Masters of Evil (3): Baron Zemo, Ultron-5, Black Knight, Radioactive Man, Enchantress
All New X-Men (14): Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Beast, Angel, Iceman
Baron Zemo immediately draws his sword. In his own mind, he’s William Wallace, inspiring troops, fighting for the rights of his own twisted ideals. He honestly doesn’t care about the four individuals surrounding him at all. He knows they’re tools to be used in his crusade. He’s a little bit disgusted, thinking about the Mutants behind him, he’d fight them without cosmic influence. He doesn’t love using a Chinese man, but against filthy mutants, it’s acceptable.
Jean Grey sits across, reading the ambient hate emanating from Zemo. “Great, more of these guys.” She turns to fill in her team. “I’m pretty sure these guys are like, Avengers bad guys, the guy with the pink face hates us for being mutants, the rest of them just seem to be pretty normal type bad guys.”
“Baron Zemo” Hank McCoy, the Beast adds, “And his Masters of Evil. It’s always nice when they tell you upfront. The (very) tall one is Enchantress, she’s magic. The Knight is Black Knight- magic sword. The guy glowing green is the Radioactive Man, luckily we have a slightly higher than average tolerance. Robot is Ultron, he’s probably the scariest. Zemo is skilled in strategy, science, swords, and swastikas.”
“Right, Avengers bad guys, got it!” Iceman jests.
“This is serious Bobby, any one of they’ve gone toe to toe with Cap, Iron Man, Hulk, even Thor.”
“Thor? Sure. But we’re the X-Men!” Now let’s chill these fools out! (I’m using that right, right? Right.” And with that, Iceman forms up ice in front of him and slides into the battle.
“I suppose we should help him?” Angel spreads his fiery wings and takes to the air.
“We always do.” Jean beckons for Cyclops and Beast to follow behind her. “Stay behind me, I’ll keep us shielded until you can a good shot in Cyclops.”
Angel soars ahead, passing Iceman underneath, and swoops down to make the opening gambit. “Well, first of all, I don’t think that I want you to have a sword.” He plunges with such speed that Zemo is unable to prepare, and Warren Worthington III snatches the weapon. He tosses the sword back and forth between his hands a couple of times, and decides to dive down to strike with it. “I could see myself getting used to this.”
At the peak of Angel’s ascent, Iceman reaches thee villains. He starts by encasing the distracted Zemo in a block of ice, “One down already, and we’re just getting started!” He continues to slide around the remaining four, encircling them while raining down ice shards. The Black Knight is able to shield himself, the Enchantress and Ultron don’t care at all, and the ice melts before hitting the Radioactive Man. Knowing what effect his radiation is having on the ice, he projects out his radiation and melts Iceman’s frozen support, his slide crumbles beneath him.
Angel’s dive reaches its target, just a moment before Iceman hits the ground. He aborts his attack to save his friend “You’re lucky I’m watching out for you.”
“And you’re lucky that I’m so worth saving!” Iceman continues to joke, hopping out of Angels arms and trying to attack again as Angel angles upward to build his momentum and make another pass.
“Why are you so violent young man?” Enchantress walks through the icy projectiles and strokes Iceman’s chin. She’s half a foot taller than the teenager, and as she reaches him, she bends down to kiss him, sealing his fate.
Iceman jumps back and sticks out his tongue in disgust, “Sorry lady, not my type!” And he encases her in ice.
The Radioactive Man walks behind and melts down the ice encasing Enchantress. “That’s okay, you’re not really my type either.” And with a deceptive quickness she’s back in front of him. She picks him up with her left hand, and pulls her right back to punch.
Suddenly, Iceman is pulls from her grasp by an invisible force. Jean and the rest of the team have arrived. “He’s all clear, take you shot!” she instructs.
ZARK! Enchantress takes a full optic blast in her midsection. The shot takes her off her feet and sends her flying back.
“Let me try!” Radioactive man pushes out his emissions.
“I’ve got this!” Jean pushes out her TK forcefield and bubbles it around him. “Hot enough in there for you?”
“You have no idea the power you’re dealing with!” The Radioactive man buckles over as he pushes the limits of his powers. The bubble flashes green, as the deadly isotopes try to escape.
“I think I’m getting the idea.” A trickle of blood starts to drip from her nose. “Scott, I, I think I can hold him, but I don’t know how long. Take the rest out and we can squeeze him down last.”
“Of course.” Cyclops turns his gaze to the Black Knight and lets loose another concussive blast. Black Knight takes the blast with his shield, but the force of it is more than he can stand. Digging into the ground, he slides back.
Taking inventory of the powers and levels he’s facing, Ultron is able to adjust for the force of the blast. He lurches out at Cyclops and clasps his steely adamantium hand around Cyclops visor. The red slowly peeking out from his clenched fingers until his fist closes.
Knowing the peril his friend is in, Beast dives in to save Scott. He’s able to pull him from Ultron’s grip, but his ruby quartz visor remains. Ultron crushes it in his fist.
“Thanks,” Cyclops pulls a pair of the ruby quartz glasses from a pocket. “Glad I’ve got my backups.”
“Your back or your front, it matters not. Ultron will defeat you all.” Ultron’s chromed maw cackles electric and an energy blast escapes him aimed directly at the young X-Men.
Beast’s natural athleticism allows him to grap Cyclops and dive out of the waw. “Oh my stars and garters!” This is not good. He bounds back and forth, dodging blasts setting up his next move. “Here’s a little something we picked up from the next generation!” He turns and tosses Cyclops at the robot. Cyclops lifts his glasses, and with no visor to control, unleashes the full fury of his optic blast, barreling down.
The blast rattles Ultron’s body, which remains unharmed, though the force is remarkable to jostle his interiors, the shot was wide enough that each slightly chink in the armor allows some to get through, and inside, the delicate guts of the android are pulled, torn, and disconnected.
Cyclops lands at the feet of Ultron. He looks up at the robot, still standing, towering over him. He hears the machinations of Ultron innards as his self repair sequence immediately kicks into high gear. Overhead, a dark shadow covers the glare off of Ultron’s chest. With a swift leap, Beast has reached the automaton and begins pulling at various parts, until he’s able to disconnect the head. The eyes, once a glowing red, shut off. The body, once making the industrious sounds of healing, falls silent.
“That ought to do it!” Beast, more than proud of himself, knowing how much of a threat Ultron is, misses the Enchantress walking up behind himself and Scott. She’s already lifted his companion, and kissed him. Beast notices as he turns around to see Cyclops standing, angrily, in between himself and Enchantress.
In an instant red concussive force erupts from his eyes, sending Beast flying across the stadium.”That’s it, don’t let up, don’t stop, hit him with everything you have.” She whispers in Cyclops ears. Beast smashes into the stadium wall and sits, unconscious, feet dangling in the air with the force of Cyclops’s bem holding him up. Cyclops falls to one knee. “Keep going, I know how strong you are, for me? Please?” Cyclops continues to push out his blast. “Oh, please, please show me all of that power.” Enchantress smiles, as Cyclops beam begins to flicker, then stops. He collapses, powers, and energy completely exhausted. “Looks like I’ll have to do everything.”
Enchantress turns to see Angel swinging around the air, locked in a swordfight with the Black Knight. It seems clear that the Black Knight has far more skill with a sword, but Angel has a decided advantage in terms of mobility. She sees Jean Grey locked in a battle of wills with the Radioactive Man, and she see Iceman about to help out his teammate fighting Black Knight. “This one again.”
Waiting for just the right moment, watching Angel fly around and clash repeatedly with the Black Knight, Iceman finds and opening, and freezes out Black Knight’s sword arm, locking it in place. His shield hand still available, he’s able to block Angel’s attacks, but he’s no longer able to attack. He freezes underneath him to slide around and cover, when he’s grabbed by Enchantress.
“You’re friends are preoccupied, no one to save you this time.” She wastes little time, and even less effort, and throws him into the ground. She walks over the the Black knight and flicks her index finger out, shattering the ice.
“Thank you puffkin.” He bluntly states as he continues his tetatet With Angel. As he screams down to strike again, he swings out Zemo’s sword, Black Knight parrys as they’ve done over and over, but Angel is not expecting the follow through of an Asgardian. As he corners around off of the deflection, he’s met with the fist of a goddess.
“One left.” She smirks and turns toward Jean Grey.
Jean has battle training, and incredible mental powers, and she’s situationally aware enough to see she has bigger problems to deal with now than the Radioactive Man. She releases him. Much to her surprise, instead of the release causing an explosion of his power as continued blasting out, she finds that he’s either suffocated or worn himself out. The green radiation dissipates around his lifeless body in a cloud. Pushing through the cloud she see Black Knight and Enchantress approaching. She feels out with her telepathy but Black Knight’s helm provides him mild resistance, and Enchantress’ Asgardian mind is too strong. Perhaps if she’d been fresh into battle, not containing a nuclear bomb for the past few minutes, she could push through. It’s all she can do to try halting the Masters advance, but Enchantress is too strong, and breaks through.
As the Black Knight and Enchantress reach their target, and Enchantress grabs the last of the X-Men, she commends the young redhead. “Your powers are very impressive. And one day, I’m sure, you would all grow to be fine warriors.” She pulls Jean in closer to whisper, because the gods are nothing if not dramatic, “Today is not that day.”
WINNER: Masters of Evil
