# # #
Deadguy and Kiri, along with Vendetta and Megyn, hid behind some bushes as they looked over the front gate. The area was still closed off, but very few people were in the area anyway due to the giant battle going on. “So, how are we going to sneak in,” Vendetta asked.
Our Hero glared, looking him up and down. “You couldn't sneak into a metal concert,” he remarked. “Besides, I don't think there's any skylight windows for you to smash through.”
“He does like doing that, doesn't he,” Megyn questioned.
“Thank you,” DG said. “I'm not the only one who noticed that.”
“Um...situation at hand,” Kiri suggested.
“Right. We might need to employ some subterfuge,” Deadguy stated. He turned to Megyn. “How good are you at enchanting?”
“I'm a siren,” she answered slowly. “I sing. I'm not really that magically-inclined.”
He turned back to Kiri. She was suddenly dressed like a pizza delivery person, complete with box. “It's about damn time my pizza got here. Wait, how did you do that?”
“Nanotechnology,” she answered. “One of the perks of the Mecha Maiden suit is I can disguise myself.”
“You would make a killing in the fashion industry,” Our Hero remarked. “And also make it obsolete.”
The Techie didn't hear his remark as she walked up to the front gate and banged on it hard. The door creaked open and a small imp peeked out.
“Yesss,” it hissed.
“Pizza for ya,” Kiri replied in a Brooklyn accent. “Anchovies and human flesh.”
“Isss the flesssh fresssh,” the imp asked.
“Flayed from the bone this mornin',” she answered, lifting the lid. “Wanna see?” A giant nano fist shot out from the pizza box and knocked out the imp. Deadguy and the others quickly ran in before the door could slam shut. Kiri changed back into her Mecha Maiden armor while they began to survey the bottom floor.
“Nowhere to go but up,” Our Hero declared. “Um...where's the stairs?”
The visor on Vendetta's helmet began to glow red. “Was here last time...ah! Found it.” He fired a bolt of energy from his gauntlet and blasted a hole in the ceiling. The light and debris caused the outline of an invisible stairway to reveal itself.
“This story just keeps getting better and better,” Our Hero commented.
“What,” Megyn asked.
“Nevermind,” he answered. He looked at the siren. “Have you ever thought about getting a hair dryer?”
“Can we deal with that later,” Kiri questioned. “We have a sinister plot to unravel.”
Deadguy pointed towards the hole leading up to the second floor. “Right. To ACTION!” He charged up the stairs and found himself face to face with a giant, angry demon. It's coal black eyes burned with anger as foam started to form around the edges of his massive mouth. “Um...he did it,” Our Hero stated as he pointed to Vendetta coming up behind him.
“Duck,” the armor commanded. He did just as a bolt of energy flew over his head and slammed into the demon. The rest of the team followed behind him as they found the entire floor cluttered with demons.
“So much for an easy task,” Deadguy complained.
Megyn began to sing. It was a retched tone, sounding more like razor blades in a blender than any actual rhythm. The demons in the room screamed as they covered their ears with their hands. Within seconds, they began to burst into flames and disappear.
“What did you do,” Kiri questioned.
“Song of the Archangel,” the siren replied. “Destroys all but the most powerful of demons.”
“That's what angels actually sound like,” DG asked.
“That's just what the song is called.”
“Could we hurry it up,” Vendetta announced, already halfway up the stairs to the next floor.
The others followed to find the floor looking as if it was plucked from a war zone. Within this place stood soldiers from ancient wars wandering the area. Their flesh was pale and rubbery. Their eyes sullen. The soldiers stopped and turned to face the group. They fell upon the group before anyone had a chance to react. The four responded quickly by fighting back. Every hit causing one of the soldiers to disintegrate. The battle lasted no more than a few minutes until the four were surrounded in a giant ring of dust and armor.
“War. War never changes,” Deadguy commented. There was the sound of something exploding far away. He and Kiri rushed over to the closest window. “That sounded like it came from the lake.”
“Wow,” Vendetta remarked. “Really?”
“What happened,” DG asked.
“Um, well. That spiky-haired guy, Valkadaidan, and your goth girlfriend just knocked Big Z halfway across Muh,” the armor reported.
“She's your girlfriend,” Kiri questioned, sounding upset.
“I wish,” he replied, still looking out the window. “But, if wishes were horses. We got work to do.”
The Heroes and the Hunters fought their way up to the giant double doors that led to Agonil. “Should we knock or...” Deadguy started. Vendetta blasted the doors off its hinges before he could finish. “...we could just do more property damage. Way to go, Bolt Brain.”
“Again with the door destroying,” someone inside protested. The dust settled to reveal a robed being with giant horns coming out from the top of the hood.
“How did you do that,” Our Hero asked.
“Do what,” Agonil asked.
“Speak in bold.”
“What are you...never mind. Why are you here?”
“Because-” Vendetta started.
Deadguy cut him off. “Hold on, Shiny. This is my series.” He turned to Agonil. “I'll ask the questions here. Why are we here?” He paused, trying to think. “Forget that question. Better one. Why did you set us up to fight? I know you have something against Venatores Mali, because they're on first name basis with you, but why are you dragging us into this?”
“I'm not dragging you into anything,” he answered. “A friend of mine said it was a good idea. He's quite influential, you know.”
“Hannes,” DG declared, slamming his fist into his open hand. “I knew it.” He took a step forward and pointed. “In any case, knock off all that evil.”
The burning yellow eyes narrowed into a glare as Agonil leaned on his throne's armrest. “Are you a god,” he questioned.
“I got this,” Our Hero remarked to the others. “Yes.”
The demigod flicked his wrist, sending a wave of blood red energy at the group. The Heroes and Hunters were sent flying back. Deadguy slammed into the top of the door frame. Kiri managed to grab the door frame. Vendetta pulled Megyn towards him to keep her from getting hurt as both were hurled into the stone wall.
“Deadguy,” Kiri yelled as they regained their footing. “What the hell, man?”
Our Hero stood up, dusting himself off. “A wise man once said 'If someone asks if you're a god, you say yes'.”
“Lovely,” Vendetta grumble. “We're going to die from pop culture references.”
Deadguy fixed his long coat and cracked his knuckles. “Alright, this bitch is toast,” he declared.
Vendetta's giant gauntlet fell on Deadguy's shoulder. “No,” he stated. “We're not going through this again.” His armor began to glow. “I will take care of this.” He blasted back into the throne room. Within moments, the armor was shot back out into the hallway, collapsing mere inches from the rest of the group's feet.
“My hero,” DG said, his voice oozing with snark.
“I'd like to see you do better,” Vendetta shot back.
“Guys,” Megyn said. “Is bickering a good idea right now?”
“Yes,” the two answered at the same time.
“Screw it,” Kiri announced. She grabbed Vendetta and pulled him back to his feet. Her fairy wings sprung out from her armor's back. “Huh,” she remarked.
“What,” Vendetta asked.
Her nano armor was covered in a rainbow glow as she held
onto him. “What kind of energy does your suit use,” she questioned.
“It utilizes Zionzium. A type of gem that's formed from the residue from the souls of the departed,” Vendetta explained.
The two Heroes just stared. “You made that up,” Deadguy replied.
“Don't look at me,” the armor defended. “Take it up with Zionus. He's the one that created them.”
“Forget it,” the Techie huffed. “I have an idea. Vendetta, you have enough power to fire off a blast of energy?”
Vendetta held out his free hand. An orb of light yellow energy began to form. “Yea, I'm good.”
Kiri clenched her fist. The electricity from her armor encircled her hand. “On three, we fire at the same time.” The energy began to build up as she began to count.
Our Hero looked to Megyn. “Think you can fire off a ear-piercing scream?”
The siren nodded quickly.
When the two armored fighters fired off their combined energy attack, Megyn took in a huge breath and let out a wail that rattled the very walls. Agonil twitched, trying not to let the sound affect him. He barely swatted the blast of energy away. When he pulled his hand down, Deadguy was right in front of him. Our Hero swung Masamune with as much force as his tired body could summon. The villain summoned an obsidian scimitar and blocked it at the last second. The two were locked in combat, each pushing against the other.
“When did you get this,” Agonil questioned. “You didn't have it last time?”
Deadguy arched an eyebrow. “Last time? What last-” He didn't get a change to finish the sentence as Agonil sent him flying back.
“Why are you Heroes fighting me anyway? Are you not suppose to be fighting the Hunters?”
“He's just trying to turn us against each other again,” Kiri stated.
Deadguy pointed at Agonil. “You don't know anything about Heroes, do you? Whenever the true villain is revealed, the two sides stop fighting each other and team up to take down the real threat.”
“Idiot's got a point,” Vendetta agreed. “We're not their enemies any more than they are ours.” The four fighters stood shoulder to shoulder, ready to take down Agonil.
“You four really think you're any match for me?”
Our Hero shrugged. “Maybe.”
“That...will not be necessary,” a familiar voice above them announced.
“Oh, hey Deus ex machina,” DG yelled at the floating figure of Zionus. “Fancy meeting you here.”
“Your sarcasm is not needed.”
“Bite me. We got this. No one called you.”
“Actually,” Vendetta said. “I did. Protocol A.”
“Sounds like an ointment,” Our Hero remarked.
“I will handle this.” Zionus waved his hand. The room began to blur. A second later, it cleared up to reveal the four standing back at Lake Muh. Jill was locked in a shooting battle with Genia while Lady Grey was trying her best to pin down Lilith. Kothrec and Valkadaidan were holding on to each other as they tried to land a punch, both taking the brunt of battle fatigue.
“Hey, guys,” Deadguy exclaimed, waving his arms above his head. “We have a greater evil to face.”
“No. You do not,” Zionus replied. “Agonil has been dealt with.”
“Yeah, and if you had your own series, we might have known what you did,” Our Hero shot back. “But oh well.”
Zionus glared at him, then waved his hand. The two teams were forcibly separated and placed at opposite ends of the battlefield. The Heroes were placed near them while Venatores Mali was placed at the opposite end. “Heroes. The one that caused this atrocity has been subdued.”
“That's great,” Jill responded. “What about the cop killer?”
“Ombra has a member that is a shifter,” he explained. “One that can take on the abilities of whomever she turns into.”
The Heroes exchanged looks. “Her,” Jill questioned. “There's another?”
“Could we settle this later,” Deadguy interrupted. “I've been fighting for the past eight hours. I'm beyond tired.”
“Very well,” Zionus stated. “Our fight is over.” He then went to rejoin his team. Vendetta and Megyn followed a few steps behind.
“Someone's cranky,” Kiri said.
“It's a mystery for another day,” Jill remarked. “But, Deadguy has a point. It has been a long night.”
“We're getting paid overtime for this, right Boss,” DG asked.
“Take that up with the government,” Jill replied.
“Which means nope,” he mumbled. He looked across the battlefield at Venatores Mali. Zionus was staring back at him. “I got something to take care of real quick,” he stated, walking over to the other team. Zionus started walking towards him. The two met in the middle.
Deadguy crossed his arms. “I want this headache gone,” he demanded.
Zionus simply waved his hand and the headache disappeared.
“I want my memories back, too.”
“That...I have no control over.” He turned just as Genia jogged up to them.
Deadguy cut glances between the two. “She did it?”
Genia nodded solemnly. “It was a long time age,” she explained. “If you knew about us, about what happened, I didn't think even Zionus could have stopped you.” She wrapped her arms around his neck. “But I think enough time has passed.” She kissed him, and his mind was flooded with memories of when he was part of Venatores Mali.
He blinked as she pulled away. He stumbled back, trying to sort through all this information. “Hold...hold on,” he stammered. “I only remember a year. Maybe two.” He glared at Zionus. “Where's the rest? My life? My name?”
“'I cannot say,” the leader responded. “You were a blank slate when you found us.”
Our Hero sucked some air through his teeth. “One answer leads to more questions,” he grumbled.
“I can only say that you are older than you appear,” Zionus added.
“Care to give me a ballpark figure on that one?”
“There are events in history going back centuries that point to you.”
With that, the three parted ways and rejoined their teams. Deadguy came back with a look of resignation on his face. “Everything okay,” Kiri asked.
Our Hero gave a weak thumbs up.
“What was that all about,” Jill questioned, nodding towards Venatores Mali.
He looked over just as the other team teleported. He managed to lock eyes with Genia Lee. “More questions,” he sighed loudly. “Questions that won't be answered until I get some sleep.”
“Best idea ever,” Jill agreed. “Heroes. We're closed until Monday.”
END
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