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ENTRY # : |
10 |
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TITLE : |
AGAINST THE DEEP SIX OF DOOM |
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ARC : |
THE ELEMENT OF DISASTER IV |
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ENTERED BY : |
Crucible's Journal |
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DATE RANGE : |
November 8th, 2000 |
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HEROES : |
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VILLAINS : |
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PEOPLE : |
Agents of MAYHEM™,
Tribunal,
Mayor Quimby
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OTHERS : |
MAYHEM™,
The Mini-Sub,
MAYHEM's Submarine Base,
The Maelstrom Machine,
Sacred Heart Hospital
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ENTRY : |
11/08/00: 6:00pm; Wrapping up the
situation on the island took a couple of hours; far longer than
I was comfortable with. Who Knows what Mischief our Foes could be up to in this Time?!?
About the only good thing to come out of this time was that it gave Sub-Zero the opportunity
to catch a lift with the cops out to us. Although Tribunal was still wrapped up, we were
now in a better position to Finish This!
In all fairness, there was much to be done before we could pursue our foes. In addition to
disabling the Cloaking Devices and tracking down the fleeing Agents of Mayhem, we needed to
find a way to get to get to our foes Submarine Base. We could not get the Transporter working
which left but one option; the Mini-Sub. Too bad that I had holed it
to keep a handful of mooks from escaping!
Well, what explosive blasts could puncture, a more temperate use of flame could weld closed.
Aided by the Great Strength of Aquanaut, I managed to roughly seal the hull of the Mini-Sub.
It wouldn't hold to any great depth, but hopefully such Would Not Be Required.
By the time we were at last Ready To Go, the Stronghold Ferry had taken away the Supervillains
and the Cops were crawling over the place, when we were hit with a final bit of Bad News.
The Villains had Abducted Mayor Quimby and were re-iterating their demands for cash, threatening
to unleash more Tidal Waves and Kill the Mayor unless a Ransom was Immediately Paid. We Were
Out of Time!
Aquanaut immediately Took to the Waves, heading out to reconnoiter the base while Oberon,
Sub-Zero and myself attempted to coax the submarine out after him. Luckily it didn't seem too
difficult to pilot, and Sub-Zero took charge of the Technical Aspects, while Oberon and I cast
nervous gazes at the patch on the hull.
11/08/00: 6:30pm; By the time we had made it well out into the bay,
Aquanaut had returned to report that the base consisted of the wreck of an old WWII-era
submarine lying in the mud at the bottom of the bay. With the Aquatic Hero running point for
us, we sealed up our sub and submerged, praying to whatever Gods we followed that the weld
would hold. It would soon be tested. We were still some distance from the site when the
onboard computers reported a Torpedo Headed Our Way!
I remember that the words, "This is it!" passed through my mind when I heard that.
Barely capable of sailing the vessel, we had no hope of eluding the torpedo, even had the
mini-sub possessed the ability to do so. Certain that we were Dead, I had Underestimated
Aquanaut. Darting ahead of the sub, the Defender of the Seas managed to deflect the incoming
missile and cause it to detonate a considerable distance from us. Even so, when the pressure
wave hit our rudely-patched vessel, several of my seals gave and We Began To Take On Water!
This may yet have Proved Fatal, were it not for the presence of Sub-Zero. Quicker than one
could think, he had reinforced my weld with an Icy Seal, stopping the leak. Breathing sighs
of relief in the suddenly-rank air of the mini-sub, we hastened to the conning tower of the
sunken vessel.
11/08/00: 6:45pm; By the time we managed to maneuver the mini-sub over the
conning tower and establish a seal, Aquanaut had already got the outer airlock doors open and
was awaiting us within. The process of equalizing pressures and opening the inner doors was
both Interminable and Terrifying. We fully expected to be caught in a nasty crossfire the
moment the doors opened. Instead, the place was quiet. Too Quiet.
11/08/00: 6:50pm; I didn't know what to make of it. The Villains had to
know that We Were Coming, and the torpedo assured that - so where were they? All around were
only the cold and musty confines of the older sub, tilted slightly towards the bow where its
nose was embedded in the ocean floor. We spread out and began to systematically search the
place. I was looking aft with Oberon when the word came from the forward party that they Had
Found Them!
11/08/00: 6:59pm; Rushing towards the bows, I Entered into a Fray! The
villains, five in number, were in a large room which contained a large generator through which
power was visibly pulsing. Above it was mounted a digital clock which was counting down. As I
came into view, this clock was reading only 0:59.00 seconds left... and counting! The Villains
were only Seconds away from Unleashing the Might of the Maelstrom Device Upon an Unsuspecting
City!!!
The Battle Raged in the tight confines of the ship. Through the hatch in front of me I could
see Aquanaut already tangling with a large, bald man (who called himself the Shock Trooper),
and another person, Tin Soldier, dressed in a Silver Powersuit similar to that worn earlier
by the Iron Major. Just outside the hatch, Oberon and Sub-Zero were shrugging off the effects
of a Blinding Flash that Pike had laid upon them. As for me, further back the corridor, I
Threw Fire into the only target I could see; the Forcewall protecting the Maelstrom Machine.
The nature of the fight changed very suddenly. Even as my Flaming Lances broke through the
defenses surrounding the Fell Device, Aquanaut hit it from the side, shattering a Great Hole
in the Core of the Machine. The Pulsing grew Chaotic in Nature, and I could feel a terrible
force Rising in my Eardrums. The Tin Soldier fled shrieking from the room, closely followed
by a man dressed in black and toting a pair of blasters who shrieked, "It's gonna blow!,"
at me as I let him past, taken aback by the change in tactics.
I tried to raise a Mental Shout to Aquanaut and Organize a Withdrawal, but his Mental Presence
had Vanished when he Penetrated the Core, nor could I see any movement where he went in.
Charging past my comrades who had almost shaken the spots from their eyes, I entered the room
determined to extract Aquaman and the Mayor if I could spot him. Spot him I did, in the grip
of another villain, a crazed looking man in Red Gauntlets (Major Fist), who tossed Quimby
Roughly Aside and Charged Me, as did the Shock Trooper.
The one-two punch of them striking me was Terrible, and even Worse, I felt the Shock Trooper
somehow Draining my Defenses, an Electrical Nimbus Flaring Brightly about him as he struck
Again and Again. Not terribly healthy to begin with, between the attention of these two
villains and a fell power emanating from the ruined Machine, I once again Tumbled Into
Blackness as Consciousness Fled Me.
11/09/00: 10:00am; I awoke - as usual - in the familiar trappings of the
Hospital. It took awhile, but eventually Sub-Zero was allowed in to let me know what had
happened after I blacked out. I was alive only due to the quick action of my Valiant
Comrades, who had charged after me into the room and attacked my assailants, and especially
due to Aquanaut who had dragged his sickened body out of the ruins of the Maelstrom Machine
and grabbing me, managed to get to the mini-sub, fighting a rearguard action against the
berserk Shock Trooper the entire way. The others managed to get the Mayor out and seal the
sub and take off, moments before a Catastrophic Explosion Burst the Welds Entirely (to be again
Flash-Frozen by Sub-Zero).
The doctors tell me that a combinations of wounds and the bends (from our crash resurfacing
in the damaged sub after the explosion) had almost done me in, and I would be abed for some
time to come. Aquanaut was next door, barely better off than I. Also, reports from the
island base confirmed that three of the villains at least - Pike, Caliber and Tin Soldier -
had all made good an escape.
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WRAPUP : |
By the Grace of God, and the Might of Aquanaut, We Triumphed. We were the
darlings of Coast City, given the Keys to the City by a Grateful Mayor. This could not last...
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