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MEXICO
The first thing that Gorilla Greg and Gorilla-Man noticed when they arrived in the Mexican jungle was the stifling heat. While their respective furry hides had kept them warm in the colder Icelandic weather, it was a bit more uncomfortable in the more tropical heat.
"Man, I haven't felt heat like this since my last safari," Gorilla Greg commented as he lumbered forward, his eyes fixed on the chronocrystal.
"You did safaris?" Gorilla-Man said with surprise. "No kidding? So did I. Say, how does a gorilla like you get to talk?" Gorilla-Man asked.
"I could ask you the same question," Gorilla Greg replied. "The answer is, I'm not really a gorilla."
"You sure look like one to me," Gorilla-Man chuckled.
"What about now?" Gorilla Greg dug out a small golden chain from underneath his fur. He rubbed the small amulet on the chain, and his body transformed into a human in safari clothes. "My real name's Greg Donnelly, but everybody calls me 'Kenya Greg', at least when I look human."
"So that amulet allows you to change into a gorilla?" Gorilla-Man wondered. Perhaps there was an analog to the amulet on this world. It had been in Kenya that Gorilla-Man had found the previous incarnation.
"Roger-dodger," Gorilla Greg rubbed the amulet again and resumed his simian shape. "I found this magic amulet on one of my safaris in a temple deep in the Kenyan jungle."
"A safari's how I ended up this way," Gorilla-Man shrugged. "I hunted down the legendary 'Gorilla-Man'. When I shot him, I then became him."
"So how do you change back?"
"I don’t." Gorilla-Man quickly changed the subject. "So do you Silver Stars have other Commie foes besides Comrade Future?"
Gorilla Greg nodded. "There's a whole group of them that tangle with us from time to time. They call themselves the Warsaw Pack, and they're a nasty bunch."
The two men in the form of primates pushed through the dense jungle until they came upon the ruins of an ancient Mayan temple. Many of the structures had fallen to rubble over the centuries but the style was definitely Mayan.
"Hey that chronocrystal is flashing pretty bright now," Gorilla-Man said. "Commie Future's got to be close."
"No doubt," Gorilla Greg agreed. He tensed up and tried to hone his senses. "Be ready for anything. He's one tricky Commie."
"Aren't they all?" Gorilla-Man added.
The duo slowly entered the open air temple. They walked across what appeared to be the overgrown playing field for the Mayan's basketball-like game. They looked towards the stone ruins of the spectator area, and saw Comrade Future sitting comfortably upon what was left of the chief's stone throne. He was surrounded by a nimbus of pink temporal energy.
"Not one but two American gorillas," Comrade Future announced. "Trying to stop my monkey business, no doubt." He rose from the chair but continued to absorb the temporal energy. "I've picked up some traces of superhumans who time-traveled here. They should be strong enough to keep you behemoths at bay for a while." A bolt of temporal energy shot out from his hands and struck the ground near the two gorillas. The pinkish energy coalesced into the Sandman in his traditional green garb and Battlestar in his Wild Pack armor.
{Sandman and Battlestar were in ancient Mexico with the Wild Pack in Silver Sable #29}
Comrade Future sat back down. "Kill them, my chronal clones!"
Gorilla Greg looked at Gorilla-Man. "This is your world. You know these two hulking men?"
Gorilla-Man shook his head. "Nope. What say you take the black in the armor and I'll take the flat-top in the sweater."
"Fine by me." Gorilla Greg closed in on Battlestar. "Those look like American colors on you, son. I'm sure the real you is a true patriot, but you're just a shadow of that man."
Battlestar lashed out at Gorilla Greg with his shield. "Is that 'shadow' line supposed to be some kind of racial crack?"
Gorilla Greg dodged the shield and was surprised to see it shatter some rubble upon striking the ground. "You're a strong boy, aren't you?"
Blocking a punch from Gorilla Greg with his shield, Battlestar caught him with a right cross. "I'm no boy, and I am strong, augmented strong."
"OK, flat top." Gorilla-Man marched towards Sandman. "Let's make this sweet and simple, shall we."
Sandman folded his brawny arms across his chest. "Sure, take your best shot."
Gorilla-Man looked for any sign of trickery, but Sandman just stood there. He wound up to unleash a haymaker. "OK, you asked for it!" The punch landed and Sandman crumbled into a pile of sand.
"Cripes!" Gorilla-Man exclaimed in surprise. "I actually pulverized him."
"Think again, Kong." Sandman had slithered in his sand form beneath Gorilla-Man's legs and reformed on the other side of him. Transforming his hands into rock-hard hammers, he pounded on Gorilla-Man's back.
"Arggh!" Gorilla-Man bellowed in pain. He whirled around and swung at Sandman but his hands only struck soft sand in the reformed villain's chest.
Gorilla Greg and Battlestar were exchanging punches at a furious pace. Neither was letting up at all. Neither showed any sign of slowing down.
"I haven't even cut loose with all my augmented strength," Battlestar announced. "You're toast, Beast Man."
Gorilla Greg blocked a punch and landed one of his own on Battlestar's nose. "You're not the real whoever you are. Comrade Future couldn't infuse you with all of the power that the original you had. I'm betting that you're maxed out."
"We'll see who's reached his limit," Battlestar retorted. "You're going to be reaching your limit for pain." He swung with all his strength at Gorilla Greg. The blow landed, but it had no more power than any of the previous blows.
"That's all you have," Gorilla Greg proclaimed. "Now I've got your strengths gauged, I can go in for the kill." He backed slightly away from Battlestar and took advantage of the longer reach that his simian form afforded him. Battlestar could not get in close enough, and Gorilla Greg kept landing punches. Soon Battlestar was staggering, and a quick combination put him down.
Meanwhile, Gorilla-Man was having his problems with Sandman. The Grainy Gladiator was toying with the Ape Avenger. Sandman was rock hard when he wanted to strike and soft sand when Gorilla-Man wanted to hit him.
"You're finished. You're nothing. You make a mook like the Ape-Man look like a tough cookie." Sandman continued to pound away at Gorilla-Man.
Then Gorilla-Man noticed the ancient fountain and basin that stood behind Sandman. He reared up and roared, and then he rushed right at him. The soft sand of the Sandman's body allowed Gorilla-Man to pass directly through.
"Not a whole lot of good that did you," Sandman taunted.
"Maybe so." Gorilla-Man beckoned with his large simian hands. "Come on, Sandy. Come on and get me."
Sandman transformed into a whirl of sand and launched himself at Gorilla-Man. The Ape Avenger stood defiantly, waiting for Sandman to strike him. When the Sandman did, he enveloped Gorilla-Man's body. At that, Gorilla-Man tumbled back into the water.
As soon as they made their big splash in the stagnant water, Sandman's body began turning to mud. Gorilla-Man's powerful hands tore at him, stripping the Sandman from his body. The Sandman reformed into human shape, looking like a statue made of mud.
"Ok, so I'm wet and muddy. I can still turn rock hard and clobber you." His body now shifted to a rock hard form, although the water bonded to his molecules made him softer than before. He sprang towards Gorilla-Man.
"I was hoping you'd be a hardhead, flat top." Gorilla-Man grabbed Sandman and swung him into the fountain at the center of the basin. The impact topped the fountain and knocked Sandman insensate.
"That ought to put the Sandman to sleep," Gorilla-Man declared proudly as he wiped his hands.
Both Gorilla-Man and Gorilla Greg turned towards the throne. They were just in time to seeing the fading form of Comrade Future waving good-bye.
"Nuts!" Gorilla-Man exclaimed. "He got away, and we're a couple of thousand miles from Iceland."
"Actually, we're only a fraction of a second away. He rolled back some fur on his left wrist to uncover his Flashback Band. "This will get us back to the Time Elevator in a flash." He extended his hand.
Gorilla-Man took Gorilla Greg's giant hand warily. "I don't know about this, Greg. I don't like …" Before he could finish his sentence, they disappeared.