Direwolf: Cold Iron & Hot Steel - part 5 "Too bad you aren’t fire proof, Lobo..."
by Direwolf

"What am I supposed to do with you?" Direwolf growled at the limp form of Bullet resting over his shoulder. He could tell the silver-clad man was still breathing and the bruises on his face were healing already. Direwolf guessed Bullet must heal as fast as he did. Good thing he'd managed to knock him out or the battle could well have dragged on much longer.

Jason realized he couldn't just walk into the 16^th Street station and plop Bullet down over the desk, charging the hero with assault. That would raise all sorts of questions. But why had he attacked? Just before the first blow landed, Bullet had said something about Direwolf needing to come with him.

"Well, we'll see about that!" Direwolf muttered as he walked towards Bunker Hill Street. "I'll carry you all the way to the Freedom Fortress and give you to Minute Man myself, then we can have a talk about due process. If you folks wanted to talk, there wasn't any reason to send out an enforcer!"

He reached the street just as a line of fire arched overhead. He looked up. The scarlet and blue form of El Diablo sped across the night sky on jets of flame. Direwolf watched, puzzled by the sudden arrival of the fiery hero. Then he spotted the incoming aircraft as well and understood. Bullet hadn't come alone.

"Not good," Direwolf said. A flash of light flared for a moment and Direwolf looked towards it. Two people were standing by a parked car about half a block away. One of them was a pretty young woman with bright red hair. The other was a young man with a camera.

Direwolf was trying to figure out what to do next when an explosion decided for him.

When the masked man in the long dusty coat stalked out into the street with the limp form of Bullet over his shoulder, Stormy Weathers knew her instincts had been right. She was on the story of a lifetime. To make things better, this was her exclusive.

"Get snapping, Jimmy! And don't stop until you run out of film!"

Then things got even better. El Diablo flew into sight, obviously intent on rescuing his comrade and she heard the hushed roar of the Freedom Flyer as it maneuvered for a landing. Had she been younger, Jenny would have danced in excitement. Instead, she made sure she had the best view possible and switched on her portable tape recorder to document her thoughts and observations of the upcoming battle. Because she had no doubt of what was coming next.

It was evening in the Red Skorpion crib. Four of the gang members were present, presided over by Croc. Three of them were off with Silver Scarab and the other two were on a beer run. Croc had a carburetor for his bike out on a workbench and was tinkering with the valves while the other three played cards.

The roar of two engines announced the return of Snake and Rock. Snake was off the back before the engine was off. Rock took more time and the springs of his bike groaned with relief. Of all the Skorpions, the changes wrought on Dan "Rock" Parkinson, were the most profound. His skin had turned a reddish brown and stiffened to just about the point of immobility. Rock didn't move fast any longer and never smiled, but he was wickedly strong. Anything he it tended to stay hit for a long time.

"Something's going down a couple blocks away. Some big guy in a long brown coat is mixing it up with the speedy guy, Bullet," Snake insisted.

"That's right," Dan agreed. Even his voice sounded heavy and ponderous.

"You should have seen it, amazing man!" Snake began an account of what they saw.

Croc moved the carburetor. The newspaper he was using, as an oil trap was the front page of today's Patriot Herald, completed with the somewhat smudged artists rendition. Croc scanned the article. "Humm, local is he."

Croc figured that since Direwolf seemed to be working the Devil's Kitchen, he might be an adversary. Which meant Silver Scarab needed to know and any information they gathered on Direwolf might be useful.

"Listen up!" He shouted. "Hawk, I want you and Walker to go do a little recon..."

Diablo placed his Inferno attack very carefully. By force of will, he kept his anger in check and didn't overpower the attack. That meant the blast hit the pavement just far enough from Direwolf for the shockwave to knock Direwolf sprawling and make him loose his grip on Bullet. And by placing it to Direwolf's left side, he assured most of the blast never reached Bullet since Direwolf himself shielded the unconscious hero.

"Score one for the good guys!" Diablo shouted as he hovered in the air. Direwolf was climbing to his feet and shaking his head. "Now the gloves are off!"

The second Inferno blast boiled off El Diablo's outstretched hand. This time, the young man let his anger fuel the blast of flames. The jet of fire roared through the night sky and exploded at Direwolf's feet with a flash and roar.

"Burn it up!" Diablo evaded the shockwave of the attack with a rapid sideslip as Direwolf was thrown into the wall of the tenement. Dust erupted up as the wall gave way.

Diablo maneuvered, watching the gap in the wall. He was feeling somewhat depleted from his attacks and was glad for the chance to let his flames rebuild. If he landed he knew his power would recover more quickly, but he wasn't willing to surrender the high ground. From everything he'd seen, Direwolf didn't have any sort of attacks that would reach him. Diablo knew he had the advantage but wanted to finish things quickly, Bullet might need medical attention. He swept lower to get a better look.

A small metal object arched from the hole in the wall. Diablo took a careful look as it hit the ground below him, bounced once and blew up in a flair of magnesium bright light.

"Madre de Dios!" The fiery hero swore as spots of neon green seemed to dance in front of his eyes. He heard a low growl and the sound of something big scrambling on stone. Disoriented by the bright light, he tried to climb for elevation but his balance was off. Something grabbed his ankle and dragged him down. Then the fist hit him in the stomach.

"Ooooof!" Diablo wheezed as he tumbled back over the ground. The spots were fading from his vision and he saw the massive man running towards him, fist cocked back. Diablo dodged the charge and scrambled to his feet. Direwolf spun far more quickly then a man his size should be able to. He was too close to fly away from. Flame erupted from Diablo's hands as they balled into fists.

He ducked under Direwolf's swing and hammered in a quick jab to Direwolf's gut. It felt like hitting a bag of wet cement. Diablo cringed at the pain in his knuckles and swung for Direwolf's eyes. Direwolf danced back, but before he moved out of range, his fist clipped Diablo's shoulder with numbing force. But it gave El Diablo a moment to get away.

Fire splashed over the ground as Diablo rocketed up. The flames licked over Direwolf who had lunged in an effort to grapple. Considering that his shoulder was still numb from the glancing blow, Diablo was very glad he missed that experience. He flew higher and readied another flame blast.

"Too bad you aren't fire proof, Lobo, or at least too bad for you." Superheated air coiled off his hand, jetting towards the grounded man. This time, Direwolf saw it coming. A wild leap took him out of range.

El Diablo muttered a curse. He felt his energy reserves dwindling faster then he could replenish them. He had to moderate his attacks and make sure each one counted. It wasn't easy, his fiery nature kept screaming at him to just unleash everything he had in a storm of destruction, But that would leave him vulnerable. He had to hit smart as well as hit hard. This Direwolf was proving to be one tough hombre.

Right now, the tough guy seemed to be scrambling over the half collapsed wall as if looking for cover. Diablo let him. He was using the time to edge closer and ready his next attack. There was a chunk of rubble half the size of a car near Direwolf and Diablo figured that if he triggered an explosion in the concrete itself by disrupting its structure, something Liberty Lad could do as well, then the blast might knock Direwolf down. Then he could hit Direwolf with another good Inferno blast. But igniting something at a distance took concentration. Diablo hovered and focused his attention on the slab of concrete.

That meant he couldn't react in time to Direwolf's attack.

Direwolf came up with a chunk of smashed wall the size of a garbage can. He held it by one of the pieces of twisted rebar that protruded from the fragment. Direwolf took two quick steps towards the flying man and slung the lump of concrete side arm. It flew straight. Diablo tried to dodge but there wasn't time. The improvised missile plowed into his chest. Flames sputtering from his feet, Diablo tumbled from the sky, hit the ground hard and didn't get up

Alche-Miss felt a faint echo of Diablo's pain through the mental link. She was sure that he was out for the duration and, unless her anatomy class had been for nothing, had at least a couple of cracked ribs. Only his superhuman endurance had kept him from being torn in half by that blow. Who ever this Direwolf was, he wasn't pulling his shots. And if Minute Man was right, this could be a diversion to cover Nuclear Winter's escape. One way or another, they had to get answers. And the only source of answers had just taken out one of the founding members of Freedom Force.

Microwave had grounded the Freedom Flyer a few moments ago at the intersection besides the ruined building. The tenement didn't look very stable. For years the only attention paid to the building had been from vandals, and now the battering it was taking from the super powered combatants was further wreaking the decrepit structure. Alche-Miss saw at once that she had to get both Bullet and El Diablo away from the building. If it came down, the two men could be buried.

Part of Catherine Larchmont-Price, the young woman the world had come to know as the Alche-Miss, wanted to run back to the Freedom Fortress and wallow in self-pity. Her heart still stung over Ted Taylor. Perhaps it had been no more then an infatuation or perhaps it truly had been something deeper. But now, she would never know. Despair threatened to overwhelm her as she felt the sting of fresh tears in her eyes. But she couldn't give into them. They were all in danger and if there was one thing Ted had shown her it was that power such as their's came a price. And that price was setting the welfare of others above your own.

"All right, boys," the southern sorceress exclaimed, taking charge, "I need you to keep Direwolf busy while I see to Bullet and Diablo. Take him down if you can, but make sure I get a chance to get both of them clear!"

"Order confirmed," Microwave intoned.

Order simply growled his assent. The huge ex-police officer shouldered his massive hammer and lumbered forward, the visored robot swinging wide. Alche-Miss headed for Diablo.

There was deep rumble as Order charged. He and Direwolf meet and began exchanging blows.

Alche-Miss reached Diablo and grabbed hold of the blue and red clad man. He groaned faintly as she had to touch his wounded ribs.

"Sorry, hot stuff, but I think you'd like waking up under a building a whole lot less. "

Catherine knew she wasn't strong enough to lift Diablo but she had an idea she'd been looking for a chance to try. She got a good grip, and then focused the power that coursed through her, the power granted by the mysterious Goddess in a flair of purple light. She felt gravity give way as she and Diablo floated up and drifted towards the Freedom Flyer.

"Use maximum force!"

Microwave's mechanical voice drew her attention down. Direwolf and Order were standing toe-to-toe, swapping blows in what seemed a punching contest. Direwolf was faster. It looked like he was wearing Order down. But Microwave had maneuvered into a side position, giving him a clear line of fire. The futuristic android fired a scintillating beam of energy that seared into Direwolf's side. The black-masked man threw back his head and roared in pain. But he didn't fall.

Alche-Miss had to look away to concentrate on landing. She set Diablo down and turned back in time to see Direwolf hit Microwave with his shoulder. The robot flew through the air and struck the much-abused building. Before Direwolf could follow up on his attack, Order swung on him from behind.

"Looks like I've got to hammer some sense into you!" Order shouted as his massive gavel shaped hammer smacked into Direwolf, knocking him to the ground.

But again, Direwolf recovered and came up swinging. A massive roundhouse knocked Order back.

"He has got to be healing somehow," Alche-Miss realized. There was no time for that now; the damaged tenement was shedding parts of its walls. She ran over the rubble strewn roadway to Bullet, got a good grip and again levitated away.

Below her, Order regained his feet and charged while Microwave fired his radiation beam again.

The energy bolt transfixed Direwolf just as Order hit him in the shoulder with a swing of his hammer. Direwolf tumbled, hitting the side of the building with a shuddering crash. The crash echoed through the empty building, gathering volume.

"It's coming down!" Alche-Miss shouted.

The last blow had been too much. The outer wall crumbled. With a grinding roar, tons of reinforced concrete, steel supports, bricks and sheet rock caved in. The collapse spread as more and more of the building gave way. Order staggered back from the maelstrom of flying debris that engulfed both Direwolf and Microwave as the shockwaves radiated out. The ground heaved and then settled as the roar echoed off into the city.

Alche-Miss was sure they had lost Microwave but the air beside Order suddenly took on a tell tale shimmer. Microwave had teleported to safety.

"Are you boys all right?" Alche-Miss cried as she ran towards her teammates. The rumble of the collapsed building was fading though the ruin groaned as the rubble shifted. Two of the outer walls were still partially upright, their edges a tangle of torn wire and bent rebar.

"This unit currently operating at sixty three percent of design parameters," Microwave announced.

"Feels like he nearly took off my head with a couple of his punches. That boy is strong," Order admitted. Even through his dark skin, Alche-Miss saw the buses on Orders face that confirmed his assessment.

"Well, we did it, I knew you could, " she said.

Then the rubble shifted.

All three heroes turned simultaneously.

Like a swimmer rising from the deep, Direwolf erupted from the ruins. Blood stained his face. His clothing hung in tatters and he was covered in gray dust. But he landed in a crouch and sprang at them.

"By the goddess!" Alche-Miss reached for her power.

Direwolf howled, the sound a quavering challenge and a killing promise. Raw panic blossomed in her mind, the primal urge of prey to flee the hunter. But it riveted her to the ground. Order stumbled back a pace as his face twisted with berserk fury. Microwave raised his arm to fire again.

Like a loosed missile, Direwolf bore down on them. Microwave fired but the beam sizzled past the leaping figure. Order roared his own challenge and lifted his hammer high. Direwolf scoped up an I-beam and swung it like a bat into Order. The beam bent nearly in half from the force of the blow. Order staggered. Before he could recover the beam smashed over his head, snapping in half. But it was enough. Order fell with a crash.

Direwolf turned, snarling as Microwave fired two quick swarms of rad bolts. Most of the brilliant beams missed Direwolf, but one didn't. It sizzled into his chest, rocking the tattered figure. Direwolf charged. Microwave tried to hit him with an interference punch but the moving man dodged away at the last possible second, as if he knew where the blow would land. His own hand speared out, fingers flat like a blade. With a burst of sparks, Direwolf's hand drove through Microwaves chest. Trailing cables and broken circuits, his hand emerged out the android's back.

"Systems...shutting...down...." Microwave sputtered, "attempted...reroute..."

As if to brandish a trophy, Direwolf lifted his arm over his head and shook it. The android jittered uncontrollably, smoke and sparks pouring from the ripped open chest. Direwolf swung his arm in a circle and Microwave pulled free. He landed nearly at Alche-Miss' feet, twitching and sparking like a broken toy.

Direwolf eyes locked on Alche-Miss. He stalked at her, head jutting down and out, that same hunting growl rumbling in his chest.

Since being called to service by the Goddess, Catharine had faced many things, from dinosaurs, to killer robots to evil clones. But she had never felt closer to death then she did right now. She knew that if Direwolf reached her, she would die. There was no other possible outcome reflected in his ice blue eyes.

Panic shivered through her. Part of her understood that there was something about that snarling growl that reached past reason into the primitive part of her brain, but that didn't help. Only one thing might, through her panic, she steeled her self.

"Goddess, grant me strength!" Her hands briefly flowed through an arcane gesture. A bolt of blue-white light shot from her hands and smashed into Direwolf. He fell to his knees, struggling to stand.

"What will stop this thing?" She wondered. That bolt was as powerful as she had ever thrown. Perhaps she could manage another.

She didn't get to find out.

A beam of Microwave energy lanced out of the fallen robot and struck the staggered Direwolf in the chest. Like a felled tree, he toppled with a crash.

"Systems reroute partially effective," Microwave stuttered. "This unit operating at sixteen percent of design parameters..."

"That was enough."

Alche-Miss didn't know if she should laugh or cry at Microwave's words. But looking at the scene of devastation and limp bodies of her companions, she decided on the latter.

By the car, Jimmy snapped off a final picture.

"Let's go," Jenny said, climbing into her car. She was tempted to ask Alche-Miss for a statement but thought better of it. This was the hottest story of her life and she was going to run with it. But she thought it would be best to get back to her office now. There were sirens in the distance and she didn't want to be here when the police arrived.

To be continued...