CHAPTER EIGHT

NINETY THREE PER-CENT

***

‘It’s amazing sir,’ Peterson said giddily as he showed the results to the General. The
scientist was hopping from foot to foot with such glee it looked like he needed to visit the
bathroom with a great amount of urgency. But that wasn’t the case … well, it was … a
little. But what he had found was far too important to concern himself with such trivial
things as a bathroom break.
General Anderson looked over the findings with a quizzical eye.
‘This can’t be right, you must have made a mistake,’ he said finally.
Peterson’s face fell, he looked heartbroken.
‘No … Sir,’ he said, pulling the clipboard back and running down the data readout with
his finger to ensure he was not mistaken. ‘No … these are absolutely correct. We’ve all
tested the subject … at least twice. These results are genuine.’
‘That’s not possible,’ General Anderson scoffed. ‘We hoped for forty-to-fifty per-cent at
best … I can’t believe we just happened to find a donor with a ninety-three per-cent
match rate. There must be another reason, an anomaly in the testing, a faulty reader.’
‘The tests were conclusive sir,’ Jacobson spoke up from behind Peterson. ‘Ninety-three
per-cent.’
‘Have you told the parents?’ General Anderson asked sternly.
‘Of course not,’ Peterson shook his head. ‘We know to come to you first.’
‘You did right,’ The General nodded. ‘Of course, you all know that the parents must never
know.’
‘We are well aware of the circumstances General,’ Jacobson said briskly. ‘We know the
subject must be retained … how much should we offer as compensation to the family?’
‘Nothing,’ The General said flatly. ‘Find one of the orphan subjects that looks enough like
this one and make an exchange. Nobody will know the difference … at least not for a
good number of years, and by that time they will have no case. The Father will simply
believe the wife was unfaithful if the boy doesn’t bear enough likeness to him … nobody
ever need know the truth.’
‘Very well Sir,’ Jacobson nodded and strode out of the lab.
General Anderson approached the glass that separated him from a room that
resembled a maternity ward. Twenty identical cots lined up, each containing a newborn
baby from the hospital upstairs.
The General’s eyes found the remarkable subject, close to the window. The baby
looked like all the others, how he was so special was beyond him. That didn’t matter
though. Testing would of course begin immediately; all of the other subjects had been
disastrous failures. Hundreds had died already because of poor match rates, and those
that did survive only worked to a marginal extent. But surely one with a ninety-three
per-cent match for the genetic manipulation codes would succeed. The genetic
implanting and specific subconscious coding that had failed before could not possibly be
rejected by ninety-three per-cent.
The General squinted through the glass to read the subject’s chart that hung on
the side of the metal cot. The name was not given, better not to let the lab teams know
the names, too many of them died for anybody to get friendly or attached. Just simple
coded names. This one was no different.
‘Well then … looks like you’re our golden boy … L96A1.’

***

‘Then you’d better take this then,’ Cato said, handing a small vial of golden liquid to
Chris.
‘Dragonam blood?’ Chris frowned. ‘What’s this for?’
‘That,’ Cato explained. ‘Is a cure for terminal injuries, the secret to life eternal and the
antidote for any conceivable disease … or virus …’ He clapped Chris on the shoulder. ‘It
is the cure you have been seeking … Martian.’
‘You’re kidding,’ Freaka-chu frowned. ‘All this time, we only needed Namian blood? That’s
all? We could have sliced open Osiris and gotten it! SOMEBODY MIGHT HAVE
MENTIONED THIS EARLIER!’
‘As we said before,’ Cato shook his head. ‘Osiris needed you for his own ends. Clearly he
believed you would not offer your aid if he were to give you your cure.’
‘No, but I’d have raped him to say thank you,’ McKellion clucked.
‘So … this is it Chris!’ Roxy said gleefully, examining the vial. ‘You can get your powers
back; you can be a Martian again!’
‘Well, if this is going to be a lengthy procedure,’ Abrax said, his eyes flashing
momentarily. ‘Then I suggest you wait for a more opportune moment. It appears that this
… Alpha … is in the grounds outside.’
‘I’ll deal with this,’ Freaka-chu said, opening up his glaive. ‘Roxy,’ he turned, throwing
her the Dr.’s JIC bag. ‘All the stuff Chris needs is in there, he knows how to use it …
don’t you?’
‘I’ll figure it out,’ Chris said, emptying out the important components from the over-
stocked bag that he had always suspected had some sort of RETARDIS space-
manipulation device installed within it for all the unthinkably large items The Dr. kept
inside it.
‘Alright,’ Freaka-chu nodded. ‘If you finish in time to join us in kicking that freak back to
the seventh level of Hades then come join in … anybody who’s ready now, come with me.’
‘YEAH!’ McKellion shouted, slapping his gloves together. ‘I can’t wait to get my hands on
that guy! He’s got a black hole for a body … can’t wait to rape the fuck out of it!’
‘Al stay here,’ L96A1 cringed, still holding his head. ‘A don’t think al be much use tae
you. Ma head’s bangin’ a dunno what’s wrong with me! I’ll stay here; protect Roxy an
Chris, at least ‘til he gets his powers back.’
‘Good man,’ Freaka-chu nodded as he headed for the doors with McKellion, Skelifish,
Cato, Abrax and a number of the Namians in tow.
Roxy turned to Chris who was busy trying to work out whether what he had just
pulled out of the bag was the genetic modification device that would change him back to
his Martian form or a Betamax toaster. Either one was highly possible … though odds
were equally good that it was a hairdryer.
‘You sure you can work all this out Chris?’ Roxy asked unsurely.
‘I hope so,’ Chris puffed as he fished in the bag again and pulled out a goldfish bowl …
complete with water and singular fish. ‘But it would help if I could find the right things
… this bag’s bottomless.’
‘I’m waiting for you to pull a massive lamp out of there …’ Roxy giggled.
Chris raised an eyebrow at her.
‘Mary Poppins,’ she explained.
‘Oh … her,’ Chris nodded. ‘Figures she’d have one.’
This time, it was Roxy’s turn to look quizzical.
‘She’s a Video Lord,’ Chris said evenly.
‘Julie Andrews?’ Roxy frowned.
‘No,’ Chris said, waving his hand dismissively. ‘Mary Poppins, the woman they based the
film on ... that’s what The Dr. said anyhow.’
‘The Dr. also talks bollocks a lot of the time,’ Roxy added.
‘True,’ Chris laughed as he removed what looked like a cycle helmet with hundreds of
prongs affixed to it. ‘I think …’ he smiled. ‘This is what I’m looking for.’

***

‘Amazing,’ Admiral Rathbone concluded as he watched the stock footage from the
simulation training. ‘Absolutely amazing.’
‘Yeah,’ Peterson nodded. ‘It’s like watching some Matrix shit.’
 Rathbone cast a discerning eye over the scientist who immediately backed away
sheepishly.
‘I must admit, Anderson,’ Rathbone continued. ‘When you proposed Operation Odysseus
to me, I was sceptical. No … to tell you the truth, I thought it was such a waste of
government funding and our time that I considered having you and your entire research
team terminated simply for proposing such a ridiculous notion … now I’m thankful I
didn’t.’
‘That … means a lot … Sir,’ General Anderson nodded briskly. ‘So … you’re giving us the
go-ahead to proceed to the next level?’
‘Absolutely,’ Rathbone said loudly. ‘Think yourselves lucky you found wonder boy in
there. There are seven different projects of this kind running simultaneously and you
guys are the only ones to produce a working product. I mean … look at this guy …
L96A1. Super strong, super fast, super agility, advanced intelligence, the latest in tactical
weaponry knowledge and martial arts of every known discipline digitally encoded into his
cerebral cortex. Hell, you guys get him some blue tights and a nice red cape and we’ll be
in trouble with Marvel.’
‘DC,’ Peterson added nervously.
‘Excuse me,’ Rathbone growled.
‘Err … Superman is from … DC Comics …’ Peterson cringed.
‘He could have been talking about Captain America,’ Stevenson, the lab tech chimed in.
‘Don’t be stupid!’ Peterson snapped. ‘Captain America doesn’t have a cape…’
‘ENOUGH!’ Rathbone shouted, placing a hand on the gun in his holster. ‘You’re only
serving to enhance an already clichéd stereotype boys … so, save yourselves the hassle
and just get the H-E-double-hockey-sticks out of my sight.’
‘Yes sir,’ the scientists said, retreating into one of the offices. ‘Sorry sir.’ They added as
the door closed.
‘Oh, I do love to tease those lab geeks,’ Rathbone chuckled. ‘Get into trouble with Marvel
… oh, sometimes I think I should do stand up.’
‘Back to the matter at hand, if we could,’ General Anderson said quickly. ‘You still
haven’t told us what you plan to use our programme for. I was always under the
impression that we were breading the next line of army recruits.’
‘And you’ve been wrong for quite some time,’ Rathbone interrupted him. ‘War is an
excellent thing, Anderson. Weapon sales go through the roof; the obese, incompetent
government gets to feel like its achieving something other than eating all the pies and
conveniently thins out the mass tidal waves of utter retards that the working classes
generate by the wagon load. Creating the next breed of super soldier is all fine and
dandy, but you don’t put your best men on the front line. That’s where the pawns go, the
scum that get drafted in from High Schools and Colleges across the globe who think
they’re being patriotic. No Anderson, you’ve been developing the most efficient elite
stealth units for privately funded missions that require ultimate finesse.
‘Anderson, this wonder boy of yours is going to help earn his keep. There are a lot
of very important people in the world who want other very important people dead and are
willing to pay through the nose to get what they want. L96A1 is going to be the first of
our line of elite assassins.’
‘Assassins?’ Anderson mulled.
‘Sleeper Cell Assassins, total infiltration. Your subjects won’t even know they’re there to
kill their target, but when the moment comes, any and all affiliations they’ve made will
wipe away and the targets will find themselves next to the instrument of their
destruction,’ Rathbone smiled. ‘Do you feel you’re going to be facing any kind of ethical
quandary over that? Will it be keeping you awake at night knowing what you’ve been
training this subject for years to do?’
‘You must be joking,’ Anderson puffed. ‘This is the best case scenario!’
‘Well good,’ Rathbone said happily. ‘Because your boy’s already got a list of people that
require his specialist assistance. One in particular high-roller has offered enough money
up to completely cover the billions you’ve already spent here. He wants to begin as soon
as possible.’
‘But, the subject is not ready sir,’ Anderson said, stunned. ‘He’s not properly
programmed for sleeper cell work. He’s still recovering from all the other data we
installed into him. It takes time for the brain to adjust.’
‘Well get him properly programmed then,’ Rathbone scowled. ‘And do it quickly Anderson.
Those other projects are still running, and if I must actually say it out loud, seeing as
how my implication might not have been enough. The first one to bring me a COMPLETE,
ACTIVE, WORKING subject that we can put to good use gets the glory … the other
projects get terminated Anderson … subjects and staff … understand?’
‘Perfectly,’ Anderson said, wrinkling his nose.
‘Then I’ll let you get back to it then,’ Rathbone nodded with a forced wink. ‘Good luck.’

***

With what he assumed was dramatic effect, Freaka-chu kicked the great oak
doors of the white marble palace. He then realized that they opened inward and felt
rather foolish.
‘Is there a problem?’ Abrax asked, folding his arms.
‘No …’ Freaka-chu replied quickly. ‘No problem … I just thought … we’d … have a team
talk before we went out there.’
Abrax leaned in close next to Freaka-chu’s ear. ‘I can hear your thoughts … that
was very, very stupid … but I’ll keep it quiet.’
‘Thanks,’ Freaka-chu nodded appreciatively.
‘SO!’ Abrax said loudly. ‘Tactics … what is our plan?’
‘Pfft,’ McKellion scoffed. ‘Throw Freako at him and hope for the best. He’s the one that
can’t die.’
‘Thanks,’ Freaka-chu said curtly. ‘Cause I really enjoy being a living pin cushion an’ all
that jazz … cheers.’
‘You will not be alone,’ Abrax said sternly. ‘We will not abandon you to this fight, but the
small one is correct, you have nothing to fear. He may cut your skin and rend your flesh,
but you cannot be mortally wounded.’
‘Yeah,’ Freaka-chu frowned as he pulled open the great doors. ‘But it still fucking hurts.’

The doors creaked as they stepped out into the evening light. The sickly green
clouds that had hung overhead all day were now bathed in the amber glow of the setting
sun. Freaka-chu led the way down the white marble steps into the vast gardens of the
palace. The air was tranquil, serene; there was no foreboding, no hint of oncoming doom.
Richtocorricas Alpha, the accolade of Raljex, the so-called Supreme Being had
returned to the spot where they had last seen him. Once a Video Lord himself, Alpha had
been left twisted and vengeful after he literally “fell through the cracks” in the system.
Trapped on a desolate world. Abandoned by his mentor and forgotten by everybody else
… everybody except Raljex, that is.
Though the circumstances surrounding the life of Richtocorricas Alpha were
saddening, and indeed, completely out of his control, what Alpha had proceeded to do
once in the employment of Raljex was horrific.
That was what he would pay for. Nobody should have a life like Alpha, but nobody
should have done the things that Alpha had done in the name of vengeance against the
Universe either.
It was as if he knew he had to die. He was just standing there, well, floating
anyhow, there in the very centre of the gardens, his back to them, the death-rattle that
was his breathing echoing in the twilight air.
It was just a question of how much of a fight he was going to put up. Alpha
yearned for the end of his life, but he yearned to please his Master with equal
determination, more-so in fact. This would be where complications arose.
‘ … Do you know … what I have … learned here … in this … realm?’ Alpha inquired as
they approached.
‘How to make pancakes?’ Freaka-chu offered. Alpha (rightly so) ignored him.
‘ … I have … concluded … that this … realm … is an insult … to all of … Master Raljex’s …
divine … majesty … … … It must be … destroyed … … … I will … return through … the
Alliance of … Thanateros … and once … there … I shall … destroy the … anomaly … and
this … world along … with it …’
‘Impossible!’ Cato snorted. ‘The Alliance cannot be destroyed, many have tried.’
‘I bet he’ll have a good try,’ Skelifish warned. ‘That’s all he does, destroy things that
shouldn’t exist … I think he’ll find a way if he wants to.’
‘Then we have even greater need to slay this beast!’ Cato said, clipping Abrax on the
shoulder.
‘… I … wondered … who it … would … be,’ Alpha wheezed as he turned to face the group.
The grotesque skeletal face leered at them. ‘… Who would come … to try … to end my …
journey …’
‘Am I all you hoped for and more?’ Freaka-chu chided.
‘Not … nearly …’ Alpha said, a grating cackle emanating from the device around his neck.
‘ … I expected … so … much … more …’
‘Oh well, can’t always get what we want now can we?’ Freaka-chu clucked, rolling his
double-ended scythe around in his hands. ‘So … how do you want to play this? Fight-to-
the-death or are you going to let me hack off that pretty little head of yours?’
‘… You … think that … would … kill me?’ Alpha grinned. ‘You … know so … little … Foolish
creature! … I am already dead! … The components that … sustain me are … merely … to
keep … my consciousness … … … intact … the shell is … rotted and … decayed … so, take
… my head … it will … do you no … … … good.’
‘Then I suggest we take the demon apart piece by piece until we find the component that
will,’ Abrax suggested.
‘Oh good,’ McKellion grinned. ‘Bagsie the arse!’
‘Great,’ Freaka-chu nodded. ‘Any suggestion as to how exactly we achieve … … …’
Freaka-chu’s ears pricked up. ‘Did you hear that?’ He turned on the group around him.
‘Those were gunshots!’ His eyes darted around frantically until they fell upon the upper
floor of the Palace. ‘Chris,’ Freaka-chu gasped … and jumped.

‘The Dr. also talks bollocks a lot of the time,’ Roxy added.
‘True,’ Chris laughed as he removed what looked like a cycle helmet with hundreds of
prongs affixed to it. ‘I think … he smiled. ‘This is what I’m looking for.’
‘AAAAAARGH!’ L96A1 screamed, dropping to his knees, his head in his hands.
‘NEIL!’ Chris said, rushing over to this side. ‘Neil! What is it?! What’s wrong?!’
‘ITS MA HEAD!’ Neil scowled through gritted teeth, sweat dripping down his face. ‘I
CANNAE DO IT! I CANNAE TAKE IT NO MORE!’
‘What’s wrong with him?’ Roxy asked desperately.
‘I don’t know!’ Chris replied in the same hopeless manner as Neil rocked sideways onto
the floor. ‘I can’t tell, I don’t have my powers, I can’t see into his head. It’s The Dr. that
deals with this kind of thing! I haven’t got a …’
‘DR.!’ L96A1 shouted suddenly, letting go of his head and sitting up straight, his face
now calm and expressionless.
‘Neil?’ Chris questioned cautiously.
‘Everything is alright now,’ L96A1 nodded, seemingly to himself. ‘Where is The Dr.?’ he
demanded.
‘He’s back in the Overworld,’ Roxy said quietly. ‘You know that.’
‘Am experiencing temporary disorientation,’ L96A1 replied, getting quickly to his feet and
taking out a small revolver. ‘Though it’s passing now … I remember it … I remember it all
now … For what it’s worth, Martian Manhunter,’ he sighed, turning to Chris. ‘I am sorry,’
he said without a trace of emotion in his voice as he raised his gun and fired.

***
‘I’m telling you there will be side effects to his cerebral cortex!’ Peterson said again as he
followed General Anderson into the room where L96A1 stood perfectly to attention. A
large man with thinning hair was examining the Super Soldier like somebody would
admire a statue. The soldier was certainly as still as one.
‘I don’t care!’ The large man said forcefully. ‘I’m paying for it, be dammed with the
consequences to him … I want this job done and I want it done right. Exactly as I
specified.’
‘And it will be,’ General Anderson said, allowing a pleasant smile to creep onto his face
below his now grey moustache.
‘And I’m telling you, it might kill him,’ Peterson interjected. ‘We haven’t done sufficient
testing!’
‘Do you want to end up in a government funded mass grave out in the mountains?’
Anderson muttered quietly into Peterson’s ear. ‘Because that’s where we’re all headed if
this doesn’t go down right this minute.’
‘You’re not serious,’ Peterson frowned. ‘That’s inhuman.’
‘You work for the army,’ Anderson said gruffly. ‘Welcome to the Jungle … now …
Professor Stei … Sorry, no names, of course,’ Anderson corrected himself. ‘This
gentleman here is the head of a corporation specialising in genetic research, modification
and enhancement … much like we do … only on a more … novel field.’
‘Our subjects were of the highest quality!’ The Professor snapped. ‘We had the highest
success rate of any genetics manipulation research in the world until six weeks ago,
when a new Doctor joined our staff.’
‘Go on,’ General Anderson prompted.
‘He claimed to have the vital elements we were lacking, I mean, why would we refuse his
help? The man was clearly a genius. His knowledge of DNA extrapolation and mutation
were unsurpassed, I should have known then that I could not trust him. I was blinded by
his ability, too engrossed in thinking about his potential and what he could bring to our
company to consider him as a saboteur.’
‘But that’s what he turned out to be?’ Peterson joined in.
‘A LIAR AND A DECIEVER! AND THE BASTARD WHO DESTROYED EVERYTHING I’VE
WORKED MY ENTIRE LIFE TO ACCOMPLISH!’ The Professor roared. ‘He took out the
facilities, released all the subjects and took them to god knows where, but not before he
gathered ample evidence to send to the authorities. More than enough for them to bring
legal action against me and my company. I’m legally bankrupt now gentlemen, but
luckily, offshore bank accounts that the government don’t know about are more than
enough for me to live out my life in absolute luxury … except for one thing … that man
… that … BASTARD! … I want him dead! I want HIM DEAD! I want those assistants of his
DEAD! I want EVERYBODY WHO HAS EVER BEEN HIS ASSISTANT DEAD! I want his
family DEAD! But … I want all that to come from somebody he trusts. Somebody who he
considers to be his friend and ally. Somebody he’s known for …’
‘The longest we’ve been able to sustain the Sleeper programme is just under a year,’
Peterson spoke up.
‘Then that will do … a year from now, somebody who has become one of this man’s
closest friends will turn on him and kill him along with all of his do-gooder friends. When
that day comes … It will be sweeter than anything else I could imagine.’
‘Then you’ve come to the right place,’ General Anderson smiled. ‘L96A1 here is a sleeper
cell; even he won’t know what he’s there to do. He won’t have any kind of idea until the
specified time period expires. But don’t worry, he won’t be blinded by any attachments
he’s made, they’ll be completely overwritten by the mission he’s given.’
‘Good,’ The Professor said curtly. ‘I don’t have much information on the man, that was
another red flag that should have warned me. But I’ve had people scouring the globe for
months; it’s as if he disappeared off the face of the Earth. But, luckily, we’ve been
reviewing Security tapes and there is ample conversation about a site on the internet. A
mass forum of people that they referred to as The Mercury Rooms. Here is the file,’ he
said, handing over a disk. ‘I’ve also included a list of the names of people our security
system heard him and his assistants discussing. Those are all the people I want
terminating.’
‘Very well,’ General Anderson said, taking the disk. ‘L96A1 will be dispatched before the
day is through. You need not worry any further about …’ General Anderson turned the
disk over and read the label. ‘ … The Dr or any of these others … we’ll see to it … as long
as your cheque clears.’
‘There’s no issue there,’ The Professor smirked. ‘You’ll find the money already in your
account General.’
‘And you’ll find yourself a well satisfied man in just under a year,’ Anderson smiled as he
led the Professor out of the room.

***

‘CHRIS!’ Roxy shouted, grabbing him as he fell backwards, three gunshot wounds in his
chest. ‘WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!’ Roxy shrieked at L96A1 who was holstering the gun.
‘Ma job,’ L96A1 replied simply. ‘Infiltrate the inner circle of The Dr. for a period of Three-
hundred-sixty-two days. Assassinate The Dr. and his named associates … be thankful
that you’re not on the list, Roxy,’ he said flatly and strode out of the chamber, leaving her
propping up Chris as he spat blood down his front. At that minute, the large window that
looked out onto the gardens exploded as Freaka-chu crashed through it.
‘What happened?’ He asked urgently, taking hold of Chris who’s head was now lolling to
one side.
‘It was Neil!’ Roxy sobbed. ‘I don’t know what’s happening to him!’
‘First things first,’ Freaka-chu said, looking around the room, scanning through the
equipment that had been pulled out of the JIC bag. He spotted what he was looking for
and grabbed the small vial of golden liquid, pulling out the cork with his teeth and
allowing a few drops to drip onto Chris’ bullet wounds.
Freaka-chu and Roxy watched with bated breath as the golden blood mixed with
Chris’ own and began to seal up the holes. There were three clinks on the marble floor as
the bullets were forced out of his body.
‘Here,’ Freak-chu said, repositioning Chris in a large armchair. ‘Take this,’ he handed the
vial to Roxy. ‘He’ll need what’s left in there … I’m going after Neil.’
‘What about Alpha?’ Roxy gasped.
‘HIM TOO!’ Freaka-chu replied as he marched from the room and jumped off the balcony
into the main entrance hall where, to his surprise, he was confronted by Skelifish,
McKellion, Cato and the Namians he had left in the grounds.
‘We couldn’t stop him,’ Abrax snarled, nursing a gaping wound in his side. ‘He’s heading
for the Alliance.’
‘I think Neil’s chasing him.’ Skelifish added. ‘Said something about him being on a list.’

***

‘Primary Target: The Dr.,’ General Anderson read off the list in his hands to Peterson who
was imputing the command codes into the data files he would soon be directly uploading
into L96A1’s brain.
‘Weird name,’ Peterson commented.
‘Wait until you hear the rest,’ Anderson snorted. ‘Elion Hempher …,’
‘Sounds foreign,’ Peterson observed.
‘Will-ko …’
‘We’ve got a subject called Will-ko,’ Stevenson chimed in. ‘Down in the vaults, the magic
kid we snatched.’
The General shrugged and continued. ‘Christopher Janes … Freaka-chu …’
‘Sounds more like a username than an actual name …’ Peterson said. ‘I’ll add it anyway
… L96A1 will find the person using it.’ Peterson tapped in the commands.
‘… Fink … Nigel Martin … Jazz …’ Anderson looked up, disgruntled. ‘We’ll need to do
some background checks on these people. Everybody this “Dr.” mentioned while he was
working at the Professor’s company. They’ve literally gone through all of his
conversations in private with this Elion and Will-ko and then taken out each and every
name they spoke about.’
‘Sounds very creepy and stalker-esque,’ Peterson grimaced.
‘And what’s this one … CCKJ … what on Earth could that be?’
‘Clowns … Clearly … Know … Jack …?’ Peterson offered.
‘You’re an idiot,’ General Anderson huffed and ran his finger down the list. ‘The last
name is … Richtocorricas Alpha …’
‘This Dr. doesn’t half hang around with some weirdoes,’ Peterson snorted as he began to
upload the data link.’
‘Who cares,’ General Anderson shrugged. ‘They’ll be dead this time next year.’

***

Richtocorricas Alpha stood before the entrance to the Alliance of Thanateros. He

gazed into the green light that ebbed from the anomaly hundreds of feet down the shaft.
It would be a simple matter to do away with it. Clearly a rent had occurred between two
parallel universes. A tear in the fabric of space, he would be the needle and thread with
which it was repaired.
He manoeuvred himself up onto the lip of the stone circle that bordered the hole in
the floor and looked down.
BLAM! The bullet ricocheted off one of the metal components embedded into the
back of Alpha’s skull. He growled and turned slowly on the spot to see one of the Allucian
clan, rifle in hand, trying to look calm as he reloaded his weapon.
‘… Surely …’ Alpha wheezed. ‘You … did not … expect that … to work … … …’
‘Not really,’ L96A1 replied. ‘Wasn’t meant tae kill ye …’ He smiled as he cocked the riffle.
‘A just needed ye tae turn around … thanks.’
BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! Six carefully aimed bullets struck
Alpha in the circuitry beneath his jaw, the mechanisms that filtered oxygen to his vital
systems, as well as his vocal projection unit.
Alpha’s systems let out a long, agonizing mechanical wheeze.
‘T-t-t-that … was … un-w-w-wis-s-s-se,’ his voice box spluttered.
‘Not the first time either,’ Freaka-chu said angrily as he stormed through the circular
door that led into the cavernous chamber. The Venchamon glared angrily at both of them
as his backup filed in. ‘What the fuck, Neil?’ Freaka-chu barked.
‘Is Chris alright?’ L96A1 queried, seemingly uninterested.
‘You shot him three times Neil … do you think he’s alright?’
‘WHAT?’ McKellion fumed. ‘What about …?’
‘Roxy’s fine,’ Freaka-chu cut him off. ‘He only shot Chris.’
‘A would have thought you’d use the Namian blood tae revive him,’ L96A1 replied without
taking his gaze off of Alpha. ‘He died though … for a second at least … so now he’s
officially off ma list. Ma orders said a have tae kill these people … you included by the
way Freaka-chu… says nothing about what happens after I’ve killed them … and you.’
BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! L96A1 offloaded a few more rounds into Alpha, indenting his chest
plate but making no real damage.
‘You want to tell us what’s going on?’ Skelifish said angrily.
‘A’ve only just found out maself,’ L96A1 shrugged. ‘Seems am a Sleeper Agent, didn’t
have a clue. Am here tae kill The Dr. and people he’s associated with like Chris and
Freaka-chu. Seems he pissed off some rich bastard with more cash than forgiveness,
took down his entire business empire if ma debriefing is correct. This guy wanted tae put
somebody in tight with The Dr., so it hurt more when I eventually turned on him. Only
trouble is … there’s been some side-effects … seems am not as heartless as they wanted
me tae be. Am exploiting a loop hole. Really, a should go back and finish Chris off but
he’s been dead ... so a consider that mission a success … oh … and by the way.’
L96A1 swung around suddenly. BLAM! Firing a shot, hitting Freaka-chu between
the eyes. ‘Sorry,’ L96A1 said emotionlessly, turning back on Alpha who had taken the
momentary distraction to advance forwards a few paces, but the gun was trained on the
gigantic creature once again.
‘OW! DICKHEAD!’ Freaka-chu hissed, getting back to his feet, his face reconstructing
itself as he rose. ‘THAT! HURT!’
‘Course it hurt,’ L96A1 said. ‘A shot ye … in the face … figured it was the quickest way
tae get it over with … you’re off ma list too now by the way.’
‘Thanks a million,’ Freaka-chu humphed.
‘A might not be able tae show it,’ L96A1 continued. ‘A might have tae stand here, looking
stony-faced and not wincing as a shoot ma mates … but ad be cryin’ if a could man. A
don’t want tae do this.’
‘Then don’t,’ Skelifish interjected. ‘Fight it!’
‘Oh … a wish a could man … ave bin tryin’ tae. That’s why ave had a headache all this
time, it was ma mind tryin’ tae suppress ma programmin’. “Neil” is a creation … a
fictitious character that they made up in order for me tae infiltrate ALLUC and The
Mercury Rooms … but … a prefer him tae being me … L96A1 … a don’t want tae kill
anybody … but ave got tae … at least until am incapacitated … that’s kinda why am
firing bullets intae Skeletor here … a know it wont do nay good tae stoppin’ him … am
just waiting for the ones who can deal with me to arrive … and stop me.’
‘I’m here,’ Freaka-chu said, taking up his scythe.
‘Aye … but can yae practice what yae preach, Freaka-chu? Could ye take up that scythe
o’yours and slice me in half? … Bearing in mind am programmed tae defend maself …
tae the death.’
‘I’m sorry Neil …’ The voice came from above. It was an odd, unearthly voice. It was deep
and thoughtful, full of wisdom and fire. ‘I’m so sorry,’ the voice came again, louder this
time as something began to merge through the ceiling of the cavern. A large green form,
donned in a blue cape. Its bald head looked down at the crowd with orange eyes burning
as it carried Roxy and a black bag in its arms down to the ground.
The alien set down his passenger and bowed its head towards L96A1. ‘I never
could have imagined what was happening inside you … I knew you had amnesia, but you
were so adamant to discover the facts on your own … now I know why.’
‘It wasn’t ma idea,’ L96A1 said blankly. ‘It was a safety protocol to protect ma mission
statement.’
‘So it seems,’ Manhunter replied, cocking his head to one side.
‘Chris?’ Freaka-chu gawped.
‘Martian Manhunter,’ the alien corrected. ‘My deepest thanks to you, Cato,’ Manhunter
said without taking his eyes from Neil. ‘Your cure worked on both my wounds and the
virus.’
‘And … you’re you again?’ McKellion asked happily.
‘Indeed,’ Manhunter replied. ‘Though the time for that will come later … now … we have
more urgent matters to deal with.’
‘Its good tae see you again Chris,’ L96A1 said BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! As once again he
shot Alpha several times, the bullets were lodging in the beast, but they were having no
effect.
Alpha was furious, that much was clear. What little flesh he had left over his face
was contorting into a frown of utter hatred and disdain.
‘M-m-mart-i-i-an …’ His voice box fizzled. ‘… I … ki-i-i-i-ill-ed-d y-ou-ou-u …’
‘It didn’t take,’ Manhunter replied forcefully. ‘I’ve been killed a lot recently … and it all
started with you Alpha … I swore that I would make you pay for what you did to me …
and for what you have done to countless others.’
There was a shower of sparks from Alpha’s voice box, his head jiggled violently on
its spindly supports, lolling backwards.
‘I think he’s laughing at you,’ Skelifish mused.
‘I expected nothing less …’ Manhunter said bluntly. ‘He thinks he cannot be destroyed.
Before, his mind was barricaded, an endless fortress of barriers and mental shields …
but now … he has become even more unbalanced … and I can see his thoughts … I can
sense his fear … and now … I know how to destroy him.’
Alpha’s head snapped up, his remaining five arms unfurled with shocking speed
and he dived headfirst into the Alliance of Thanateros.
‘He’s going to try to destroy the rift!’ L96A1 shouted, jumping in after him.
‘Come on!’ Skelifish shouted as he and Roxy each grabbed one of McKellion’s arms and
dove into the circular hole in the ground.
‘I can never thank you enough,’ Manhunter said as he flew towards the opening.
‘Think nothing of it,’ Cato said, waving a hand. ‘Now, you must leave, lest he destroy the
portal before you can return.
Manhunter nodded and flew into the opening, Freaka-chu hot on his heels.
‘Might see you around!’ Freaka-chu called as he disappeared into the green light. The
green glow peaked again, filling the whole cavern with its brilliant green light, before it
returned to its dormant state once more, though the glow that had been there before had
vanished, now … there was just the darkness of the pit.
‘What happened?’ Abrax questioned as Cato examined one of the pillars.
‘Hmmm,’ Cato nodded. ‘As I expected. Somebody who came through to our world has
finally returned to the other side … the Alliance has sealed itself … now … it can only
open again from the other side.’
‘Do you think they made it?’ Abrax gasped.
‘I would think so …’ Cato said, scratching his beard. ‘They all entered before the light
faded. I see no reason why they should be trapped within the anomaly … at least … I
hope not …’

The green light cleared, leaving small spots in Freaka-chu’s vision. He hit the
ground running and skidded to a halt by a black marble archway, the same one that his
neck had been broken around not so long ago. His blood was still there, dry now, but
still there never the less. Alpha’s battered helmet and severed arm lay off to the side.
Freaka-chu stood to his full height; Roxy, McKellion and Skelifish were next to
him, watching as the Manhunter put his Martian strength into action and pinned
Richtocorricas Alpha up against the cave wall.
Alpha had raised the arm through which he transmitted the virus that had killed
the Martian the first time, only to remember that it was this arm that now lay on the
floor, several yards away.
Freaka-chu, Skelifish and the up-until now quietly observant L96A1 went forward
and helped Manhunter to hold Alpha’s flailing limbs, their deadly weaponry whirring and
blasting at them as he writhed to be free of their grip.
Manhunter gave them a thankful nod and reached up, taking hold of Alpha’s
chest plate and tearing it clean off, revealing a mass of circuitry and pulsating devices. A
pair of withered lungs pulsed weakly amidst the robotics, shrivelled in a pale liquid.
‘There,’ Manhunter said, pointing to a black orb at the base of Alpha’s metal
ribcage. ‘The black-hole generator. This is where Alpha draws his powers from.
Destroying this will destroy Alpha.’
‘Good,’ L96A1 said, placing a boot on the arm he had been holding to keep it in place and
taking up his rifle. ‘He’s on my list …’
‘We are not going to destroy him,’ Manhunter said, forcing L96A1 to lower his rifle. ‘He
must be incarcerated, tried and sentenced. Nobody deserves to die, no matter what they
have done.’
‘He said it himself, he’s already dead!’ L96A1 said emotionlessly. ‘Plus … I MUST
complete ma mission, I must kill everybody on the list … it’s either that … or you have to
kill me.’
‘That’s not something that’s going to happen, Neil,’ Skelifish cursed, grunting as two
arms he held in place began to twitch for freedom.
Alpha’s voice box cascaded sparks once more. He was laughing again.
‘F-f-ools! …’ He whirred. ‘… The … g-g-g-enerra-t-t-or-or-or … su-ust-ains-s-s … the bl-a-a-
ac-ack-ack … hol-ole-ole-ole … too-oo …… … Dest-t-roy-ing-ing-ing … it … wil-ill make-ake
… it … im-plo-ode-de …… … Tak-ake-aking … all of yo-ou … wi-ith-ith … it! … … …’
‘He sends stuff back to his master, right?’ L96A1’s head snapped up.
‘Indeed,’ Manhunter nodded.
‘Then I’d be willin’ tae bet the black hole leads tae Raljex.’
‘So?’ Freaka-chu frowned.
‘Raljex is on ma list too,’ L96A1 said plainly. ‘So … you lot have a choice … you either kill
me now … you try tae stop me from killin’ Alpha, whereupon al go on tae kill The Dr. and
Will-ko and Jazz, CooCooKaJoo, Fink, The Manager … but he’s already dead.’
‘Oh … bonus then,’ Freaka-chu growled.
‘OR,’ L96A1 continued. ‘You can let me destroy one of the greatest threads tae your and
the Universe’s safety … Let me take out Alpha and give me a go at Raljex … The Dr. said
he exists at the beginning of time, there’s no way I’ll be able tae get tae the Allucians on
ma list then … am not immortal … please man … it’s the only option we’ve got.’
‘There’s got to be another way …’ Manhunter began.
‘Too late!’ L96A1 said suddenly. BLAM! A single bullet shattered the Black-Hole-
Generator, causing the anomaly that consisted of Alpha’s torso began to swirl and twist
violently. ‘Ye best move back,’ L96A1 warned, pushing the others out of the way as the
black hole engulfed the soldier and what now remained of Alpha. He had been
screaming, but that had now died away, leaving only a few random twitches in his limbs
as the black hole began to compact his body parts, sucking the debris into the vortex
through which L96A1 was sinking steadily.
‘NEIL!’ Roxy shouted after him, keeping her distance from the gravitation pull that had
already sucked in Alpha’s helmet and severed arm.
‘Don’t worry,’ L96A1 said, forcing his face to make a smile that ended up looking far too
sinister to be pleasant. ‘If there’s a way back, al find it … and I’ll find you guys … once
am done with ma list … and those bastards that made me kill ma friends … see you
laaaaaaaaaattttttttttteeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrr … … …’
His last word echoed all around them as the black hole folded in on itself and
disappeared into nothingness.
‘No,’ Roxy shook her head. ‘No … I … I can’t believe he’s gone.’
‘Don’t worry,’ Manhunter said, reaching into the JIC bag. ‘We’re going to find him … me
and The Dr. We’re going to find him, and we’ll break his programming, get rid of that
damn list … you’ll see.’
Manhunter pulled out a large red crystal with a button embedded in the hilt and
pressed it.
‘We’ll bring him back,’ Manhunter said quietly as a feint wing began to blow around the
cavern.
VROOOOOOOOOOOOK!
But he had done it. He had accomplished what he set out to do. He was Martian
again, now, he consoled himself by thanking the heavens that L96A1 hadn’t been
‘activated’ whilst still in The Mercury Rooms.
VROOOOOOOOOOOOK!
Who knew what devastation and destruction might have been caused. A new
anger surged through Manhunter. He would find the people that did this to Neil and he
would make sure that justice was done. He would make them reverse what they had
done, no matter what the cost.
VROOOOOOOOOOOOK!
But there was the small matter of finding him first, that was a job that Manhunter
was not equipped for on his own.
VROOOOOOOOOK!
Luckily though, he knew a man that was. He knew a man that would have no
trouble reaching the beginning of time. They could be there before … whatever the next
mealtime was. He had lost track. He wasn’t even sure what day it was.
VROOOOOOOOOOK!
But it was a new day, a new chapter. He was Martian again, his power restored.
He had achieved what he had set out to do, unlocking the mysteries of the Alliance of
Thanateros in the process.
VROOOOOOOOOOK!
And as the red pillar box materialized before them, their chariot, ready to take
them back to their rightful place … their rightful time, Manhunter felt a surge of
optimism, yes, they would find Neil, they would see to it that nothing like this ever
happened again, and if this Raljex person wanted a fight then he’d have one.
VROOOOOOOOOOK!
 And so would anybody else that came to mess with The Mercury Rooms … anyone
… anyplace … anytime.
VROOOOOOOOOOK!

***

‘THAT’S IMPOSSIBLE!’ Peterson cried as the small green blip on the screen that was
L96A1 blinked out of existence.
‘He’s probably somewhere out of contact,’ Jacobson chimed in. ‘It’s happened before, the
system is faulty.’
‘No!’ Peterson said firmly. ‘There’s nothing, before, we had at least a feint signal, but
there’s nothing there now.’
‘I’m telling you he’s fine,’ Jacobson said, poking Peterson hard in the chest. ‘You always
overreact Peterson. I don’t know what you’re worried about. We’re the last team standing,
everybody else failed. It’s just us now.’
‘What’s going on?’ General Anderson had entered the room.
‘Sir,’ Peterson cut across Jacobson. ‘Sir, there’s a problem.’
‘MIGHT be a problem,’ Jacobson added.
‘A problem?’ General Anderson said sternly. ‘What sort of problem?’
‘Probably one of the side-effects I warned you about last year,’ Peterson said scornfully.
‘We’ve lost L96A1’s signal … completely.’
‘Hmmm,’ General Anderson said with a smirk. ‘Then what’s the problem?’ He asked,
turning to the window beside him into a large cryo-stasis lab where hundreds of tanks
sat in rows, each of them containing a soldier. ‘Just unfreeze L96A2.’ The General said,
slapping Peterson on the back as he strode out of the room again.
‘Told you it wasn’t a problem,’ Jacobson scorned.

***

VROOOOOOOOOOK!
‘Now there’s a sight for sore eyes,’ Roxy said as the pillar box fully materialized before
them.
‘I can say, I’m actually glad to see that thing!’ McKellion puffed.
The metal hatch of the craft flew open as the five travellers approached. The man
that emerged huffed as he straightened his wide-brimmed hat and flicked his blonde
ponytail back over his shoulder. He thrust his hands into the pockets of his long brown
coat and sighed at them, patting his jeans as he looked them up and down.
‘You guys are not going to believe what’s been going on,’ he said grimly in a South African
accent.
‘Who the hell are you?’ Skelifish demanded.
‘Me?’ The man replied, bewildered. ‘… Who else were you expecting? I’m The Dr.!’