by Microwave, grenade courtesy of Liberty Lad," Nick grinned.

"Well done, Lad!" praised Man O' War. "Good thinkin'!"

"Come on, gang!" urged AlcheMiss. "Let's go on to the next portal!"

"I'm coming along," Man O'War said firmly. "It's time we taught those alien boogeymen a lesson they'll not forget, and I'm in the mood to do some educating."

"Alright, Man O' War," AlcheMiss conceded. "You're with me and the tin can, here. Nicky, ah need you to stay here, Sugah. Sea Urchin and Law are in no shape to fight, and ah need you to keep an eye on them in case there are still aliens around."

"You're not leavin' me behind!" Sea Urchin protested.

"Yes we are," said Man O' War in his most authoritative tone of voice. "You'll not be coming this time, lass."

"But-"

"No." Man O' War cut her off in mid-protest. "Y'nearly got yourself killed today, and me with ye. If y'give me any trouble on this, you'll be hogtied to the pier. I'm sure I can find plenty o' rope. Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir," Merry pouted.

"Good. Let's get goin', then, AlcheMiss."

Jason crouched low on the rooftop of a seedy pawnshop, trying to stifle a low growl rumbling up from deep in his throat. He'd seen a few strange things since becoming Direwolf, but he could hardly believe his eyes at the moment. He'd been prowling the rooftops looking for muggers in the alleys below -- not something that would normally happen in the daylight, but this wasn't a normal part of the city. This was Devil's Kitchen. Then he'd heard people screaming in fright and strange sizzling noises. Jason had bounded from rooftop to rooftop toward the sound of the disturbance, until he'd come across... this.

There was a glowing hole torn in the air. A hole leading God knows where. And standing in front of it were six inhuman beings with oversized gray heads brandishing futuristic weaponry. An alien invasion. Just like in the movies.

The question is, he thought, what am I going to do about it? Uncertain, he waited to see what would happen next.

Just then, one of the aliens listening to some kind of communicator device spoke. Direwolf's keen hearing easily picked up the conversation at this short distance. "Sir, I am receiving reports that the other portals are under attack by the human mutants called Freedom Force."

"Warriors, secure the perimeter! We will hold this location while additional forces arrive. Once we've established a foothold, the Dominion can use this area as a base of operations to crush Freedom Force! Kill anyone who resists! We are free from interference here," the alien gloated.

That decided the question. Direwolf launched himself off the top of the two story building with a snarl, his long brown duster flapping as he sailed through the air. He landed right in front of the surprised invaders, his mighty legs coiled to spring again.

The startled aliens barely had time to take in the sudden appearance of this human bristling with primal aggression. They saw a tall man dressed in blue jeans and a long brown coat, wearing a black shirt bearing the emblem of some snarling animal they weren't familiar with. A black leather mask covered half of his face, leaving his blond hair exposed. His lips were skinned back, exposing clenched teeth. Even for the battle-hardened shock troops of the Dominion there was something unnerving about this one.

"Call me Interference," he growled. In a blur of speed he pounced on the nearest alien, slamming its' head into the broken pavement and bounding away to crash into a second invader.

The aliens recovered from their shock. "Attack!" the leader commanded. Two other warriors lifted their weapons and fired brilliant beams of light at the human who dared to oppose them single-handedly. His senses heightened by battle, he somersaulted into the air just as they fired. One of the beams raked his side with burning heat. A detached part of Jason's mind noted that the burning quickly subsided and was replaced by a feeling of energy, even as he lashed out at the nearest warrior. His black-gloved fist connected with the creature's jaw and sent it tumbling. The alien smashed into a phone booth and lay still among the shattered glass. In the civilized part of his mind, Jason hoped the thing was still alive. It was an enemy, yes, but Direwolf wasn't willing to kill.

He turned to face the three remaining aliens, marveling at how easy it seemed. Had Freedom Force really had a hard time fighting these beings off back when the museum had been attacked? Maybe he was even tougher than he thought he was. Almost contemptuously, he pounced on another warrior -- and collided head on with a glittering, crimson field of energy. It felt like ramming his head into a brick building, only brick would have given way.

Direwolf bounced and landed in a side roll that carried him back onto his feet. He shook his head and charged at the other two aliens, only to stop short as they blasted into the air on columns of flame. His bravado gave way to new uncertainty as they peeled away in two different directions, even as his instincts carried him in pursuit of the alien still on the ground. Just as a wolf would run down slow prey, he closed in on the fleeing enemy. Direwolf savagely hammered away at the forcefield protecting the invader, and the red glow faded away. He grabbed the alien by the throat.

Just as Direwolf drew back his fist, the alien looked past him and screamed, "Nooo!" He turned just in time to see a blazing ball of energy come sailing toward him.

BOOM! The explosion rattled his brain and set his ears to ringing as he was knocked off his feet from the force of the blast. This time, the searing heat from the alien weapon did not give way to a warm and pleasant feeling of renewed energy. It just hurt. Beside him, the alien he'd been fighting lay still, green blood trickling from its' lips.

Direwolf scrambled to his feet. Too late his senses registered the sizzle of energy behind him as another ball of energy impacted the street. BOOM! He rolled with the blast as the heat and shockwave washed over him.

"Ha! Ha!" crowed the flying invader behind him. "Such sport! Just like shooting khreetaah in a slime pit!"

Direwolf snarled. I'll show 'em sport, he thought to himself darkly. Pursuer turned prey, his instincts still knew how to handle the situation. He ran. As he darted evasively, Direwolf's acute senses pinpointed the location of the hole in the air, the positions of the three aliens, and took in his surroundings. He knew what to do instinctively.

The balls of plasma moved slowly enough that Direwolf was able to evade them with his superior speed. The aliens were forced to close in, to give him less room to maneuver, trying to cage the wolf. Direwolf leapt, dodged, and sprinted to evade the explosions.

One of the flyers swooped in to hover above him and fired. Direwolf threw himself out of the blast area and slammed into the side of a rusty car, its windows shattered by the force of the blast. The other flyer swooped in for the kill.

Perfect, Direwolf smiled savagely. He grasped the side of the car, the metal giving way under his fingers, and pitched it into the air as the alien fired. BOOM! The hurtling car met the bolt of plasma just as it leapt from the alien weapon, detonating it prematurely. The explosion caught the alien in mid-flight and swatted it into the side of a building. The alien bounced off the brick wall and fell to the pavement with crushing force.

Jason was instantly moving again. He wasn't about to stand around and let the other flyer use him for target practice. He was planning his next attack when the hole in the air flared brilliantly. Three more invaders stepped through, as if it were a door. Two of them took up positions while the third soared into the air toward him brandishing his plasma weapon. Again Jason was forced on the defensive as the flying aliens dogged him with bursts of hot plasma. There weren't anymore convenient cars on the street to throw; people just didn't leave parked cars on this street. He was about to settle for a newspaper rack when three more aliens appeared.

"Now this is getting serious," Jason muttered.

The distraction cost him. BOOM! Another explosion took him full in the back, slamming him facedown into the pavement. Pain flared as he felt blood streaming from his nose. Rage welled up inside him and threatened to overwhelm his mind like a tidal wave. Jason fought to rein in his fury even as he struggled to his feet. He instinctively knew that if he lost his head in the middle of this fight, he'd be dead. No telling how many more aliens could come through that portal. Who knew how many he'd have to fight alone?

Jason was considering the distinct possibility that he might have to retreat. As much as it would gall him, maybe he should go find Freedom Force and see if they could handle this threat. The wolf in his heart wanted both to fight and to flee.

No way! he said to himself with grim determination. This was his planet and his city too. If these invaders got past him, then a whole lot of people could lose their lives, not just him. Direwolf was here to stay. If this was the end of the line, he'd take some aliens down with him for company. Direwolf closed in on the pack of warriors on the ground, a fierce howl shivering from his throat. The keening sound struck a primal fear in his foes. Jason figured if the flyers wanted to shoot at him, then they could take out a few of their own in the process.

Just then, the portal flared again and three more figures stepped out. The first figure was that of a humanoid with a shiny faceplate instead of a face, moving smoothly but with a metallic noise. The second was of a blue-faced man covered in scales. The third was a beautiful redheaded woman dressed in a pink and blue outfit. The trio immediately sprung into action and attacked the flyers with beams of energy and bolts of lightning.

For a moment, Direwolf hesitated. His last meeting with Freedom Force had not gone well. And now, two of the heroes he'd fought only a few weeks ago were here in the middle of the battleground. With a rush of shame, he remembered driving his arm through Microwave's chest, nearly destroying the robot. He'd come close to killing AlcheMiss in a berserk rage as well.

"Get 'em, boys!" the woman called AlcheMiss exclaimed, freezing one of the invaders in a solid block of ice.

"duplication sequence initiated," the robot known as Microwave spoke in a loud monotone as bright energy flared and a second robot stood next to the first. Direwolf was surprised; Jenny Weathers had reported in the Herald that the robot had been destroyed just a couple of days ago, when Freedom Force stopped the riots. Both robots immediately teleported into the fray.

Man O'War wasted no time on words and was already flying into the air after one of the alien sergeants, crackling bolts of lightning sizzling against the flier's shields.

Direwolf howled in exultation. Now he had reinforcements! The heroic avenger sprang into battle alongside Microwave, lashing out with his fists and scattering alien warriors left and right. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted one of the invaders taking dead aim at AlcheMiss.

"Look out!" he cried in warning as he threw himself into the path of the beam. The deadly ray lanced into his chest. AlcheMiss watched in amazement as the corona of radiation blazed around Direwolf.

"Great, another shirt ruined!" he snapped.

Jason strode menacingly toward the alien as it fired again. He ignored the sizzling pain as his body converted it to energy, and walked right through the beam. It almost felt as if his muscles were swelling with raw power, a dangerously heady sensation.

"Tag!" he growled as he belted the alien with a powerful uppercut, sending it sailing through the air to smash into a wall.

"Much obliged, Tall, Dark, and Scary," quipped AlcheMiss as she gestured and knocked another flyer into a tailspin.

"You'll have to show me how you do that sometime," Direwolf panted. His body was still dealing with the rush of energy, leaving him a little short of breath.

"Maybe later, Wolfman," she drawled with an amused grin. "Right now, there's more work to be done. Much better havin' you fightin' alongside of us than against us, by the way, Sugah."

Jason turned aside to hide the sudden red flush heating his face.

"For the love o' pete, lass!" Man O'War shouted from the sky with asperity. "Quit yer gabbin' and close that infernal portal, girl!" His opponent lay smoldering in a heap on the ground. "D'ya think we'd like a few more o' these creatures to dance with?!"

"Ah'm on it," she sighed. "Keep me covered while ah shut the gate on these unwelcome visitors!"

Direwolf was only too glad to comply as he, Man O'War, and the robots made quick work of the remaining scattered aliens. Energy shields or not, the combined force was well able to subdue the unnerved invaders. Direwolf and the robots were the most resistant to the rayguns' beams. Man O'War took a few hits, with visible scorching on his scaly skin, but if they affected him at all he never so much as winced. In short order, the portal was closed and the aliens were left sprawled and groaning on the pavement.

Man O'War landed on the ground nearby. "Now as for you, young fella," he said sternly to Direwolf. "Aren't you wanted f'r questioning by the police?"

"What?" Jason exclaimed indignantly. "I just got done putting my life in danger fighting these creeps! I'm not the enemy, and I didn't do anything wrong! Now I'm glad you guys showed up, but you aren't taking me in just to mark me off your superhero 'to-do' list right after 'stop alien invasion'!"

Direwolf tensed. He was tired of getting his name dragged through the mud and ready to fight again if this guy didn't back off, superhero or no. He'd fought them once, and he'd do it again if he had to.

"Easy there," AlcheMiss soothed. "As far as ah'm concerned, you're a gentleman and a knight in shinin' armor. Hank, this boy took a shot for me... don't that count for somethin'?"

"database indicates no outstanding criminal warrants for subject's arrest," Microwave observed.

Man O'War sighed. "Alright, alright," he conceded. "The Good Lord knows I've been misunderstood from time to time, and maybe y'deserve a chance to redeem yerself, lad." He paused. "Y' pitched in to help at the risk of your own neck, and Man O'War won't soon forget about it. Off wi' ye now, before the gendarmes show up an' start askin' questions that're none o' their business."

"Thanks again, Wolfman," AlcheMiss smiled. "Ah expect we'll cross paths again sometime. It's a small city." She waved her hand and a new portal appeared. "Let's get goin', boys! We're off to save the world!" The three heroes disappeared through the dimensional gate.

Direwolf was a little annoyed to be dismissed as if he weren't a super-powered vigilante himself. Still, the prospect of crossing paths with AlcheMiss again wasn't totally unwelcome, even if that overbearing jerk Minute Man might be around as well. He heard the sounds of sirens in the distance and decided to take Man O'War's advice. A mighty leap carried him up to the rooftops and off into the gathering shadows of sunset.

To Be Continued...