Shadows and Light - part 4
by Glitch Girl

Maximov Leninski, communist agent, had never been a religious man before now. Of course, before now, he'd never been face to face with a demon.

He'd hit the thing with his car and it was still standing. In fact, it was crouching on the hood of his car on a pair of goat-like legs, staring down at him through the shattered windshield and grinning. The worst part was, it knew his name.

"What's the matter, Leninski?" the monster chuckled, "Have you forgotten our deal so soon?"

This was too much for Leninski; in a panic he drew his revolver and pointed it shakily at the red-skinned demon who immediately swatted it out of his hand. Leninski cried out and clutched his hand as blood welled up from the scratches across the back of his palm from the creature's black claws.

"Tell me," sneered the demon, "Have you ever actually fired that thing?"

Leninski blinked; there was suddenly something familiar about the monster. He looked at the face more closely, studying the features until...

"...Monneka?" he gasped.

The demon began to clap very slowly and deliberately. "Very good Leninski. I was wondering how long it would take a lesser being like you to figure it out. And it's DE-monika now. Doctor Demonika. It suits me much better, don't you think?"

Leninski's mouth hung open as words failed him completely.

"I knew you'd be impressed," Demonika continued. "I can see why Sukov wanted the canister so badly now..." He paused to ponder the talons on his left hand. "Such raw power in one small package."

He looked Leninski square in the terrified eye and said "I want more."

"whu..?"

"I want more of the energy, you idiot" said Demonika. "Tell me where to get more"

"But... but..."

"Yes?"

"I don't know!" Leninski blurted out.

Demonika's eyes narrowed. "Then tell me where Sukov is so I can speak with him in person."

"I... I... can't!"

Demonika snarled and hauled the agent out of the car by his arm. "Do not tempt Leninski, I can snap your arm like a twig now." To further make his point, he tightened his grip on Leninski's wrist so that the communist could feel the bones grind together.

"...can't..."

"TELL ME WHERE SUKOV IS!!!"

"...he'll be arriving in Porta Roma tonight," Leninski said in a dull monotone. "He'll be hidden aboard the freighter vessel U.S.S. Catherine. I am to meet him and deliver the canister at seven o'clock."

Demonika looked down at the man that dangled limply from his grip. All the fight had left Leninski, for some odd reason, and his eyes had lost focus. In fact, Leninski seemed barely aware that anything was happening to him. He dropped the agent and watched him slide off the car and land on the ground in a heap.

"Get up," ordered Demonika.

Without a word, Leninski stood up. His mind still seemed to be far far away.

As an experiment, Demonika said "Turn around three times... and jump up and down."

Maximov Leninski, communist and agent of the know traitor Sukov, spun around three times and started hopping on one leg.

"Well well well..." mused Demonika, "The day is FULL of surprises." First strength and flight, then the ability to inspire fear, and now, the power to control man... It suited him, no question about it.

His eye caught the broken rear view mirror lying on the dash board: he still had no idea what he looked like. Now would be as good a time as any to seem, he thought as he picked it up and looked at himself.

Yellow eyes, pointed canines, dark leathery red skin, and wild white hair were all waiting for him in the reflection. There was hardly any of the person formerly know as Denton Monneka left.

"I am a monster," he murmured at the reflection.

Then he smiled. "Wonderful."

He'd never felt so good.. the power that ran through him made him feel so alive. He'd never felt this kind of strength, even when he was in his prime. He felt like he could do anything, even rule the world. He felt like...

He felt like he wanted a hot chocolate, which was odd as he'd never much liked the stuff before. Perhaps he was developing a new appreciation for the more decadent things in life.

No matter, there was a plan starting to form in his mind, but first, he'd need to meet this Sukov face to face, and then, the beginning of bigger and better things.

He'd finally take his rightful place in the world.

But first...

"Oh STOP already," Demonika ordered.

Leninski's hopping were starting to get on his nerves.

University of Porta Roma...

"How are you doing, sugah?" asked Alche-Miss to the girl sitting at the desk.They'd examined her and it appeared that the initial effects of Energy-X

"Okay, I guess," said Jenni. "Little shaken still." She looked at her palms and as she did, they glowed brightly and then shot a burst of light straight into the ceiling as Jenni jumped in surprise.

"Whoah! Careful there!" said the Ant.

"Sorry, I just... I was just trying to figure out how I did it earlier. If I could do it again, on purpose. Not quite like that but I thought if I could concentrate my-"

"It's all right honey, we get the idea. It always feels a little strange at first. You'll get used to it."

"You sure you feel all right?" asked the Ant.

"Well... I could really use some hot chocolate," she said, giving the hero a bit of a lop-sided grin.

It was a cute grin, thought the Ant, and there was a certain awkward charm about her... Nothing like Kelly though. That was the girl he'd met not long ago, thanks to Alche-Miss' matchmaker skills. Kelly always seemed comfortable, no matter what the situation. This girl could probably take some lessons from her, especially now.

The girl fidgeted with one of the tacky paperweights on the desk. "It's just..."

"Yes?"

"It's just that...well, you wear a mask. The Ant wears a mask. And Mentor, he just looks... odd."

"That's because he's from another planet."

"He is?"

Alche-Miss nodded.

"Still, you and the Ant, and those pictures I've seen of Freedom Force... most of you wear masks, and the ones who don't are... different, and then there was Doctor Demonika and um... does that mean you, I mean your face... am I uh..?"

"Of course not!" said Alche-Miss. "We wear these masks because we have other lives. Secret Identities, you know."

"Yes but-"

"Look," said the Ant said and pulled off his glove, revealing a slightly pale, but not at all inhuman hand. "Nothing wrong here. And if I took this mask off, you couldn't pick me out of a crowd."

"So why don't you?"

"Because... then you COULD pick me out of a crowd."

"You can't be a superhero all the time," said the Alche-Miss, "Otherwise you might as well just go crazy."

"Never thought of that. So it is like in the funny papers."

The southern sorceress thought about this a moment. "I guess it is, but not nearly as simple, believe me."

"I got a question," said the Ant

"Yes," said Jenni.

"I was wondering, you keep calling the doctor Doctor 'Demonika'."

"Oh, that," she laughed. "It's silly really. Some of the students call him that. Denton Monneka, D-Monneka. He... wasn't well-liked. Actually, I guess he was a jerk, but to be honest, I never called him that before today. Now... If you'd seen him, you'd understand why it makes sense."

"What what we heard from those other witnesses," said the Ant, "he sounds like a real piece of work."

Just then, Mentor's voice echoed in the heroes minds.

Freedom Force, I have located a second trace of Energy-X radiation that I believe belongs to this Denton Monneka. It is heading towards the bay area of this city.

Hm.. wonder why he's headed there, Alche-Miss thought back.

I do not know, came the mental reply, But I am sure we must hurry if we wish to stop this man from any further mayhem.

Warm up the Freedom Flyer, Mentor, sent the Ant. We'll be right there.

"Sorry Jenni," the arachnid hero said aloud. "We have to go."

Jenni stood up. "Go? What happened?"

"That was Mentor callin' us."

"I didn't hear anything."

"He does it mentally," explained the Ant. "Apparently bioelectrical signals have a better transmission range and have less interference than standard radio waves-"

"-Is it a frequential difference or-"

"It seems your doctor friend is headed for the bay," Alche-Miss cut in before the scientific discussion got out of hand. "With all the ships down there, he might be tryin' to skip town."

"Looks like we're finally going to get a chance to meet this Doctor Monneka everyone's talking about. Think I should wear a tie?" quipped the Ant.

"What should I do?" asked Jenni.

"Why don't you get some rest, dear," said Alche-Miss. "We'll be back later to talk to you after we take care of the Doctor Monneka."

"All right. I live in dorm number 3, room 61."

She followed them outside where the Freedom Flyer and Mentor waited and then watched as the silvery flying machine lift smoothly into the air and speed away. It was already getting dark and the initial novelty of the Freedom Flyer had worn off, so Jenni was practically alone after the heroes had left. After several minutes, she walked numbly back across the mostly deserted campus and up the stairs to her dorm room as events spun through her head like dry leaves in a windstorm. Everything happened so fast, one moment she was getting coffee for Doctor Monneka, the next, she was explaining to THE Freedom Force that she could fly and that her boss was now a big red monster who was going to the docks to take on Sukov single handedly and...

She stopped with her hand on the doorknob.

They didn't know about Sukov. They think he's still in Patriot City not here.

She had to tell them, she just had to!

The question was... how? It wasn't like you could pick up a pay phone and call them.

Jenni started to get an idea. She quickly darted into her dorm room and locked the door behind her. Luckily, her roommate was late again, which meant she was alone. Without stopping she hurried across the room, opened a window and peered out. No one was in sight, and all the windows across the way were either dark or shaded.

Carefully, she climbed onto the windowsill.

It was time to see how fast she could fly.

Andreich Sukov, now known to the world as Nuclear Winter, hated Florida.

Even before he became a creature of ice, he found it too hot, too sunny, too decadent, and too much of the many things that made America such a blight on the rest of the world. It was practically a massive, three-dimensional poster for capitalist propaganda, that and California (which was actually worse, it had horrible Hollywood and that God-forsaken amusement park dedicated to that awful mouse). He hoped deep in his cold heart that maybe that Cuban fellow might one day decide to bomb them into a memory, and then he'd never have to hear about silly Florida ever again.

Despite his loathing of the sunny state, he wasn't above going down there if that meant he'd get a hold of another sample of that wonderful energy that had given him such power. And besides, it would be the absolute last place the Freedom Force would ever think to look for him now that he'd escaped the government penitentiary. That was the trouble with penitentiaries now, none of them were truly equipped to handle a being such as himself. Superhumans were a new concept, and something, thank Lenin's Ghost, the Americanskis had yet to figure out.

The boat ride had been long and boring from Patriot City; it would be good to finally stretch his legs again, even in thrice-cursed Florida. Maximov should be waiting for him at the port, hopefully with good news.

"We have arrived," announced one of his men.

"Good," acknowledged Nuclear Winter. "I shall be up shortly."

The gangplank sagged slightly under his weight as the frozen soviet exited the fishing boat wrapped in a mostly inconspicuous sailor's coat and hat. Sure enough, Maximov Leninski was waiting for him on the dock,a small case in his hand.

"Ah, Comrade Maximov," greeted Nuclear Winter. "I trust you have good news for me, my friend."

It was hard to tell in the poor light of the port, but there was something odd about the way Leninski stood that bothered Sukov, something he couldn't quite place.

"Are you feeling well, Maximov?" the icy communist asked. "You did meet with the professor about the object, did you not?"

"I have something for you Sukov," said Leninski. As he did, Nuclear Winter couldn't help but notice that his voice was strangely emotionless.

The agent set the case down, opened it, drew a gun from within and fired at Sukov. The bullet would have hit Sukov's heart if he hadn't already been suspicious, but the cold communist managed to dodge and the bullet merely bit into his shoulder.

A split second later, Leninski was frozen in a block of ice.

"Why have you turned on me, old friend?" Sukov asked the man frozen before him, holding the spot where the bullet hit. Nuclear Winter didn't expect an answer, but the question had to be asked. "Was the lure of power too much for even you to resist?"

A bolt of fire slammed into his back and sent the frozen communist sprawling.

"No," a voice sneered from above. "He was just the distraction."

Nuclear Winter raised his head and saw the red monster that was obviously another soul who had tasted the power of Energy-X. Could this be the man Leninski was supposed to meet? If so, it seemed this whole enterprise has been a trap from the start.

How he LOATHED Florida now...

Nuclear Winter's body hurt but he was far from beaten. Still, it was best for this fool not to know that just yet. Feigning weakness, he pushed himself up on his elbow and asked in a weak voice "What is it you want from me?"

"Simple really," replied the winged monster. "I want more Energy-X, and you seem to have a way of finding it."

"And why should I help such a freakish monstrosity as you?"

"TELL ME WHAT YOU KNOW ABOUT ENERGY-X," his adversary ordered.

The words assaulted Sukov's brain like a tidal wave of black ooze, trying to smother his will.

"I... WILL... NOT..!" the cold communist responded as he fought for control of his mind.

"COME SUKOV, YOU WILL NOT FIGHT ME! GIVE UP!"

"...never..."

"NOW NOW, NEVER IS A VERY LONG TIME. STOP FIGHTING ME."

Sukov could feel himself slipping away under the assault "Too much..." he gasped as the last of his free will died. "I yield..."

"Very good," gloated Demonika. The soviet menace was no threat to him any more. "Now about my question..?"

"I have come across several rumors of Energy-X being removed from Patriot City," said Nuclear Winter in a bland, emotionless tone. "My agents have notified me that one instance involved the government of the United States, while the others-"

"Hold it right there Doctor Monneka!"

Demonika barely blinked. "Hello Freedom Force," he said. "I've been expecting you."

"Gee," quipped the Ant, "there goes our surprise party. And I even brought the party favors," he added, taking an acid bomb from his belt.

"Step away from that man, Doctor Monneka," Mentor commanded.

Surprisingly, the red demon of a man spread his arms and stepped away.

"Maybe this is going to be easier than we thought," whispered the Ant.

"Don't bet on it, bug boy," Alche-Miss whispered back. "Things like this NEVER go easy.

Demonika took several more steps away, and then said "Take care of them."

"As you command," said the man as he turned to reveal his icy features.

Under his mask, the Ant's jaw dropped. "Nuclear Winter? What's HE doing here?"

Before he could get an answer, the frosty villain charged forward and unleashed a swirling blizzard around them. The Ant threw his bomb blindly just before the wave of ice hit him. Thick blowing snow filled their vision and icy winds assaulted the rest of their senses, making impossible to think clearly, let alone fight.

Though the storm, Mentor mental message warned his teammates "Use caution, Freedom Force. I sense that his mind is not his own!"

"Can you fix it?" the Ant thought back.

"I shall-" The mental reply cut off suddenly.

"Mentor!" yelled the Ant. He still couldn't tell where he was, but he did know something had happened to his teammate. His vision was just starting to clear when he realize that something very big was towering directly in front of him, namely, the man they'd been hunting for. Small burns sizzled across his arms, no doubt from the acid bomb.

He didn't look happy.

"Hello Ant," he said. "I'm Doctor Demonika. Goodbye."

Demonika wound up and hit him as hard as he could, his fist sheathed in flame. His fist connected squarely with the hero's head and the resulting punch sent the Ant arching over the surrounding storage sheds, his body tumbling wildly through the air.

Maybe if I'm lucky, thought Demonika, the bug'll break his neck in the fall. That'll make one less...

That was when he saw the angel.

At least, he thought it was an angel at first; a golden haired being in a white robe that flew through the air with an unearthly glow. It wasn't until she caught the tumbling Ant by the arm that he realized that the robe was actually a lab coat and that this "angel" was that blasted intern of his. This girl must have more lives than a cat, he thought.

Anger welled inside him, which he channeled into his hands, manifesting in gouts of flame. He'd end it now in fire and be done with that. Just before he hurled the sphere of Hellfire, he felt a jolt of energy slam into his back. His shot went wild and hit a nearby cargo crane instead.

Demonika spun around in time to see a second spiral of blue energy fly at him. This time he had a chance to duck, and the bolt of mystical energy missed him completely.

"Okay Monneka, or whatever it is you're callin' yourself now," said Alche-Miss, "we can do this the easy way, or the hard way. Which is it gonna be?"

So, this is the sorceress, he thought. She was more powerful than he'd anticipated from looking at her and her silly costume. Behind her, he could see his servant Nuclear Winter trapped inside a strange glowing green prison of green crystalline energy unable to free himself. Demonika could sense the power in her, even from here, the mystical energy that fueled her magic. It was neither dark no light, a balance of forces, something he could possibly tip to his side.

"Such a threat," he sneered, "but what if I told you TO GIVE UP THIS FIGHT. JOIN ME!"

He saw her wince, but he could feel her resistance to his command, unlike the others before. This might be harder than he thought...

The Ant shook his head to clear it. First thing he noticed was he wasn't on the ground, he was hanging by one arm a good twenty feet up, and though he wasn't exactly falling, just sinking very rapidly. He looked up and saw he was being held up by someone glowing. Someone familiar.

"Jenni? What are you doing here?" the Ant asked in surprise.

What was it about Energy-X that possessed people to get in the most dangerous situation they could find, he wondered.

The girl from the college held his arm with both hands and was trying desparately to keep him aloft. Unfortunately, she wasn't strong enough to stop his fall completely, even though she appeared to be trying with all her might. At least at this speed, the landing wouldn't hurt a bit.

"Let go!" he yelled.

"What?" she asked.

"Let go! I can make it from here!"

Jenni released his arm, and the Ant dropped. He landed on the edge of the roof, rebounded and twisted in the air, caught the top of a light post, swung around, and flipped onto the ground below. Nearby he saw Mentor, the reason for his sudden silence immediately apparent: the alien hero was encased in a block of solid ice.

"Hang on Mentor," called the Ant. "I'll have you out of there in a moment!"

It was then that the field around Nuclear Winter faded, freeing the icy adversary. With a savage roar, the chilling communist charged at the first thing he could see, which turned out to be Alche-Miss. His glowing fist flew, knocking the mystical heroine to the ground.

"You IDIOT!" roared Demonika. "Take care of the others! This one's mine!"

Sukov gave a curt nod and grabbed a nearby oil drum and heaved it at the Ant.

"I've got it!" called Jenni from above. Her hands were already starting to glow brighter.

"JENNI!" yelled the Ant, "NO!!"

The beam of pure concentrated light shot out of her hands, hitting the barrel in mid air, knocking it off its intended path and into the cargo crane, further destabilizing the contents. With a roar, the barrel exploded almost midair in a ball of force and combusting petroleum product. The force of the explosion knocked Jenni out of the air, and she tumbled onto the docks below.

There was a groan, like some metal monster deep in its death throes.

The giant crane, now thoroughly damaged beyond repair, began to lean on its broken supports, metal painfully succumbing to gravity and stress in an almost moaning agony before the final supports broke away and everything collapsed down on the fight below, raining the combatants with a hail of girders, broken beams, and machine parts.

When it had finished and the dust cleared, there was long, eerie silence.

Like death.

To be continued...