UCLA Smart Grid Energy Research Center

Senator Gordon Wright stood in shock at the figure who stood before him. Lloyd Bloch, the original Moonstone and now the ionic-powered being called Nefarius, stood holding two technicians by the throats. Professor Grace Allen’s ionic recombination device, designed to process ionic energy into a fossil fuel alternative, inadvertently reassembled Nefarius’ own ionic form.

“I’ll ask you again,” said Nefarius as his eyes crackled with energy. “Where. Is. Nefaria?”

“Nefaria? I-I have no idea!”

“Then, I suppose these two are useless.” Nefarius squeezed the necks of his two prisoners simultaneously, dropping them after he heard the cracks. “No matter, first I’ll kill you and then I’ll track down that snake of a father myself! Do to him what he did to me!”

Nefarius approached Wright, who backed away as far as he could. He was now pressed up against the wall and his fear made Nefarius grin. The ionic powerhouse raised his arm, prepared to take off Wright’s head with it. But instead, something else grabbed his attention.

“And just what makes you think you’ll be able to kill Count Nefaria?”

Nefarius turned to see Grace Allen on her feet and looking at one of the monitors. He approached her, but she did not flinch. Nefarius narrowed his eyes. “What did you say?”

“Luchio Nefaria is one of the most powerful men on the planet. Last time you crossed paths with him, he killed you. More recently, he demonstrated an ability to control other ionic beings.”

“And how do you know all this?”

“I’m a physicist specializing in ionic research. I’ve studied the process Nefaria used to give himself powers, and studied how similar processes were used on other ionic beings,” said Allen. “And I’m telling you right here and now, if you have any hope of defeating your father, you aren’t going to do it in this state.”

“Hah! Are you stupid, lady? I’m more powerful than ever!” said Nefarius.

“Only at the moment.” Grace turned the monitor so Nefarius could see it and she pointed to the readings. “According to this, your ionic recombination is still unstable. Or to put it simply, you’re leaking, Nefarius. And unless you patch that leak, pretty soon you’ll only have enough energy to maintain a physical form—if you’re lucky.”

“And you know how to patch it, don’t you?”

“I don’t know about that. I’ve never done anything even remotely like—”

Nefarius fired an energy blast from his eyes. It struck the monitor, obliterating it and causing Grace to jump back in shock. He stepped closer, towering over her. “You will. Or you’ll die trying. Get my meaning?”

Grace swallowed hard. “I think so.”

Nefarius grabbed her and blasted a hole through the wall. “Then it’s settled.”

Once the villain and his hostage were gone, Wright took a cell phone from his pocket. In this instance, one might expect him to call the police or paramedics. Instead, he was after something else.

“This is Senator Gordon Wright. I want everything the Commission has on a marvel called Nefarius e-mailed to my secure address immediately.” He ended the call and stared out the whole. Nefarius had flown off into the horizon, but the ionic energy trail still remained barely visible.

“Something very interesting just fell into my lap.”

UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT

Part II

By Dino Pollard

Champion Tower

“Now this is what I’m talkin’ about!”

Jubilee practically ran out onto the rooftop beach that capped off the Champion Tower. She knelt down by the water’s edge, dunking her hands in. “Wings definitely knows how to live in style.”

“Actually, Thrash had this built,” said Justice. He and Silhouette had brought Jubilee, Hercules, the Goblin and Dan Ketch to Champion Tower to show them around their new headquarters.

“Really?” asked Jubilee with a shrug. “Never saw him as the beach bum type.”

“He’s not, he never used it,” said Silhouette. “There’s several feet of sand separating us from the actual roof surface and the pool uses actual saltwater.” She motioned to the high glass walls surrounding the rooftop. “And these keep the neighbors from complaining about a windy day blowing sand from the sky.”

“I can tell you where I’m spending my downtime,” said the Goblin. A large shadow fell over him and he looked over his shoulder to see the towering Greek demigod. “Err…as long as that’s…y’know…okay with you, Mr. Hercules.”

Hercules cocked an eyebrow and had an expression of curiosity on his face. It quickly transformed into a large smile and he bellowed. “Of course, friend Goblin! Though thine countenance be displeasing, I would be honored to share a victory ale on these sands by your side!”

“Umm…thanks. …I think…” muttered the Goblin.

“Hah! Thou art an amusing little man!” Hercules laughed again, slapping the Goblin on the back. But with his incredible strength, he inadvertently sent the young hero flying into the saltwater with a cry of shock.

The Goblin emerged from the water, greeted with laughs from his new teammates. Hercules came to the edge of the bank, offering his hand in assistance. “My apologies, ugly one. The Lion of Olympus oft amazes even hisself with the magnitude of his muscle!”

“…ugly one?” muttered the Goblin as Hercules pulled him from the water.

“Can we get on with this tour?” asked Ketch. “Not all of us are interested in playing on a fake beach.”

Jubilee stood from the water’s edge and walked past Ketch. “I can tell you’re gonna be a ray of sunshine.”

“He’s got a point, we probably should continue the rest of the tour,” said Justice. He led them through the glass doors where the elevator waited to take them to the top floor, where the Champions’ war room sat. In the center was a large table in the shape of a giant, stylized C facing a large monitor that took up almost an entire wall. Justice took one of the seats at the table, one that had touch-screen computer controls on the table’s surface. The rest of the team sat around it.

In the center of the large C, a holographic projection of the Champion Tower appeared. “We’ve got about twenty stories in this place, including a high-speed transport in the basement leading to the ChampsCraft. Below this level is the living quarters and below that are six floors combined for the simulation room.”

“The old team just referred to it as the Thirteenth Floor,” said Silhouette.

Ketch rolled his eyes. “How catchy.”

“The twelfth floor is a regular fitness area, eleven is a cafeteria, and floors two through ten are rented offices,” said Justice. “Access past the twelfth floor requires Champion clearance.”

“Most of the previous team stayed in the living quarters. They’re pretty spacious units,” said Silhouette. “Naturally, you’re all entitled to one. At the moment, it’s just Vance and myself, although I assume Hercules will stay here as well.”

“Aye.”

“Beats living in my shoebox apartment,” said the Goblin. “I’ll take one.”

“Pass,” said Ketch.

Justice looked at the final member. “How about you, Jubilee?”

She shook her head. “I just moved into my own place not too long ago. No sense in leaving before my lease is up. ‘Sides, it’s not that far and I like having my own space.”

“Fair enough,” said Justice. “And as you’re all aware, this is a paid job. You’ll draw a salary as employees of the X-Corporation.”

“Wait…what’s that mean for secret identities?” asked the Goblin.

“They’ll only be known to us and Warren,” said Justice. “As far as anyone else is concerned, you just show up as salaried positions with X-Corporation. It’s all above board, but you don’t have to worry about blowing your cover. No one at the IRS will know who you really are.”

“Well, guess I can take this thing off now.” The Goblin reached for his mask, when an alarm sounded. On the monitor, the words EMERGENCY flashed.

“Maybe not, jolly green,” said Jubilee. “What’ve we got?”

Justice brought up the source of the emergency. A news broadcast showed footage taken by cameras from Nefarius’ attack on SMERC. It was a split-screen, with the other screen showing a field reporter questioning Senator Wright.

“~or those of you just joining us, the UCLA Smart Grid Energy Research Center was decimated just hours ago when an ionic energy experiment was disrupted by the sudden appearance of a superhuman criminal called Nefarius. He killed two research assistants before leaving with a hostage, Professor Grace Allen. Senator Gordon Wright was observing the experiment, but was thankfully unharmed and is currently in protective custody.”

“Nefarius?” asked the Goblin.

“Aye, quite a mad one,” said Hercules. “I’ve traded blows with him in the past.”

“Bringing him up now,” said Justice. A holographic projection of Nefarius appeared in the center of the giant C-table. Justice read off the information on his touch screen. “Lloyd Bloch, the original Moonstone. After the gem was stolen by Karla Sofen, he went mad. Underwent the same procedure that gave Count Nefaria ionic-based powers. Spent a long time trying to kill Sofen before…oh…”

“What?” asked Jubilee.

“Well…he’s dead,” said Justice. “Or at least he was. Nefaria killed him by draining all the ionic energy from his body. So if he’s back now…”

“That procedure convert’s a person’s body completely into ionic energy. And energy can’t be created or destroyed. It’s why Wonder Man and Count Nefaria are still alive despite having ‘died’ in the past.”

The Goblin’s explanation earned curious stares from his teammates. He locked eyes with each one of them and said, “what? Science has become something of a hobby of mine…these days, anyway. If we get to the source, maybe I can isolate his energy signature and track it.”

“WHAT?!”

Nefarius held back as his hand struck Grace Allen. But the force was still enough to knock her off her feet. He towered over her, his ionic form practically bursting with energy. Grace maintained her composure, pushed past the pain.

“What did you think taking me to an abandoned warehouse would accomplish?” she asked. “Did you think I could assemble a piece of hi-tech equipment with dust mites and spider webs?”

Nefarius pointed an accusatory finger. “You said you could help me!”

“I know, but I didn’t say to take me away from SMERC. I need the IRD if I’m going to help you. And that means we need to go back to SMERC.”

“By now, the cops are probably swarming all over that place!” said Nefarius.

“So?” asked Grace. “Don’t tell me you’re afraid of them. I thought you were some all-powerful—”

“Don’t you dare patronize me, you little bitch!” spat Nefarius. “You better start showing me some respect before I tear off that pretty little head of yours, Karla!”

“…what?” asked Grace. “Why did you call me Karla?”

“I didn’t!” said Nefarius.

“Yes, I just hea—”

Nefarius fired an energy blast just above Grace’s head. “SHUT YOUR DAMN MOUTH, WHORE!”

Grace remained silent but stoic. Nefarius’ instability was manifesting itself in a large way. Nefarius came closer to her and grabbed her by the collar of her shirt. He raised her up so she and him were at eye level.

“I’ll take you back. And then you’ll fix me. Or else I kill you.”

SMERC

The Goblin hovered on his glider, scanning the remains of the IRD with his mask. Justice hovered by his side, watching curiously. “You seemed to know a lot back there. Didn’t know you were so well-versed.”

“I wasn’t, at least not until recently,” said the Goblin. “The Goblin formula seemed to boost my intelligence when I was exposed to it. First it was just small things like making minor modifications. But in time, it got even more and eventually I was able to completely fix the circuitry in this mask as well as add in other things. Case in point, this scanner I built into the mask.”

Ketch stood outside the hole created by Nefarius, smoking a cigarette. One of the police officers standing guard at the crime scene approached him. “You mind if I get one of those?”

Dan said nothing, just offered the cop the pack. He took one and accepted Ketch’s light. The cop glanced inside the hole and looked at the other Champions. He looked back at Ketch. “You don’t seem like those guys.”

“What makes you say that?” asked Ketch.

“Well, they’re all nutcases in costumes. But you? You’re just a normal guy. How’d you get mixed up with them?”

Ketch puffed on his cigarette. “Thanks to a family curse, my body used to be a time-share for a demon with a flaming skull. But don’t worry, now I just control Hellfire.”

“…oh.” The cop slowly backed away. “I’m gonna…walk the perimeter…”

Jubilee witnessed the exchange and approached him. “Nice work, Son of Anarchy. Bet the guy’s gonna have nightmares now.”

Ketch shrugged. “He asked.”

“Yeah, but—” She stopped as a figure plummeted from the ground.

Nefarius crashed down before her and Ketch, Grace Allen still held in his grip. Ketch spat out his cigarette and a string of Hellfire appeared from his hand, forming into a chain. Jubilee held her palms open, fireworks starting to crackle between her fingers. “Hey Gobby? Something tells me we won’t need that scanner.”

Nefarius released Grace, eyes glowing with yellow energy. “If you think you’re gonna stand in my way—”

“HO, VILLAIN!”

Hercules charged from inside, slamming his mace against Nefarius’ head. “T’would seem not even Hades could stand thine sight! Think not your death would give the Scion of Zeus to forget your foul misdeeds!”

“Oh shut up!” said Nefarius as his eyes unloaded with a burst of energy that knocked Hercules back. Ketch’s Hellfire chain wrapped around Nefarius’ neck and Ketch yanked on it. But Nefarius resisted and yanked harder, wrenching it from Ketch’s grasp.

“Pathetic!” he spat, firing a burst of ionic energy at the former Ghost Rider.

Jubilee and the Goblin both attacked simultaneously, pelting Nefarius with bombs and pyrotechnics. But he just seemed to shrug them all off. Justice attempted to restrain Nefarius in a telekinetic bubble, yet Nefarius just pounded against it, straining the Champion’s concentration.

Silhouette’s body transformed into a living shadow and just as Nefarius was freed from the psionic prison, she jumped at him. Nefarius tried to strike at her, but his hand passed through her. And instead, he cried out in intense pain. She appeared behind him and raised her arms, clasping her hands together. Then, she brought them down as she transformed back to human form, her vampiric strength enabling her to deal a significant blow. But Nefarius spun and grabbed her head, throwing her to the ground.

Grace Allen, meanwhile, had used the battle as cover to reach the IRD. It was damaged, but not unusable. With a few quick modifications, it could do what she needed. The real question was how long would the battle last.

Hercules grabbed Nefarius in a headlock, wrestling with him and slamming him to the ground. As the demigod had him pinned to the ground, Nefarius fired a blast of energy from his eyes at the surface. The force of it sent both him and Hercules flying into the air. While in the air, Nefarius took the advantage, using his newfound power of flight to stay in the sky as he delivered several blows to Hercules. He wrapped his hands around Hercules’ neck and flew towards the ground at incredible speed, slamming Hercules into the surface.

When Nefarius rose, he was left with the Goblin, Justice and Jubilee to contend with. That’s when he noticed Grace tinkering with the IRD. Nefarius bolted past the three heroes and faced off against the physicist.

“I-it’s ready now,” she said, moving to the control panel.

“What are you doing?” asked Justice.

“Stay out of this!” said Nefarius, firing a blast that Justice barely blocked in time with a shield. The villain turned his attention back to the IRD and it began to pulsate and glow. Grace activated the device and Nefarius found himself bathed in its glow. It only lasted a few moments and then he turned his attention back to the remaining Champions.

“Now, let’s finish this!”

He launched into the air, but almost instantly, he crashed to the ground. The energy that had composed his form was now dissipating, leaving him in his human form. “No…what’s happening?”

Justice generated a telekinetic field around Nefarius again, raising him into the air. “Let’s see you get out of it this time.”

The Goblin hopped off his glider and approached Grace. “What did you do?”

“His ionic form was unstable when the IRD brought him back, he was losing energy. I accelerated the process,” she said.

“Y’know, that won’t last forever, lady,” said Jubilee. “One day, he’ll be repowered. An’ he’ll come back.”

“Don’t remind me…” muttered Grace.

The Deep
Several Weeks Later

Lloyd Bloch sat in his cell. He had been confined to solitary. It was believed his mental instability proved to be too much of a danger to other inmates. Now all he could do was wait, bide his time.

The door to the cell opened and Bloch stood up to take notice. The man was the last person Nefarius expected to see here. The very same man he had threatened to kill just a few short weeks ago.

“Hello, Mr. Bloch,” he said, offering his hand. “I don’t believe we were properly introduced last time. My name is Gordon Wright.”

Bloch just ignored the handshake. “What do you want?”

“I can give you the two things you desire—your father and Karla Sofen,” said Wright. “But first, I’ll need you to do something for me.”

“What?”

Wright smiled. “When the time is right, I’ll let you know.”

NEXT: Cold-Hearted Freeks