Ghost Riders: Spirits of Vengeance
A tale of the AoA
by Ben Church b_church@yahoo.com
Only Medic and Hotshot belong to me.
Chapter 2
Orlando Florida, more specifically, what was left of the Magic
Kingdom. Once this was considered the happiest place on earth.
Now it was part of the quarantined area of the United States known
as The Atrocity Zones. It was believed that noting could survive
here, but this area around Cinderella's castle was protected by the
healing aura of Carrie Chu. It was only through the magical powers
of Stephen Strange that anyone could enter or leave.
It was here that the undead creature Ghost Rider made his
home. Ghost Rider had once been a mortal stunt-man named Blaze
Allen, but he'd been killed in the first of Apocalypse's cullings.
He'd returned from the dead as the Spirit of Vengeance, and sought
out others with the same purpose.
Cloak, he'd been changed in Beast's labs from a normal
teenager into a living portal into a dark dimension. With a sweep
of his ebony cloak, he could plunge an opponent into such chilling
darkness, that death seemed merciful. There had been a girl in
Beast's labs that had been endowed with the power of Light,
but she had died in experimentation. Cloak meant to avenge her
death, and the deaths of others who had been killed in the labs, as
well as his own transformation.
Yukio, once a happy go lucky freelance in the Japanese Mafia,
she witnessed the death of Matsuo, lover Kwannon, and the Hand's
most lethal enforcers; The Silver Samurai, and Elektra at the hands
of Holocaust. At the last request of Matsuo, she swore vengeance.
Carrie Chu, a.k.a. The Medic, her family was killed in the
cullings of Vermont along with Hotshot's parents and sister. It
was because of her and her powers that he survived.
Penance swore to avenge the death of her family.
Alchemy's mother had been killed Apocalypse's resurrected
army of Trolls. The Trolls were now dead, but he wanted no less
than to turn Apocalypse to stone.
Rhapsody had been teaching music in elementary school when
Infinite's mercilessly slaughtered her students.
Dr. Stephen Strange's mentor had been killed by Holocaust.
Only Strange's mastery of the mystic arts saved him.
Once Betsy Braddock and her brothers Jaime and Brian were a
happy family. But with the coming of Apocalypse Brian had
renounced his family and killed Jaime. Betsy blamed Apocalypse
for destroying her family.
Namorita was the only survivor of Atlantis. Her brother Namor
died defending their people.
Their quest, predictably, was a dark and sorrowful one.
Already they had lost almost half their number. Just outside lay
the cemetery for their fallen comrades. Here were buried the
remains of Eddie Brock, Firestar, Silhouette, Sienna Blaze, Tigra,
Kraven, Black Widow and Cameron Hodge.
At the top of the highest tower, Will Davidson, The Hotshot,
sat with his eye closed. He'd removed the patch over his right
eye. Usually he tried to hide his grief with a combination of
fronts, humor, anger, this combination had earned him a reputation
for being neurotic.
But tonight he didn't bother. Tonight was the anniversary of
the culling that had killed his parents and sister. He alone had
escaped, but not unharmed. A blast form an Infinite's gun had
taken his eye.
"Mind if I sit with you?" a voice asked.
"Make yourself at home my child." he said with a wan smile,
replacing his patch.
Namorita sat beside him. Despite his half hearted attempt at
humor, he felt no need to pretend with her. She was the only one
in a long time that he'd let see the endless grief and despair he
lived with every day of his life. For she was the only one in a
long time who'd been able to relieve that despair with her
presence.
He was, in reality still insecure about his feelings towards
her. He felt a little guilty as well. He'd never really resolved
his feelings about Clarice.
"Will are you ever sorry you left the X-Men?" Namorita asked.
"Sometimes." he said. "She read my mind." he thought.
Hotshot had not joined Ghost Rider immediately, he had first been a
member of Magneto's X-Men. He'd spent a long time with them, and
he'd liked and respected his teacher, Victor Creed. And he'd
really gotten close to his fellow student, Blink.
But then Magneto had sent Hotshot to his school in the Rockies.
Hotshot had endangered himself and the team when he'd
attempted to take revenge for his missing eye on the infinite
turned prelate who'd taken it. He'd been sent to learn the
importance of team work.
But he and another student, a mysterious boy named Patch had
become disgusted with their instructors and left after a violent
falling out with them. Ironically, it was this event which had
taught him his lesson.
"But more I regret the fact that I left without explaining my
decision to Magneto." he added. "Or to Clarice." he thought.
"As long as we're thinking deep thoughts," Will continued.
"You ever wonder what it would be like if Apocalypse had never
risen to power?"
"I never got past better. You?"
"Me neither. I suppose I'd be back in Vermont living a normal
life."
"I'd probably be back at Atlantis with my brother." Then, she
took a deep breath. It was time. "But there is one thing that am
glad for."
"What's that?" Hotshot wouldn't mind hearing a bright side to
all this, even if he didn't see it.
"Knowing you." With that, she removed his patch and took
his face in her hands.
"Um, Nam-" She cut him off with a long, hard kiss. Will
tried to pull back, more out of surprise than anything else, to no
avail. He was not by any means un-interested, but he still had
feelings for Clarice as well.
When Namorita released him, he sat silently for a moment.
"Uh, um, buh." Will was completely at a loss as to how to respond.
Fortunately he was saved the trouble.
"I'm sorry Will, that was unfair."
Some how her apology shook him from his stupor. "Clarice
isn't here." he thought. "And even if she was, she'd probably hate
me for what I did. As I recall she was pretty pissed last time I
saw her. Will kissed Namorita. "Don't be sorry. Now let's go get
dinner."
Will tried not to think about Clarice. Which of course only
made him think of her even more.
"What do you call this?" Cloak asked.
"That would be cornbread." Hotshot told him.
"No," Psylocke said. She held up a yellow wafer. "This is
the cornbread. That's the meatloaf."
"I don't think I'm hungry anymore." Flash said.
"You younguns today are too used to luxury." Jameson said.
"In the military, this would be fine cuisine."
"And none of us here really count as civilians do we." Cap.
said smiling.
"Oh there are civilians." Medic said. "Only they're dead."
Hotshot stopped his food halfway to his mouth. "My my, aren't
we morbid tonight?" he said. "And I do mean we." He wore a black
armband on his right arm, as did Medic.
"Seems the two of us have as much right as any to be." Medic
smiled sadly.
"Much as I hate to interrupt such sparkling dialog," Yukio
said. "But you're depressing me. Let's talk about something more
cheerful."
"Like what we're gonna do to Apocalypse when we finally get
our hands on him?" Psylocke asked brightly.
"A time which may come sooner than you think." Dr. Strange's
voice echoed through the hall. The gathered warriors looked up to
see the mage and their un-dead leader enter the huge dining hall.
"How do you mean baldy?" Alchemy asked, idly changing a small
rock into different substances.
"Through my magical surveillance of Magneto and the other
renegade teams opposing Apocalypse, I and Ghost Rider have
determined that the time for our final assault on Apocalypse's
fortress to be tomorrow at dawn." Strange said, ignoring Alchemy's
dig at his bald pate.
Hotshot shifted uncomfortably at the mention of Magneto. The
whole team knew that this was a sore subject with him. "What's
Magneto got to do with this?" he asked.
"It seems that a new player entered the game some days ago."
Ghost Rider said. "He calls himself Bishop, and he has somehow
galvanized Magneto's team into renewed efforts. Strange informs me
that the signs point to a direct assault by the bulk of the freedom
fighters tomorrow at dawn. We will be there to capitalize on the
chaos that will generate, and to assist Magneto's forces."
After dinner, Medic and Hotshot sat together in the memory
room. The room was named thus because it housed all the pictures,
and remnants of the team's past lives before Apocalypse.
Not much had survived the burning of Burlington Vermont.
Carrie had one photo of her family, Will had a half burned guitar.
They sat together, mourning the loss of their friends and
families.
Will and Carrie had met in High School, and had become fast
friends. They, and some of their other friends had been united by
common interests, music, and the theater. And by the fact that
Will, Carrie, Becky, Zach and Jasmine had all been mutants.
Thought Will had not known about Carrie at the time of the culling.
On the opening night of the spring musical, Apocalypse had
begun his bloody reign. The bombs had landed, destroying much of
the countryside. The Redwood forest of California had burned to
the ground. Will's family was killed when the Infinites attacked
the school.
"Humans!" The Infinite said. "Prepare to die in the name of
Our Lord Apocalypse!" Without another word, the Infinites opened
fire, mowing down the audience and actors on stage left and right.
Panic struck quickly, adding to the slaughter as people tried to
flee the auditorium.
Will watched in horror as his friends on stage were struck
down where they stood. Then, adding to the terror and fury he
felt, his family including his sister Rebecca were killed before
his eyes. Hot righteous anger filled him, and he lashed out at the
closest Infinite.
"They weren't even human you bastard!" he screamed, his power
battering the soldier. But he was still inexperienced at the use
of it. The Infinite recovered quickly and fired back at him with
several sharp projectiles. Searing pain erupted in his eye as one
of them struck him.
He fell, his hand reaching up and pulling the dart from his
eye. Blood poured from the wound and the Infinite left him for
dead. Then, someone took hold of his wrist. He started, then
through blood and tear blurred vision he made out the shape of
Carrie Chu, apparently the only survivor of the culling other than
he. Gently, she pulled his hand from the wound and placed her own
over it.
Slowly, the pain receded, and the flow of blood stopped. He
realized she was a mutant as well, one with the power to heal.
There in the pit, surrounded by flames and the bodies of the dead,
they made a vow. A vow to avenge the death and destruction they
had witnessed there that day.
In the memory room, Will and Carrie reaffirmed that vow,
knowing that tomorrow, they may die fulfilling it. Taking one last
look at the memorabilia hanging there, Will slipped his eye patch
back on. "One way or another," he said. "It ends tomorrow."
Will sat in his room, unable to sleep. Tomorrow was it.
The final battle. He'd thought long ago that he'd given up avoiding
death. But yet, here he was, in fear of it. Even though Ghost
Rider's very existence proved that there was indeed life after death,
he was afraid. And he didn't even know why.
"You couldn't sleep either?" Namorita asked from the doorway.
Will turned and gasped, silently. She was naked. "Um, uh..."
Namorita smiled. "It's all right. I know this is sudden, and
maybe not the best time, but, well..." She strode up to him, and
embraced him, her super-strong arms, tightening against him. "This may
be my last chance."
Will was speechless once again as she kissed him, hard and
long. But he decided not to worry about it.
The plan had been simple. Magneto and Rogue were to infiltrate
the camp, and Sabertooth and Hotshot would keep watch. At the
slightest sign of trouble, Hotshot or Sabertooth were to contact Blink
and she would teleport them out there.
But Hotshot blew it. He couldn't say exactly how he
recognized the Infinite, but somehow, he knew.
Now Prelate, the thing took great pride in it's new job as
administrator of the camp. It too had recognized Hotshot.
Unfortunately, the Prelate had not been blinded by rage.
Hotshot had killed the Prelate, but not before the thing could
contact the camp's security forces. By the time Hotshot had defeated
his foe, the damage had been done. Magneto and Rogue had almost been
killed by the surprise attack.
The disappointment in Creed's eyes hurt more than Magneto's or
Rogue's reprimands. But even that paled before the disappointment, the
rage, and the almost hate that he saw in Clarice's eyes.
The unpleasant memories caused Will to stir fitfully in his
sleep. Instinctively, Namorita's sleeping form held him tighter,
snuggling closer to him.
To be continued...