The Music of Madness - part 1
by Ed G.

"ronsaghey callin sleih dy geyre"

Far beneath Freedom Fortress, in a sub-basement many levels below the living quarters and operations centers used by the team, a melodious female voice calls out strange words. "neuchooieid focklagh"

The figure of Alchemiss sits in a bizarre posture in a circle of guttering candles, her face painted with strange symbols. More symbols mark the walls and floor of this secluded chamber. From her lips, ringing with an odd mix of southern accent and otherworldly echo, come words that have not been uttered on Earth for thousands of years.

"yeearree ny foalley"

Alchemiss sits in the center of a circle with a large five-pointed star inscribed inside it. Around her are a great many books, all open, all depicting diagrams of impossible shapes, sketches of impossible beings, paragraphs of impossible words. The books bear titles like, "Astratum Astora," "Encyclico Mysterioso," "Creationne de la Noir," and "Magicum Majesticus."

"cur doalgaanee"

As her words ring out, dark shapes begin to appear within the circle, shrouding her, obscuring her. Her eyes have been closed the entire time, and if the Alchemiss is aware of these stirring shadows, she shows no sign of it.

"co-obbraghey lheeysagh"

Rising in a crescendo in pitch and volume, the unearthly words echo through the small chamber. The room is thick with writhing shapes of inky blackness, swirling and churning about the Alchemiss. It is almost as if a tornado of utter blackness has formed at the center of her circle. A roar like a freight train drowns out her chant. In an instant, the shadows seem to coalesce, then suddenly plunge into the Alchemiss herself, disappearing into her very body. The roar and her chanting cease at once, and there is silence. She slumps over her ancient books then, unconscious, and does not wake for some time.

A sunny afternoon in patriot City: citizens go about their business, children play, and no evil threat looms over this part of the world. For now, at least.

Within Freedom Fortress, the members of the FF gather for a meeting, called by the enigmatic Mentor.

"What's the deal, Chrome-Dome?" says El Diablo. "I was looking forward to my day off. You know, cruising downtown with my hombres, checking out the chicas in their summer clothes"

"Indeed, Mentor." Even Minute Man seems perturbed by the interruption. "Patriot City seems quiet today. Why have you summoned us?"

"Sensors indicate no known threats at present moment. Self wishes to continue testing of electro-wave circuit modifications," buzzes Microwave.

Mentor, however, looks grim. "It is true that the computers sense no new Energy X life forms, no threats to speak of. I have a growing sense of uneasiness, however. Ever since our adventure through the time streams, I have found myself in possession of a strange, unpredictable precognitive power. Minute glimpses of the immediate future appear to me on rare occasions."

As the alien pauses, the others stare at him in disbelief.

"Honey, ah think you are off your rocker!" exclaims the skeptical Alchemiss. "Now ah have seen some mighty odd things in the last few weeks, but there ain't no one that can see into the future. No way, no how!"

"You are right to doubt, Alchemiss. But I feel that this peaceful respite will soon end," replies Mentor.

At that, a small light begins strobing on the FF monitor console.

"Um...compadres? That's from the Chief of Patriot City Police," says El Diablo.

"It's the non-emergency signal. I'll respond," says Minute Man. He approaches the console, with only a brief sideward glance toward Mentor revealing the misgivings he has about this strange new ability.

A short time later, a Freedom Force investigation team arrives at Patriot City First National Bank. Everything appears to be calm as El Diablo, Minute Man, Alchemiss, and Microwave arrive.

"Ok, let me get this straight," says El Diablo. "This bank was robbed"

"That is correct!" Minute Man interrupts.

"Right, right...but no one saw it happen?"

"You are correct again, El Diablo," comes Mentor's melodious tones via the telepathic connection.

"And everyone who was at the bank said they....fell asleep?!" El Diablo asks in wonderment. "And when they woke up, the vault was half empty?"

"That's the long and short of it, honey," says Alchemiss, distracted by a well-built security guard walking towards them.

"Ok...I thought maybe I was loco for a minute there."

The security guard strides up to the waiting foursome at that moment. "You must be Freedom Force," he begins.

"We're here to investigate the robbery," replies Minute Man. "Just stand aside and let us do our work."

The interior of the bank is nearly deserted, as the bank has been closed since the robbery. As the four heroes search and discuss the crime, police officers stand guard near the open vault.

"Microwave, can you scan for residual amounts of sleeping gas, or something of that nature?" asks Minute Man, taking charge.

Microwave beeps softly for a few moments, walking the length of the bank with long strides. When he returns to Minute Man, he simply says, "Negative."

"Strange," says Minute Man. "I thought I was on to something there."

Just then, Mentor's voice breaks into their thoughts. "There is evidence that Energy X was involved. There could be a new villain on the loose."

"I'll go get the security videos...maybe the surveillance cameras spotted the crook," says El Diablo.

A short time later, the heroes and the bank manager watch the grainy, black and white video tapes, fast forwarding to the approximate time of the robbery. At first, nothing catches their eyes.

"Wait, there....slow it down," cries Alchemiss. She points out a strangely-garbed customer holding a small guitar. His features are obscured by the fuzzy quality of the image. As they watch, he appears to begin playing the instrument. One by one, the customers, tellers, and guards all gently slump to the floor. Only the man with the guitar stands. He stops his playing and dances around the bank, appearing to laugh at times. Then, almost as an afterthought, he runs to the open vault and piles stacks of bills into several sacks which he pulls from the pockets of his outdated clothes. The strange man scampers off with his guitar over his shoulder just seconds before the first customer awakes.

"Well, I'll be," says Alchemiss, her tone of astonishment revealing the feelings all the observers share.

El Diablo chimes in. "I've heard of boring music before, but this guy takes the cake!"

"Actually, he took $1.5 million in cash," says the tense bank manager. "Although he could have taken much more."

"Yes," says Minute Man, deep in thought. "Theft didn't seem to be his primary motive."

Mentor's voice fills their heads. "I can't pinpoint his Energy X readings," he says. "We'll have to track him down the old-fashioned way."

"What do you know from old-fashioned?" says Alchemiss, rolling her eyes.

To be continued...