Strange Tales #36 Part 6 Featuring Written by Bob Gansler

YEAR FOUR JAN

   In a secret room hidden in the British Museum, the members of DOA sat huddled over a bank of viewscreens.  Each one of the viewscreens showed a different figure rapidly approaching their position.  Dracula was marching proudly through the darkened streets of London.  The Monster of Frankenstein was moving surreptitiously north from spot to spot.  The Living Mummy approaching similarly from the north.  The werewolf Jack Russell looked like just another American tourist as he sauntered through Piccadilly Square.

   The images of these four were being transmitted by the watching devices creating by the sadistic Malpractice.  These devices had been watching each of the quartet as the DOA's Unliving Dead had tried to destroy the foursome.  Torgo, Louis Belski, Victor von Frankenstein, and Nephrus had all failed.  Now their targets were converging on the British Museum, at the prodding of DOA's leader, Belial.

   “Belial, all of our dead agents have failed,” Innards commented.

   “I know that," Belial replied.  "It is not unexpected.”

   “Then why did you tell them to come here," the fiery Pyre asked impatiently.

   Belial pointed to the skylight and waved his hands over the array of stars that could be seen in the cloudless night.  “Because the stars have changed.  For us to unlock the true power of the Eye of Lucifer, we must destroy these creatures together, at the same time.”

   "If you say so," Rotwrap was still somewhat skeptical of the plan.  She had not enjoyed her trip into hell to free Louis Belski from torment.

   Belial turned away from the viewscreens.  Soon the monsters would be here, and DOA needed to be prepared.  "Listen carefully," Belial intoned.  "The legion of monsters will be here soon.  You must be prepared for them.  However, you must not kill them.  That act must be saved for the Eye of Lucifer."  He shook the emerald-topped wand in his hand.  "With the death of these four, the Eye will be empowered to limits beyond comprehension.  Then DOA will rule."

   Malpractice sighed at Belial's speech.  He could really care less about world domination.  It really only interested him in that it would ensure him an endless supply of subject to experiment upon.  He looked back to see the trussed up body of Rob Hayworth.  The MYS-TECH agent, called a Master Key, had opened the gate to hell that allowed DOA to retrieve four lackeys.  Now, Hayworth only continued to live because Belial had ordered it so.  Malpractice was hoping for a chance to try out some more experiments in pain generation.  When the monsters were destroyed, perhaps he would get the opportunity.

   Belial began to issue orders as to how to engage the monsters.  The DOA agents listened very carefully, since they all knew that Belial was not one to displease.  When Belial was displeased, someone always paid a dear price.

   Trafalgar Square, just outside of the British Museum, was unusually vacant.  There were no people at this famous tourist attraction.  Even for this late hour, there was no one there.  The statue of Lord Nelson, standing atop the Nelson Column, had a visitor, however.  Dracula had transformed into bat-form and had flown to the top of the massive column.  Now he had resumed his human form, and he looked over the deserted scene.

   He saw a large hulking figure entering the Square.  Dracula decided that it would be a good idea to have a meal before engaging in battle with DOA inside of the museum.  The size of the newcomer translated into a large blood supply in Dracula's eyes.  He floated down in mist form to ground level.

   As the newcomer came closer, Dracula recognized the hulking figure.  Dracula realized that it was no man at all.  "Ah, the piteous Monster of Frankenstein."

   Though Dracula was still in mist form, the Monster had not forgotten the voice of the former Lord of Vampires.  "Dracula!"  The Monster looked around but could not see him. {Dracula and the Monster met in the pages of Monster of Frankenstein #8-9}

   Dracula assumed humanoid form once again.  "You remember me, creature, as well you should.  We have unfinished business."

   The Monster had not expected to meet the vampire.  He did not think that Dracula could have been behind Victor von Frankenstein's resurrection.  He knew that vampires could bring back people to a semblance of life, but only if it was a vampire that actually performed the killing.  The Monster knew that he had killed Victor himself with his own hands.  Still , there had been rumors that Dracula had dabbled in the occult arts some years ago.  Perhaps that could be the explanation.

   "Are you responsible for the resurrection of Victor von Frankenstein?" the Monster asked. His tone was clam but determined.

   "Your genius creator?" Dracula answered.  "No, I had nothing to do with that.  I am here to deal with the fools who brought Torgo back from the dead to slay me."

   "Someone from the dead tried to slay you, too?" the Monster said in astonishment.  "Then it is no coincidence that we are both here.  Did those who claimed responsibility call themselves DOA?"

   "Yes," Dracula hissed.  "I know not who they are, but they shall feel my fangs."

   While Dracula and the Monster were conversing, a surprised Jack Russell walked up to them.  "For crying out loud, Dracula and the Monster?"

   Both Dracula and the Monster turned.  "Do we know you?"

   "Sure, although you might remember me better in this form."  Jack concentrated and let the change come over him.  His body contorted, his facial features changed, his body was covered with fur.  Before he was human, now he was werewolf.

   "The American werewolf, Jack Russell, is it not?" Dracula smiled snidely.  "You had interfered in my plans to acquire the Darkhold."  He scowled at Jack.  "I have not forgotten the indignity."  {Dracula and Jack Russell fought over the Darkhold in Tomb of Dracula #18 and Werewolf By Night #15}.

   "Yes," Jack growled.  "I don't have any gripe with you.  There's some jokers over there in the British Museum who brought back the Drac-double Louis Belski from the dead to try to kill me."  Jack began to walk by when he was interrupted by Dracula.

   "Louis Belski?  That insipid actor who tried to portray me in the motion picture theater?"  Dracula frowned at the thought of the fool.  "I had turned him myself.  If he had to be brought back from the dead, I guess he was as useless as a vampire as he was as a human."

   "Look," Jack said impatiently.  "I don't care about your lookalike.  Those DOA guys say they have the Darkhold and a cure for my condition, so I'm going in there."  Jack did not mention that he really did not believe DOA's claim.

   "Wait!" the Monster shouted.

   Jack turned around.  "Look, I know we didn't get along too well when we first met, but I don't have any hard feelings about it.  Now let me go, and you two can go back to whatever you were doing before I got here."  {Jack and the Monster had tangled in Giant-Size Werewolf By Night #2}

    "I have no quarrel with you," the Monster explained.  "Dracula and I were similarly attacked.  Foes who were long dead came back to destroy us.  We were both directed to come here by this mysterious DOA."

   Jack's temper cooled down.  "OK, I guess the three of us go in there together and deal with these jokers."  Jack looked at the assembly of creatures here.  "Geez, we have a vampire, a monster, and a wolfman.  All we need is a mummy and we would look like some cheesy 1950s horror movie."

   As if on cue, the Living Mummy came plodding onto the square.  He looked at the three strange creatures before him.  Were these the ones behind the strange voice that came from nowhere?  Were they the ones responsible for the resurrection of Nephrus?

   "Cripes!" Jack exclaimed.  "It really is a mummy!"  He looked at the other two.  "Either of you guys know him?"

   Dracula looked back with disdain at Jack.  Perhaps when this night was through, he would slay the impertinent lycanthrope.

   "No,' the Monster replied.  "But perhaps we can communicate with him."  The Monster walked slowly towards the mummy, his arms outward as a sign of friendly intentions.

   "Were you directed to come here as well?" the Monster asked softly.

   N'Kantu could not understand this creature that stood before him.  The words sounded like those that he had heard when he was a member of the Shock Troop, but without Dr. Druid's telepathy to translate for him, the words were just gibberish to him.

   "<N'Kantu … destroy … you!>" N'Kantu muttered.

   "I don't think he speaks English, Franky," Jack snipped.

   "Those words," the Monster thought aloud.  "They sound Egyptian, but with a very strange dialect."

   "And you speak that barbaric tongue?" Dracula snarled.  To him, Egyptians equated with Muslims, and Muslims equated with the hated Turks that had raped his homeland in those days when he could walk in the sun.

   "You can learn a lot on the Internet," the Monster replied.  He addressed the Living Mummy directly now.  "<I, friend.>"

   N'Kantu was surprised by the grotesque creature's words.  They were not the clear words that had spoken to him back in Egypt, but the words were recognizable.  Perhaps these strange creatures were not the ones responsible for bringing Nephrus back from the dead.

   "<You … bring … Nephrus … back … from … dead?>" N'Kantu rasped.

   "What did he say?" Jack said impatiently.

   "I think he's asking if we brought someone back from the dead?" the Monster replied.

   "So DOA was trying to off him, too," Jack responded.

   "<No,>" the Monster explained to N’Kantu slowly.  "<Evil wizards brought dead to life to kill us, too.>"

   N'Kantu strained to understand the Monster's words.  The Egyptian was so garbled, but it sounded like the dead had tried to kill them too.  N'Kantu felt he could trust the hulking giant.  Despite his grotesque look, there was a sense of goodness coming from him.  As for the animal man and the other man, N'Kantu was not as sure.  However, the creature seemed to be allied with them, so N'Kantu decided not to attack them.  He would simply head towards the large building ahead that he assumed was the museum that the bodiless voice mentioned.  If the other followed, he would not reject their assistance.

   N’Kantu resumed his plodding to the museum.  The Monster turned to the others.  “I think he understands that we mean him no harm.  I think he is after the same goal that we are.  I believe he mentioned a ‘Nef-rus’ who was brought back from the dead.”

   “Well, what are we waiting for?”  Jack was loose and ready to go.

   Dracula began to stride purposefully toward the museum.  “I shall make these DOA upstarts for troubling the Lord of Vampires.  I shall make them pay dearly for having my home invaded.  He had soon overtaken the slowly advancing Living Mummy.  The Monster and Jack could see that there was no fear, no doubt, no concern in Dracula’s demeanor.  The vampire was completely confident.

   Dracula marched up the steps and approached the giant doors. He tensed his vampiric muscles, ready to pry the doors loose.  The doors suddenly creaked open of their own accord before he could even grasp the handles.  He turned back to the others.  “It seems that we are expected.  Let us exact our vengeance on these DOA fools.”

   When he turned back to towards the door, he was met by a powerful slimy blow by Innards.  The punch staggered the vampire, but he did not fall.

   “Ha ha ha,” Innards laughed.  “How’d you like that knuckle sandwich, Drac?”

   Malpractice poked Innards in the ribs, eliciting a delightful (at least in Malpractice’s opinion) level of pain in the big oaf.  “Remember Belial’s plan.  Stick with your assignment.  Dracula would find you a tasteful meal, what with all the bodily slime oozing all over you.’

   “OK,” Innards sighed.  “I’ll go deal with the wolfman.”

   The DOA team - Malpractice, Innards, Pyre, and Rotwrap - rushed out of the museum and out in thhe square.  Innards pushed the staggered Dracula back and then headed for Jack Russell, Malpractice set his sights on the Monster, while Pyre maneuvered around Dracula.  Rotwrap dodged her way through the ensuing melee to get to the lagging Living Mummy.

  Rotwrap closed in on N’Kantu.  Based on Belial’s briefing, she knew better than to get close to the lumbering creature.  While still a few feet away, she stopped and stretched out her arms.  "Here’s a treat for you, and it's no trick," Rotwrap cried.  She let loose a swarm of insects from inside of the folds of her wrappings.

   N’Kantu saw the swarm coming but there was nothing he could do.  Even if he strained himself to the limit, he would not have been able to move at a rate faster than a slow walk.  There was no fleeing the oncoming insect hoard.  Not that fleeing was a thought that had crossed his mind.  He was a proud chief and son of chiefs.  He would not fear insects.

    The cloud of insects engulfed N’Kantu.  Soon he could not be seen amongst the buzzing beasts.
 
   “So much for the Living Mummy,” Rotwrap declared.  “My pets are so poisonous that they’ll kill him right through his wrappings.”  She waited for the insects to do their work.

   Once the insects had all delivered their poison, they returned to their homes amidst the folds of her outfit.  She was astonished to see that the Living Mummy was still standing.  He was motionless, but he was upright.

   She approached him confidently.  “I guess he’s too old and too stiff to fall.”  She lifted her finger to push him over, but instead she was struck with a bone-crunching blow from N’Kantu’s right hand.  She dropped to the ground senseless.

   N’Kantu groaned a horrifying laugh.  The insects’ poison could do nothing to his virtually impervious body.  Feigning immobility, the female had fallen for his trap.

   Malpractice approached the Monster.  “Apparently your creator was somewhat of a hack.  He didn’t put you together too well.”

   “He was a misguided and evil genius,” the Monster replied.  “Whoever put you together must have been vastly inferior in terms of scientific technique?”

   “Inferior?” Malpractice raged.  “I’ll have you know that this wonderful body you see before you is my very own handiwork.”

   The Monster was astonished.  “You did this to yourself?”

   “And gladly.  It gave me the power to inflict pain.”  While the conversation had been going on, Malpractice’s remote controlled body parts had circled around the Monster and now sprang upon him.

   “Gotcha!” Malpractice shouted in glee.  “Now, my parts are going to take you apart into parts.  Parts is parts!”

   The Monster was beset with a mouth biting at his neck, two arms tearing at his back, and a leg kicking at his midsection.  The mechanical-organic bodyparts were inhumanly strong.  Malpractice played gleefully with his remote control, orchestrating their attacks on the giant body of Frankenstein.

   “I know where all the pain centers are,” Malpractice announced.  “I’m going to hit all of them on you ... repeatedly.”

   Despite the Monster’s prodigious strength and constitution, he was not invulnerable.  The bodyparts were beginning to wear him down.  He could not seem to free himself from them.  No matter how much he tried to pry them off of him, they kept on tearing at him.

   Finally, inspiration struck him.  He fell to the ground, his resistance apparently gone.  Once Malpractice took his hand off of the remote control, the Monster quickly rolled over numerous times.  This crushed the bodyparts under his massive weight.

  The Monster rose to his feet again.  Malpractice punched furiously at his remote control, trying to reactivate his bodyparts, but they were completely crushed.  The Monster took the remote control and smashed in between his hands.  With the back of his right hand, he slapped Malpractice in the face.  The medical monster felt a wave of exquisite pain and then collapsed unconscious.

   The flaming body of Pyre stood before Dracula.  She was more than ready to mix it up with Dracula.   "I've burned vampires before, and I'll burn you, too!"

   Dracula was unimpressed.  “And what foolish vampire was subject to your warm caress?”

   “I took out Hannibal King,” Pyre announced.  “And he’s a heck of a lot better than you.”  {Pyre burned Hannibal in Nightstalkers #4}

   “Hannibal King is a fool,” Dracula replied disdainfully.  The memory of sharing his body with King and Frank Drake still rankled him.  “He still grasps for his humanity.”  Dracula reached out and closed his hands around Pyre’s neck.  “I shall simply grasp you.”

   “King may try to be human, but at least he could walk during the day,” Pyre replied as she turned up the heat.  Dracula’s hands were beginning to smolder.

   “Things have changed.”  Dracula could feel the pain in his hands, but he would not let go.  “Hannibal King is once again a true vampire.”  {After the cataclysmic events in Vampire Tales #16}

   “Whatever ... I don’t care,” Pyre gasped.  “You’re gonna burn.”  She brought her flaming hands up to Dracula’s face. The sudden pain caused him to let go of his grasp and bring his hands to his face.

   “Now it’s time to cremate you.’  Pyre was burning was blinding intensity.  “I’ll burn you to ash!”

   Dracula walked right towards the female inferno.  “I have been reduced to ashes before.  It will never happen to Dracula again, least of all by a mere girl.”  With a lightning fast swipe of his talon-like hands, he sliced through Pyre’s blaze and cut her throat.  Pyre’s fire died down and she brought her hands up to her throat, whining hoarsely.

   “I’ll drink your hot blood later,” Dracula declared as he turned away from Pyre.  “I have your master to deal with.”

  Innards and Jack had been circling each other for a few moments.  Innards had drawn out his intestines from his body and formed it into a lasso.  “Looks like I’m gonna rope me a wolf doggie!”

   Jack could feel his stomach churning at the sight of Innards.  He had seen a great deal of disgusting things in his time, but a man who could take his insides out of himself was a new experience for Jack.  “You’re unbelievable - unbelievably grotesque.”

   Innards whirled his intestinal lasso above his head.  “That’s the look I’m going for.  I guess I succeeded.”  He tossed the lasso at Jack, but the werewolf was able to dodge out of the way.

   Puling the lasso back, Innards was ready to try again.  He let the lasso fly and this time Jack was unable to avoid it.  The slimy intestines tightened about him as Innards pulled him in.  Jack’s arms were pinned to his sides.  He could not move them.  These intestines were tougher than rope to break.

   Innards let go of the lasso and reached inside of himself again.  “Now what should we use to put you down.  He rummaged around inside of his abdomen.  “I think some stomach acid will burn through wolfman fur quite nicely.”

   Jack cringed as he saw Innards withdraw his stomach and held it in his hands.  Jack knew that he had one chance for escape, but the thought of it revolted him.  Innards was coming closer with his stomach.  Acidic liquid dripping from the organ.

Contorting himself somewhat painfully, Jack bent over and started tearing away at his intestinal bonds with his lycanthropic fangs.  Innards cried out in agony as the pain traveled through the air into his brain.  Soon Jack had torn through his bondage and jumped upon the pain-wracked Innards.

   Jack toppled Innards over and pinned his arms to the ground.  Jack had his dripping mouth directly over Innards’ own.  “I’m a werewolf, you idiot.  We eat people sometimes.  We eat their insides.”  Innards grimaced as his own fluids dripped from Jack’s mouth.  Mercifully, Jack knocked Innards out with a head-butt.

   All four of the DOA agents were vanquished virtually at the same time.  Dracula looked over the battleground and saw that his 'allies' were victorious as well.  There was still the unknown leader of DOA to deal with, at least.  Dracula knew that none of these fallen foes could be the organizing force behind DOA.

   The quartet gathered together on the steps of the museum and were ready to enter.  They had only gone up a few steps when Belial came out through the doors, dragging a terrified Rob Hayworth behind him.

     “So, you’ve defeated my top operatives, but no matter,” Belial declared.  “I hold the true power, the power of Satan himself.”

   "I guess this must be the head honcho of DOA," Jack commented.

   Dracula shot Jack a spiteful look.  "Be quiet, beast."  The vampire addressed Belial.  "We have triumphed over your lackeys.  Now you will pay for bringing Torgo back from perdition to invade my home."

   Belial smiled at Dracula's words.  "No, I won't be paying anything."  He reached into his jacket pocket and brought out the golden wand atop which rested the Eye of Lucifer.  "I had hoped that my operatives would have been able to incapacitate you so that I could slay you easily.  Apparently, I will have to do it myself, and I, Belial, certainly have the power to do it."

   The Monster's eyes were transfixed by the hideous glow around the Eye.  He could see that it was an extremely evil power.  Jack and N'Kantu could see it as well.  Just its aura was able to freeze those three nobler souls in their tracks.  Dracula was seemingly unaffected.

   Belial pointed the Eye at the quartet and chanted some words that sounded like a grotesque version of Latin.  The glow around the emerald grew larger and then erupted in a wave of necromantic energy.  The flux of energy washed over Dracula, Jack, the Monster, and N'Kantu.  The latter three were rendered senseless by the flood of evil.  Dracula, meanwhile, stood fast against the storm.

   Once the miasma of energy had dissipated, Belial was amazed that Dracula had not been decimated by the blast.  "How can you still be standing?  This is the Eye of Lucifer, an emerald from his crown when he fell from heaven."

   "Lucifer's Eye?"  Dracula laughed heartily.  "I have faced Satan's power in his own infernal realm," Dracula proclaimed loudly.  "Do you think I fear the power of a portion of his crown?"  {Actually Dracula faced Mephisto posing as Satan in Tomb of Dracula}

   "You will fall, vampire," Belial replied.  He brought the wand to bear again, but Dracula was upon him.  Dracula's hands wrapped his hands around the wand as well.  "Now we will see who will control the Eye."  Belial actually shuddered as Dracula's undead breath filled his nostrils.

   Belial and Dracula stood still, their eyes locked with deadly intent.  The Eye continued to glow as the contest of wills played out.  Dracula's face was one of utter determination.  Belial was just as committed, but he began to wonder if he could overcome the legendary vampire.

    "Submit, human," Dracula hissed.  "You cannot prevail against the Lord of Vampires."

   "You are no longer Lord," Belial gasped.  "I know that the throne is still open to all contenders."

   Dracula gritted his sharp teeth.  "Dracula is Lord!  The throne shall be mine."

   Belial put all of his inner reserves into one last push, but Dracula's will was too strong.  A spark of energy erupted from the Eye and shot through Belial's body.  The DOA leader convulsed and then collapsed.  His hands slowly slipped off of the wand.

   Hayworth had watched the entire spectacle in complete fear.  The things that Belial had said to him these past few days had completely broken his nerve.  While he had seen some hideous things while a MYS-TECH employee, the utter depravity of Belial was too much for his senses.

   Dracula held the wand tightly in his hand.  He could feel its infernal power pulsing through him.  Perhaps it truly was from Satan.  He had rarely felt this type of power before.  Despite being almost overwhelmed by the wand, he noticed the cowering Hayworth now.

   He fixed his stare on the frightened Master Key.  "You, whelp!  What is your purpose here?"

   "I'm a Master Key.  Belial had me open a portal to Hell so that they could rescue those people from Hell that they set against you blokes," was the frightened response.

   Dracula weighed some options.  The wand would certainly be a powerful weapon, but Dracula did not need anything of Satan's.  He was more than confident in his own power.  He stared deep into Hayworth's eyes and brought his hypnotic power to bear.  "Open a portal again to Hell.  I would cast this wand back to its owner."

   "I can't just open a portal to Hell," Hayworth cried out.  "I can only open a portal where the space-time continuum is already unstable."  He was visibly shaking.  "Besides, I can't control where the portal leads to, you bloody vampire!"

   Dracula's face showed that he did not like the answer.  "Then how did Belial gain access to Hell through you?"

   "Right," Hayworth muttered.  "He used the Eye to direct the portal."

   Bringing the wand up closer to his face, Dracula looked over the mystic object.  He thought about what Hayworth needed, and the Eye seemed to respond that it knew what to do."  Extending his arm, Dracula concentrated, and a beam of emerald energy jumped out of the Eye.  "Create a portal there," he commanded.

   Hayworth tensed up and tried to begin the process.  Fortunately, the space-time fabric was weak at this point and made more so by the recent battle.  Channeling the electric power over the entire world for the smallest part of a second, he formed a portal at the end of the emerald beam.

   The portal opened and Dracula could see that there was an infernal realm on the other side.  With a might heave, he tossed the wand through portal.  Once it crossed over, the portal closed upon itself.

   Hayworth was still shaking.  "How come you didn't keep the Eye?"

   "I want nothing of Satan's, save that which I take from him personally," Dracula declared.  "None shall have the power of this damned emerald."

   "Now," Dracula said as he rubbed his hands together, trying to remove the feel of the Eye's power.  "Now, I shall feed."

   While the DOA agents were still unconscious, Jack, the Monster, and N'Kantu had overcome the effects of the Eye's blast.  They now stood over the downed DOA agents.

   "No, Dracula," the Monster announced.  "You will not drain these people."

   "What gives you the right to deny me my hunger?"  Dracula was filled with rage.  His extended figure at the trio was shaking with his anger.  "What gives you the right to deny me anything?  You were all laid low by the power of the Eye.  If it were not for Dracula, you would have been utterly destroyed.  You owe Dracula your existence.  Stand not in my way."

   "We won't let you kill these DOA uglies," Jack said defiantly.

   The sight of the trio allied against him now bubbled in Dracula's mind.  Even the mummy was willing to stand against him now.  His previous battles against the Monster and the werewolf had been indecisive.  Dracula had been unable to overcome either of them alone.  Now, with them together along with the mysterious Egyptian, Dracula knew he was outnumbered.

   "Have it your way, then," Dracula announced.  "I shall not drink of these DOA fools."  He quickly turned and grasped Hayworth by the coat.  Lifting Hayworth's neck to his lips, he drove his fangs into the quivering flesh.  Taking a long draught, he tossed the Master Key aside.  The trio was unable to do anything to stop him.  They had not even seen Hayworth lying on the top of the museum steps until Dracula took hold of him.

   Dissolving into midst, Dracula drifted off into the night.  "Remember this all of you - you all still live because of Dracula!"

   Neither Jack nor the Monster could dispute it.  N'Kantu had not understood the vampire's words, but the meaning was all to clear.  He gave a quick look towards his two allies and then began slowly trudging away.
 

Well, that's it for "Monsters Unleashed".  I know I had hoped to have it all done before Halloween.  That'll teach me to start earlier if I do something similar next year.  I hope you liked the story.  It was fun for me to bring together all of these scary archetypes.

Look for Dracula in my Vampire Tales series.  Don't be surprised if some of the other characters pop up somewhere sometime soon.