Global Guardians: The Insiders!

By lawrenceliberty

A new team of heroes assembles in Markovia but will their creation be a dream or a nightmare in the making!

1

The kingdom of Markovia was quaint with a largely rural society steeped in Old World traditions and a proud heritage as embodied by the Royal Family; however, this peaceful land that had once been rightly described as something out of fairy tale or a dream could now be correctly known as a place of nightmares! The nightmares plagued everyone from the poorest farm hand to King Gregor and Queen Ilona. Be they occupants of a crumbling shack or a luxurious palace the residents of Markovia had fitful sleep and terrible visions during their sleeping hours!
King Gregor was a strong man with a determined manner and a good mind. He was open to new ideas and yet he understood the need for his people to be allowed to retain cherished customs from their past. Still, this noble king was troubled by nightly visions in which his late father King Viktor glowered at him from the throne itself and seemed to view him with disappointment if not anger or hatred.

He awakened with a shudder and told himself once more that dreams meant nothing. He knew his father had loved him and he believed that he was doing a good job as ruler. He glanced down at the lovely, delicate Queen Ilona and noticed that she was whimpering in her own sleep.

“I will not allow these terrors of the mind to torment us any longer! I have already summoned Prince Brion from America and he will use his formidable powers to defend this land! He will have help as well! I have thought of every eventuality!” he thought as if desperate to convince himself that all would be well.

In a small home near the border a gray haired man trembled in his own sleep. Hans Mueller had served the Nazi regent of Markovia during the dark days of World War II. Now, he lived quietly with his sister and her family and avoided being seen by anyone else. He had slipped back into Markovia a few years ago after living in exile for decades. They hid him out of family loyalty but they didn’t approve of his past service to the evil De Lamb family or their Nazi masters. Now, he shuddered as he saw images of the long dead De Lamb and his equally villainous son Baron Bedlam lead tanks into Markovia. He wanted nothing more to do with his past treachery. Still, he dreamed and the old man was helpless to make the dreams stop. It didn’t matter if the sleeper was a guilty felon or an innocent child; the vivid nightmares tormented everyone in Markovia regardless of their seeming wholesomeness or inner shame.

The next night the weary Markovians celebrated as the royal palace was brightly illuminated with colorful lights, bright banners, and slightly faded tapestries that depicted moments in Markovian history. The members of the royal family were dressed in their finest gowns or heavily braided military uniforms.

A powerfully built man with strong features and sandy colored hair stood stiffly by King Gregor. Prince Brion was not really uncomfortable with pageantry. He had grown up as a king’s son; however, he had grown accustomed to a more relaxed lifestyle during his years in America as the heroic Geo-Force. Geo-Force had acquired super strength and other remarkable abilities through the scientific genius of Dr. Helga Jace. She had once served Markovia well but had valued scientific knowledge over loyalty and betrayed the hero and his allies during a crisis that involved aliens and subterfuge. Still, Brion relished the powers her science had given him and he placed equal value on the friendships he had made in America when he had served as a member of a team of champions known as the Outsiders.

He smiled as he remembered the pretty blonde teens called Halo and Windfall. He had a brotherly affection for the girls and he hoped they were well. He knew their grimly effective guardian Katana would keep them safe at all costs. He also missed Black Lightning and Metamorpho. The two men were vastly different from one another in temperament and demeanor but they had been good friends to him and he would never forget them. He also missed the sultry Looker and a lovely college girl named Denise Howard. Both women had occupied a place in his heart. He sighed and wondered if a super hero had less chance than even a royal prince of finding true love when the price of duty was so steep. Duty had brought him back to Markovia at his older brother’s request. He felt Brion should defend their homeland and this resolve was motivated in part by the fact that various super villains had threatened their land recently and it had fallen to the international heroes known as the Global Guardians to defeat them since Geo-Force had been busy in America.

He scowled as he saw several newcomers approach from the stairway above the grand ballroom. He was not pleased that King Gregor had invited an arms dealer to their land. He knew good things about the brilliant Geoffrey Barron and his amazing inventions. Batman himself had given a grudging nod of approval to the man as far as his personal integrity and gifted mind were concerned. Still, Barron Industries threatened to change Markovia in ways Brion did not condone.

Geoffrey Barron was a tall black man with white hair and a neatly styled goatee. He moved elegantly but his eyes scanned the area with the care of the former C.I.A. agent he had once been. This data about Barron’s secret past came directly from Batman himself so Brion knew it was accurate. Barron lived in a huge Swiss chalet. He was wealthy from the fabulous inventions his mind had created and his company had produced. He was here at Gregor’s invitation to peddle an armored battlesuit called the Technocrat. Gregor hoped the armor could equip his guardsmen and better protect their homeland. Brion didn’t like the idea of such technology based warriors occupying his home. He was still somewhat hurt by Dr. Jace’s betrayal. He also knew that such high tech weapons had not improved the reputation of tiny Modora since its rulers had given their own troops sonic armament. Brion hoped the demonstration of the armored suit would fail but until then he would keep his opinion to himself.

As for Geoffrey Barron himself he was eager to conclude his business deal and return home. He loved working in his lab and he preferred to leave the financial end of his daily operations to his capable wife Marissa Davenport Barron. The beautiful heiress was much younger than Barron but she seemed to enjoy their time together and relished any opportunity to show off her good looks and quick wit. The raven haired Marissa was oddly absent from the ball. She had felt unwell and had insisted on remaining in their room. She claimed fatigue and Geoffrey knew that neither of them had slept well since their arrival on their private jet. Bad dreams that reminded him of his C.I.A. days had troubled him in the night and it seemed like Marissa had not rested well either. He wondered idly as they needed a long vacation away from the demands of business. Perhaps when this Markovian deal was completed he could take her away from it all!

A tall, beautiful blonde woman stood beside Barron in the ballroom. She looked like any other guest with her pale beauty and lovely blue gown but she was actually a highly skilled bodyguard and she was hard at work in the midst of the celebration. She had worked with Barron in his C.I.A. days and now Charlize Wylde was his personal bodyguard. The two had a good friendship and a mutual trust in one another. If Charlize seemed out of place at the ball it was for another reason entirely since the lovely woman could easily handle any situation from a social event to a battle in the Middle Eastern sands! She smiled politely and said, “I hope Marissa will get some rest. She has a lot of stamina and certainly stays fit but sleep is essential for good health!”

Geoffrey nodded and said, “She works too hard! I want her to take a vacation when we conclude this deal. If Prince Gregor buys the Technocrat armor for his guardsmen, we shall have earned some time off! We also need time to fix your…problem!”

Charlize nodded and said, “I hope Faust can fix this whole mess! He looks like a kid…a corrupt kid… but he seems to have some resources beyond his years!”

She referred to a young British man who had accompanied them but who remained outside the palace. Faust preferred the village pub to a palace. He was being paid to use certain arcane talents of his to remove a curse that plagued Charlize. She had been badly injured by a bear during a hunting trip and the weird youth had been on the scene for some reason of his own. He saved her life but in doing so he cursed the blonde with a form of lycanthropy. When she lost her temper the elegant woman turned into a she-bear and lost most of her self control!

She was coping with this mystical plight as best as anyone could. She tried to make Geoffrey feel like her savage alter ego could make him even safer than she could when she was in her female form but neither of the friends wanted her to endure such a nightmare for any longer than she had to do so. Faust was unreliable but he was all the help they had. Even Barron didn’t know exactly how to find a wizard for hire. He had heard rumors that the performer Sargon had real magic but time was of the essence so he’d decided to give the British youth a chance to remedy what his dark magic had accidentally wrought.

Little did Geoffrey Barron suspect, Marissa Barron had made a rapid recovery and was even now making her way through a wooded area a few miles from Castle Markov. She had never truly been ill except for the fact that she was obsessed with stalking and punishing those she deemed to be criminals. This compulsion was almost a mania with her.  No one else knew that the sexy, vain Marissa also had a secret identity known as the Eradicator! As the Eradicator she was driven to relentlessly hunt down and kill criminals! Oddly enough she was even now on her way to do just that. She had access to certain data files she had compiled as “Marissa”; however, it would be difficult to truly determine if she actually realized she was Marissa while she thought of herself as the Eradicator! The files consisted of criminals she had actually dealt with as Marissa. The truth was she had not been honest during her financial dealings and her husband had never bothered to check on her actions since he preferred to spend time in his lab while she handled financial arrangements. She had made a secret fortune by selling his blueprints and technical specifications to a criminal weapons dealer known as Count Jeremy Glass. Now, as the Eradicator she prepared to eliminate the very gang that had so enriched her as Marissa!

She wore a short black dress with dark hosiery, matching heels, and a small veil that covered her face but allowed her to see clearly. She looked like a fashionable bride at an unholy wedding. She approached her prey with the grace of an athlete. As Marissa she had been well trained in martial arts by her husband’s zealous bodyguard Charlize. She used those skills and certain super human powers as the Eradicator!

She frowned as she spotted two burly men in dark suits. They were lackeys. She wanted Count Glass himself. Still, after tonight’s work, there would be two less criminals to harm the innocent! She approached them and they faced her warily.

“Mrs. Barron? The Count sends his regards. We have the money as arranged!” said the taller man.

She smiled beneath the veil and casually reached out one dainty gloved hand. As she removed the glove with its black lace trim, she touched the first man like a flirtatious Southern Belle! He screamed and literally dissolved before the eyes of his startled partner. The other man whipped out a small gun but the woman in black touched it and it crumbled to dust. The man started to run but she moved swiftly and touched his back! He didn’t even have time to scream before he too crumbled to dust.

The Eradicator slipped her specially treated glove back on her hand and idly wiped one heel across the grass to remove any stains.

If the Eradicator’s mind wandered at all during the brutal scene, she might have recalled one business trip to Gotham City where she hoped to profit from a computer program sale to a local criminal called Silversmith. To her horror that evening, Marissa Barron encountered a black cloaked vigilante called the Eradicator! He narrowly missed killing Sterling Silversmith with his corrosive touch but he did catch a frightened and near breathless Marissa!

“All criminals will burn at the touch of the Eradicator!” he said in a funereal tone.

She cringed before his ungloved hand but when he made contact with her arm, they seemed to merge into one being! She regained her feet and fled the scene but the next night she rose from her bed and left a sleeping Geoffrey Barron to begin her own crusade against the very criminals she dealt with as Marissa! Had the flighty, flirty Marissa been able to recall her nightly excursions against crime, she might have theorized that she survived the deadly touch of the vigilante and somehow bonded with his spirit due to something unique about her own metabolism. Perhaps, she had unknowingly been altered in the years she had visited her husband’s lab. She had possibly been exposed to various unknown energies or chemicals.  Someone more versed in super human physiology might suspect that the original Eradicator who had survived his own destructive touch more than once after seemingly dying had such a forceful personality that even in death it remained a palpable presence that now somehow had merged with Marissa's own selfish and determined nature.

In any event, Marissa Barron lived two lives and one of them was devoted to killing those she deemed to be criminals! This calling kept her from attending the royal ball. She didn’t mind. She merely smiled coldly beneath her dark, lacy veil.

Sebastian Faust drank too much. He knew this but he didn’t care. He didn’t really care about anything very much. He was jaded for one so young. He was gaunt, pale, and had slightly disheveled dark hair. He was sitting alone in a corner booth at the small King’s Arms pub in Markovia. He was conflicted at the best of times. He had been sincerely trying to help the sexy blonde woman when the bear mauled her. He used magic and instead of healing her it turned her into a She-Bear. This condition wore off when she calmed down but it returned at unexpected times. Needless to say she and her friend Barron were not pleased. Faust had tried to fall back on charm to calm them down but all he had managed to do was make them accept his promise to try to cure Charlize. He had tried again and again but he had failed. He didn’t really know what to do next. Maybe he should just run away. He’d spent a lot of his life running away. His father was a monster. Felix Faust had fathered him and deserted his mother after one night. He didn’t really care about not having a father in his life except for the fact that when he finally tracked him down and confronted him, Felix Faust had laughed and denied ever having a son. That was bad enough but then the evil wizard who had waged war on super heroes like the Justice League for years had formed a sinister plan. He decided to use this boy as fuel for a magical ritual that would grant him great power.

“I didn’t sire you and yet for all purposes your blood will do nicely for my needs!” he declared as calmly as if he was talking about going fishing or buying a new tie.

At that point Sebastian had fled and eventually found himself stumbling through a wooden area of Switzerland where he had witness the bear’s attack on Charlize Wylde.

Now, he sulked and he worried and he cursed the day he was ever born; however, mostly though Sebastian Faust cursed himself.

Then, he frowned as something stirred within him. He sensed some dark magic was at work. Perhaps this sensation was what he’d first dismissed as a hangover but now he realized that his own mystical heritage gave him certain abilities beyond unreliable spell casting.

He stood up and walked out of the pub. Now that he was not consumed with his own troubles, Sebastian Faust sensed real evil in this tiny kingdom. Perhaps, he might look into the matter. He was out of money anyway and none of the girls in the pub were pretty.

2

Marene Herald felt like a Mitch Wacky Princess! The beautiful blonde psychologist looked every inch a fairy tale heroine in her flowing pink ballgown and heels. She smiled politely as she made her way down the stairs. Since she and her husband Douglas had moved to Markovia, he had been thrilled to work with Queen Ilona to improve the tiny country’s school system but his wife had found herself marveling at the beauty of the kingdom. She had once been a STAR Labs employee associated with more than one research project but she knew how rare an opportunity like the one her teacher husband had received could come along and she had gladly resigned from STAR Labs in the hope that time together in the small country would bring them closer together and provide Doug with a sense of accomplishment. He had swallowed his pride loyally during her years as their primary breadwinner. Now, she had happy to see him be the one given honors and a place of prestige.

Marene had one problem with the move to Markovia. She was a strong and independent woman and she did not like to feel helpless or as if she had little control over her own life. The last few years had made her feel that way again and again! She remembered how she had confided her feelings to a professional colleague in the mental health field.

“Gardner Grayle was a soldier assigned to a secret project that involved sensory deprivation among other factors. We didn’t realize that he would develop mental powers of his own. Maybe they came from his sense of isolation or perhaps he had always had them.”

“He was able to take control of the artificial environment and he turned it into a post apocalyptic fantasy in which he led a group of armored Atomic Knights in a quest to rebuild the post atomic war world. It lacked the harsh realities of what such a world would truly be like and came to include monsters, villains, and even the Greek god Hercules! Grayle’s mind and imagination were so powerful he was able to tap into latent mental powers and reshape the confines of his isolation into the heroic world of his creation.”

“He put idealized versions of people he knew in this world. I was there and so was Doug and two brothers named Hobard and a scientist named Bryndon but we were different there. I mean we were the way Gardner wanted us to be!”

She had struggled with her role in the experiment since she eventually learned that not only had her own memories of it been suppressed but Gardner had fantasized about her and saw her as his love interest and not a married woman.

“Gardner was in love with me and in his fantasy world, I was single and Doug was my brother. That caused some friction in my marriage since although nothing had ever happened between us, Gardner’s mind was so powerful that his emotions seemed so vivid and a real part of our life. We wondered if some stress in our marriage was caused by his mind reaching uot from his seclusion and altering our own reality in small subtle ways!”

Eventually, he emerged from the Project with help from Superman himself and he became a real super hero called the Atomic Knight. He died during the alien Invasion and left his super scientific armor to Marene.

“Gardner left his armor to me out of some crazy affection he kept for me even after waking up. The armor had actually been designed in part by a genius called Colonel Future. He modified it for me and I’ve used it a few times. It made me feel more alive than I ever had before. It also made Doug very worried about me but he respected my desire to make my own decisions.”

Now, she recalled the real reason the move to Markovia troubled her. The armor altered her in some way and she started having precognitive visions! One of those visions depicted her as the Atomic Knight in the more feminine golden armor Future had created for her. It showed her in Markovia fighting monsters. The whole thing seemed surreal…until Doug received the offer to teach there and Marene realized she might soon be living the nightmare she had envisioned.  Did she no longer have any control over her own life?

“Well, I’m wearing a gown not the battle suit. That should mean I won’t be battling giant spiders in the ballroom!” she thought.

She held Doug’s hand as they approached the lovely Queen Ilona and she said, “I am so proud of you!”

He smiled and squeezed her hand as they listened to the young Queen’s effusive greeting.

At that moment a weird looking man cackled wickedly and adjusted the controls on a sophisticated looking machine. The strangeness of the situation was only increased by the fact that he did so with metallic limbs that attached to his bulbous torso and responded to his mental commands. He was short with a receding hairline and small eyes that looked at the world with malice but he had eight metallic legs attached to his body harness and at times he would lift himself off the ground with two of them and looked down at his machine with pride.

He smiled and said, “I have tested my machine for days and now I shall let the Markovians know what it means for their worst nightmares to come to lethal life!”

Just as the guests were being shown to their seats at the large banquet table, three guardsmen rushed in and approached King Gregor.

“Your Majesty, the palace is under attack! Horrible creatures are crawling over the gates and may soon breech the doors and windows!” said Ericose the Chief Guardsman.

King Gregor said, “What of the village? Are my people also in peril or has only the palace been singled out for attack?”

Ericose said, “I think for now it is only the palace royal that has been targeted!”

“Secure the ground as best as you can!” ordered King Gregor as his brother Brion used his own remarkable powers to nullify gravity and enable himself to fly out of the palace to see a scene of terror. Giant spiders were approaching the structure in spite of the best efforts of the guardsmen to stop them. Each arachnid was as large as a car.

Geo-Force (Prince Brion) had swiftly shed his royal uniform to reveal a costume of green and gold. He studied the scene for a moment. The spiders did not seem to be robotic in nature. Each one looked slightly different for the others and they moved more like living things than machines.

He raised his hands and generated scorching lava blasts that ignited the nearest spider and send it crashing to the ground. He slammed into the second one and tore it apart with his super strength. He was off to a good start but there were over a dozen more of the monstrous creatures and he could only do so much!

“I wish my friends were here!” he thought.

Geoffrey Barron turned to Charlize Wylde who was already kicking off her heels as she raced for the balcony that overlooked the courtyard.

“You don’t have to do this, Charlie!” he said.

She tossed her blonde hair away from her face and said, “I might as well make use of my other side!”

She growled suddenly and her body changed into the form of a huge She-bear! She bounded forward and hurled herself over the balcony to land on one of the spiders below. She raked the monster with her claws and tore into its body with her teeth. There was no sign of the lovely woman she had been seconds before her transformation!

As for Barron himself he shed his tux to reveal a metallic chest plate that ionized and became a thicker bluish metal armor that covered his limbs and allowed him to slip on a folded piece of clothe that miraculously hardened at his command to become a blue helmet that protected his head and gave him enhanced vision via a sophisticated yellow hued lens that extended across the upper half of the helmet. He activated jets via a cybernetic command and soared into the night. His enhanced hearing picked up the sounds of screams from every direction and he flew swiftly into the midst of a scene of combat in which beleaguered guardsmen were losing ground to the huge spiders!

“Thank goodness Marissa is safely inside in our room!” he thought as he generated a pulse of energy that knocked a spider into the air.

Little did the Technocrat, as Barron called anyone who wore his armor, know but his wife as the Eradicator was only now reaching the palace grounds. She moved gracefully through the night and when one of the spiders approached her she calmly removed her gloves and destroyed it with her burning touch.

Marene Herald had looked imploringly at Doug and said, “I’m sorry but I have to help! I have to!”

As spiders broke into the ballroom, Marene raced upstairs and changed into the gleaming golden armor of the Atomic Knight! She admired the craftsmanship Colonel Future had put into the design. It was entirely functional but also had a truly feminine design about it. She activated a jet pack and flew downward as she drew a baton that extended itself into an NRG-Blade. The weapon crackled with power as she drove it into the spider’s head.

She whirled and activated a matching NRG Shield which protected her from another spider as it reared up over her. She rolled under it and rammed the sword into its body again and again.

“This really is my nightmare come to life. My visions seem to be entirely accurate so far!” she mused. “How long until I see my own death or Doug’s?” she thought with dismay.

King Viktor recognized Barron in the Technocrat armor and he could see by the way Doug Herald’s eyes never left the golden warrior woman called the Atomic Knight that the heroine must indeed be the missing Marene Herald. He had witnessed Charlize Wylde’s transformation into the She-bear but he could still not understand what he had witnessed. Even after Baron Bedlam’s bizarre schemes and Dr. Jace’s advanced science, he could barely comprehend how a lovely woman could become a raging beast!

Wylde was growling and clawing at the spiders as her boss the Technocrat used his advanced weapons to slay other monsters. Geoffrey shuddered as he saw how much of his loyal friend had been lost to her savage other self!

“Faust has to cure her! He has to!” he thought.

He started to return to combat when he spotted a small figure on the edge of the palace grounds. She was about to fall beneath a spider. Her pale features were partly concealed by a veil but to his enhanced vision she was unmistakable.

“Marissa! That was Marissa!” he thought as he flew toward his wife.

He gasped as his special helmet illuminated the darkness of the night and allowed him to see Marissa on the ground before a looming spider.

She was dressed all in black and her hands crackled with an eerie energy!

He dropped down to block the creature’s path and quickly blew it to pieces with an energy burst. As he turned to help his wife, his eyes widened with shock as he realized from her expression and the look in her eyes that there was no longer any trace of the woman he loved. She looked the same but her expressions, her mannerisms; her movements were those of an entirely different being.

“Marissa, honey? It’s me, Geoffrey!” he said in a pleading tone of voice.

She looked into his eyes and said, “Thank you for your help! The Eradicator is in your debt!”

Geo-Force was not tired yet. He seemed to be everywhere at once as he battled the spiders that threatened his kingdom.

“I won’t fail! I shall never fail my people again!” he vowed.

He smashed through another spider and turned to the Atomic Knight.

“You are a welcome ally!” he said.

The Atomic Knight said, “I’m trying my best!”

Technocrat couldn’t conceive of what shock or mania had changed his wife so much but he stayed by her side as she destroyed another spider with her energy touch.

“Is this my fault? Did one of my experiments turn my wife into this thing?” he thought.

Meanwhile, Sebastian Faust materialized within the tower room of the place royal. The long neglected room had been sealed off at some point to reduce the costs of the upkeep of the large building.

“I did it. I’m getting to be a regular Zatara!” he thought. He had sensed the source of the dark magic that threatened the kingdom came from this upper tower.

“I suppose it makes sense. The magic sort of rains down on the village below!” he thought. He gasped as a weird little man loomed up over him and grasped him by the throat with a metallic leg.

“I am Dr. Spider and while you are not the Sandman you will die as swiftly as he would! No one will ever challenge me again and live to boast of it!” he shrieked

“I labored for years to perfect my dream actualizer and it took all I had to give in terms of genius and labor to get it to cause people to have nightmares! Now, I have even greater power since it allows me to bring the stuff of nightmares to vivid reality. Someone in this humble village fears spiders and so it was so very appropriate that I make giant spiders my first creations! You see my name is Spider! Isn’t that fitting, eh?”

“Do not struggle little fly. My cyber legs shall crush you soon enough!” he cackled.

“Don’t hurry on my account!” gasped Faust as he struggled to reach a pouch that hung from his belt.

Dr. Spider smiled and said, “You are an odd little man! Perhaps, I should see what your nightmares are made of before I end your life! I do get so few pleasures, you know!”

He adjusted his machine and a glow filled the room. Moments passed and then nothing happened! Finally, the dream machine exploded into fragments of metal and wire. Dr. Spider hurled Faust to the floor and shrieked, “What are you? You horrid boy! You have broken my precious machine!”

Faust said, “I guess I don’t have any dreams anymore! Lost them when I lost …something else!”

He wriggled away from Dr. Spider and hurled a yellow powder at the scientist’s distorted face.

Dr. Spider screamed as he felt an eldritch energy burn his skin! While no mark or blemish appeared on the outside, his very essence or soul seemed to ignite!

He crashed to the ground and Faust kicked him repeatedly.

“That creep is as bad as my old man!” he said softly.

Suddenly, Geo-Force, the Atomic Knight, Technocrat, and the Eradicator broke into the room. The glow of energy from the machine had attracted their attention when it exploded.

Faust raised his hands and said, “I’ve saved the kingdom. You may shower me with gold and fair maidens!”

Technocrat said, “What’s going on? Is this more of your fouled up magic at work?”

Geo-Force said, “No, the youth seems to be telling the truth. I saw plenty of bizarre inventions in Dr. Jace’s old lab and that broken machine may very well have been the source of the spiders and the nightmares that tormented our homeland!”

The Eradicator lurched forward to grasp the fallen Dr. Spider and with a crackle of energy, she melted him to ashes before the others could pull her away.

“All criminals die when faced with the touch of the Eradicator!” she declared.

As Technocrat tried to reason with his wife, Geo-Force said, “I do not approve of killing but he did threaten our kingdom and has met the death his actions earned!”

King Gregor said, “Why this mad fiend used his machine to torture my subjects and then try to invade Markovia is another mystery!”

The Atomic Knight said, “We worked rather well together didn’t we?”

King Gregor entered the room and said, “Indeed, you did. It prompts me to ask you to form a team of champions to protect Markovia and its neighbors like your own Switzerland, Dr. Barron. I would like to see heroic defenders remain here and keep the area safe from outside threats!”

Geo-Force said, “You mean you want a team like my friends the Outsiders!”

Faust smirked and said, “What would you call us? Insiders?”

Much later, as Geo-Force and King Gregor made plans for such a team and secured the mad Dr. Spider, the Technocrat sat by Charlize Wylde who had resumed her normal female form, and tried to come to terms with all that had happened.

“Dr. Herald is a trained mental health expert. She says she can work with Marissa to try to resolve this whole Eradicator persona she had developed even though she insists  it is not any form of split personality but something more exotic and bizarre in nature. I think we may well take her up on her kind offer. My armor won’t be manufactured either. I discussed it with King Gregor and he understood my change of heart. After seeing so much horror and witnessing what has come over Marissa, I’m not going to make weapons anymore. I’m turning my resources into production of things that will heal and not kill! It worked for Stark and it will work for me!” he said.

Charlize nodded and said, “Faust says he may be able to cure me or at least teach me to control my changes into the She-Bear! He wants to stay here too!”

In her room, Marissa Barron sat across from Dr. Marene Herald and said, “I remember bits and pieces of what happened to me when I was … that other person! I was watching everything I did like I was in a movie or play. It was as if I was an audience member and not a performer although it was my body that killed those people!”

Dr, Herald thought of her own pre-cognitive visions and how they seemed so accurate so far. She had experienced another one in which she and the others were a team and they were battling a beautiful woman and a team of costumed felons!

“I’m as much a prisoner of these visions as she is of her Eradicator persona! How can any action I take or any decision I make truly be my own if my future is already determined by the dreams or visions I see?” she wondered.

Faust strolled across the palace grounds and thought, “Being with those other heroes may be the right move for me. If Daddy Dearest comes looking for me, they can help me stop him from using me in his wizardry. Odd though, all those dreams came from that nutcase and his machine yet my senses made me think magic was behind the whole thing. I guess I have a lot to learn.”

Elsewhere, a tall woman in a red military uniform stood before a monitor screen.

“Dr. Spider failed to take over Markovia for me. I financed his machine for nothing. Still, I have learned more about who defends the kingdom and the Baroness Bedlam shall eventually claim her proper birthright as ruler of all Markovia!” she said.

In a realm beyond the waking world, a strangely dressed man watched and said, “I added my own magic to empower that mortal’s machine but something cut my domain of dreams off from the mortal realm for long enough to prevent its proper functioning. I will find the source of this attack soon enough!” he vowed

The End







Global Guardians: The Insiders!
By lawrenceliberty
A new team of heroes assembles in Markovia but will their creation be a dream or a nightmare in the making!
1
The kingdom of Markovia was quaint with a largely rural society steeped in Old World traditions and a proud heritage as embodied by the Royal Family; however, this peaceful land that had once been rightly described as something out of fairy tale or a dream could now be correctly known as a place of nightmares! The nightmares plagued everyone from the poorest farm hand to King Gregor and Queen Ilona. Be they occupants of a crumbling shack or a luxurious palace the residents of Markovia had fitful sleep and terrible visions during their sleeping hours!
King Gregor was a strong man with a determined manner and a good mind. He was open to new ideas and yet he understood the need for his people to be allowed to retain cherished customs from their past. Still, this noble king was troubled by nightly visions in which his late father King Viktor glowered at him from the throne itself and seemed to view him with disappointment if not anger or hatred.
He awakened with a shudder and told himself once more that dreams meant nothing. He knew his father had loved him and he believed that he was doing a good job as ruler. He glanced down at the lovely, delicate Queen Ilona and noticed that she was whimpering in her own sleep.
“I will not allow these terrors of the mind to torment us any longer! I have already summoned Prince Brion from America and he will use his formidable powers to defend this land! He will have help as well! I have thought of every eventuality!” he thought as if desperate to convince himself that all would be well.
In a small home near the border a gray haired man trembled in his own sleep. Hans Mueller had served the Nazi regent of Markovia during the dark days of World War II. Now, he lived quietly with his sister and her family and avoided being seen by anyone else. He had slipped back into Markovia a few years ago after living in exile for decades. They hid him out of family loyalty but they didn’t approve of his past service to the evil De Lamb family or their Nazi masters. Now, he shuddered as he saw images of the long dead De Lamb and his equally villainous son Baron Bedlam lead tanks into Markovia. He wanted nothing more to do with his past treachery. Still, he dreamed and the old man was helpless to make the dreams stop. It didn’t matter if the sleeper was a guilty felon or an innocent child; the vivid nightmares tormented everyone in Markovia regardless of their seeming wholesomeness or inner shame.
The next night the weary Markovians celebrated as the royal palace was brightly illuminated with colorful lights, bright banners, and slightly faded tapestries that depicted moments in Markovian history. The members of the royal family were dressed in their finest gowns or heavily braided military uniforms.
A powerfully built man with strong features and sandy colored hair stood stiffly by King Gregor. Prince Brion was not really uncomfortable with pageantry. He had grown up as a king’s son; however, he had grown accustomed to a more relaxed lifestyle during his years in America as the heroic Geo-Force. Geo-Force had acquired super strength and other remarkable abilities through the scientific genius of Dr. Helga Jace. She had once served Markovia well but had valued scientific knowledge over loyalty and betrayed the hero and his allies during a crisis that involved aliens and subterfuge. Still, Brion relished the powers her science had given him and he placed equal value on the friendships he had made in America when he had served as a member of a team of champions known as the Outsiders.
He smiled as he remembered the pretty blonde teens called Halo and Windfall. He had a brotherly affection for the girls and he hoped they were well. He knew their grimly effective guardian Katana would keep them safe at all costs. He also missed Black Lightning and Metamorpho. The two men were vastly different from one another in temperament and demeanor but they had been good friends to him and he would never forget them. He also missed the sultry Looker and a lovely college girl named Denise Howard. Both women had occupied a place in his heart. He sighed and wondered if a super hero had less chance than even a royal prince of finding true love when the price of duty was so steep. Duty had brought him back to Markovia at his older brother’s request. He felt Brion should defend their homeland and this resolve was motivated in part by the fact that various super villains had threatened their land recently and it had fallen to the international heroes known as the Global Guardians to defeat them since Geo-Force had been busy in America.
He scowled as he saw several newcomers approach from the stairway above the grand ballroom. He was not pleased that King Gregor had invited an arms dealer to their land. He knew good things about the brilliant Geoffrey Barron and his amazing inventions. Batman himself had given a grudging nod of approval to the man as far as his personal integrity and gifted mind were concerned. Still, Barron Industries threatened to change Markovia in ways Brion did not condone.
Geoffrey Barron was a tall black man with white hair and a neatly styled goatee. He moved elegantly but his eyes scanned the area with the care of the former C.I.A. agent he had once been. This data about Barron’s secret past came directly from Batman himself so Brion knew it was accurate. Barron lived in a huge Swiss chalet. He was wealthy from the fabulous inventions his mind had created and his company had produced. He was here at Gregor’s invitation to peddle an armored battlesuit called the Technocrat. Gregor hoped the armor could equip his guardsmen and better protect their homeland. Brion didn’t like the idea of such technology based warriors occupying his home. He was still somewhat hurt by Dr. Jace’s betrayal. He also knew that such high tech weapons had not improved the reputation of tiny Modora since its rulers had given their own troops sonic armament. Brion hoped the demonstration of the armored suit would fail but until then he would keep his opinion to himself.
As for Geoffrey Barron himself he was eager to conclude his business deal and return home. He loved working in his lab and he preferred to leave the financial end of his daily operations to his capable wife Marissa Davenport Barron. The beautiful heiress was much younger than Barron but she seemed to enjoy their time together and relished any opportunity to show off her good looks and quick wit. The raven haired Marissa was oddly absent from the ball. She had felt unwell and had insisted on remaining in their room. She claimed fatigue and Geoffrey knew that neither of them had slept well since their arrival on their private jet. Bad dreams that reminded him of his C.I.A. days had troubled him in the night and it seemed like Marissa had not rested well either. He wondered idly as they needed a long vacation away from the demands of business. Perhaps when this Markovian deal was completed he could take her away from it all!
A tall, beautiful blonde woman stood beside Barron in the ballroom. She looked like any other guest with her pale beauty and lovely blue gown but she was actually a highly skilled bodyguard and she was hard at work in the midst of the celebration. She had worked with Barron in his C.I.A. days and now Charlize Wylde was his personal bodyguard. The two had a good friendship and a mutual trust in one another. If Charlize seemed out of place at the ball it was for another reason entirely since the lovely woman could easily handle any situation from a social event to a battle in the Middle Eastern sands! She smiled politely and said, “I hope Marissa will get some rest. She has a lot of stamina and certainly stays fit but sleep is essential for good health!”
Geoffrey nodded and said, “She works too hard! I want her to take a vacation when we conclude this deal. If Prince Gregor buys the Technocrat armor for his guardsmen, we shall have earned some time off! We also need time to fix your…problem!”
Charlize nodded and said, “I hope Faust can fix this whole mess! He looks like a kid…a corrupt kid… but he seems to have some resources beyond his years!”
She referred to a young British man who had accompanied them but who remained outside the palace. Faust preferred the village pub to a palace. He was being paid to use certain arcane talents of his to remove a curse that plagued Charlize. She had been badly injured by a bear during a hunting trip and the weird youth had been on the scene for some reason of his own. He saved her life but in doing so he cursed the blonde with a form of lycanthropy. When she lost her temper the elegant woman turned into a she-bear and lost most of her self control!
She was coping with this mystical plight as best as anyone could. She tried to make Geoffrey feel like her savage alter ego could make him even safer than she could when she was in her female form but neither of the friends wanted her to endure such a nightmare for any longer than she had to do so. Faust was unreliable but he was all the help they had. Even Barron didn’t know exactly how to find a wizard for hire. He had heard rumors that the performer Sargon had real magic but time was of the essence so he’d decided to give the British youth a chance to remedy what his dark magic had accidentally wrought.
Little did Geoffrey Barron suspect, Marissa Barron had made a rapid recovery and was even now making her way through a wooded area a few miles from Castle Markov. She had never truly been ill except for the fact that she suffered from what might be called dissociative identity disorder. No one else knew that the sexy, vain Marissa also had a secondary personality that she called the Eradicator! As the Eradicator she was driven to relentlessly hunt down and kill criminals! Oddly enough she was even now on her way to do just that. She had access to certain data files she had compiled as “Marissa”; however, it would be difficult to truly determine if she actually realized she was Marissa while she thought of herself as the Eradicator! The files consisted of criminals she had actually dealt with as Marissa. The truth was she had not been honest during her financial dealings and her husband had never bothered to check on her actions since he preferred to spend time in his lab while she handled financial arrangements. She had made a secret fortune by selling his blueprints and technical specifications to a criminal weapons dealer known as Count Jeremy Glass. Now, as the Eradicator she prepared to eliminate the very gang that had so enriched her as Marissa!
She wore a short black dress with dark hosiery, matching heels, and a small veil that covered her face but allowed her to see clearly. She looked like a fashionable bride at an unholy wedding. She approached her prey with the grace of an athlete. As Marissa she had been well trained in martial arts by her husband’s zealous bodyguard Charlize. She used those skills and certain super human powers as the Eradicator!
She frowned as she spotted two burly men in dark suits. They were lackeys. She wanted Count Glass himself. Still, after tonight’s work, there would be two less criminals to harm the innocent! She approached them and they faced her warily.
“Mrs. Barron? The Count sends his regards. We have the money as arranged!” said the taller man.
She smiled beneath the veil and casually reached out one dainty gloved hand. As she removed the glove with its black lace trim, she touched the first man like a flirtatious Southern Belle! He screamed and literally dissolved before the eyes of his startled partner. The other man whipped out a small gun but the woman in black touched it and it crumbled to dust. The man started to run but she moved swiftly and touched his back! He didn’t even have time to scream before he too crumbled to dust.
The Eradicator slipped her specially treated glove back on her hand and idly wiped one heel across the grass to remove any stains.
If the Eradicator’s mind wandered at all during the brutal scene, she might have recalled one business trip to Gotham City where she hoped to profit from a computer program sale to a local criminal called Silversmith. To her horror that evening, Marissa Barron encountered a black cloaked vigilante called the Eradicator! He narrowly missed killing Sterling Silversmith with his corrosive touch but he did catch a frightened and near breathless Marissa!
“All criminals will burn at the touch of the Eradicator!” he said in a funereal tone.
She cringed before his ungloved hand but when he made contact with her arm, they seemed to merge into one being! She regained her feet and fled the scene but the next night she rose from her bed and left a sleeping Geoffrey Barron to begin her own crusade against the very criminals she dealt with as Marissa! Had the flighty, flirty Marissa been able to recall her nightly excursions against crime, she might have theorized that she survived the deadly touch of the vigilante and somehow bonded with his spirit due to something unique about her own metabolism. Perhaps, she had unknowingly been altered in the years she had visited her husband’s lab. She had possibly been exposed to various unknown energies or chemicals. In any event, Marissa Barron lived two lives and one of them was devoted to killing those she deemed to be criminals! This calling kept her from attending the royal ball. She didn’t mind. She merely smiled coldly beneath her dark, lacy veil.
Sebastian Faust drank too much. He knew this but he didn’t care. He didn’t really care about anything very much. He was jaded for one so young. He was gaunt, pale, and had slightly disheveled dark hair. He was sitting alone in a corner booth at the small King’s Arms pub in Markovia. He was conflicted at the best of times. He had been sincerely trying to help the sexy blonde woman when the bear mauled her. He used magic and instead of healing her it turned her into a She-Bear. This condition wore off when she calmed down but it returned at unexpected times. Needless to say she and her friend Barron were not pleased. Faust had tried to fall back on charm to calm them down but all he had managed to do was make them accept his promise to try to cure Charlize. He had tried again and again but he had failed. He didn’t really know what to do next. Maybe he should just run away. He’d spent a lot of his life running away. His father was a monster. Felix Faust had fathered him and deserted his mother after one night. He didn’t really care about not having a father in his life except for the fact that when he finally tracked him down and confronted him, Felix Faust had laughed and denied ever having a son. That was bad enough but then the evil wizard who had waged war on super heroes like the Justice League for years had formed a sinister plan. He decided to use this boy as fuel for a magical ritual that would grant him great power.
“I didn’t sire you and yet for all purposes your blood will do nicely for my needs!” he declared as calmly as if he was talking about going fishing or buying a new tie.
At that point Sebastian had fled and eventually found himself stumbling through a wooden area of Switzerland where he had witness the bear’s attack on Charlize Wylde.
Now, he sulked and he worried and he cursed the day he was ever born; however, mostly though Sebastian Faust cursed himself.
Then, he frowned as something stirred within him. He sensed some dark magic was at work. Perhaps this sensation was what he’d first dismissed as a hangover but now he realized that his own mystical heritage gave him certain abilities beyond unreliable spell casting.
He stood up and walked out of the pub. Now that he was not consumed with his own troubles, Sebastian Faust sensed real evil in this tiny kingdom. Perhaps, he might look into the matter. He was out of money anyway and none of the girls in the pub were pretty.
2
Marene Herald felt like a Mitch Wacky Princess! The beautiful blonde psychologist looked every inch a fairy tale heroine in her flowing pink ballgown and heels. She smiled politely as she made her way down the stairs. Since she and her husband Douglas had moved to Markovia, he had been thrilled to work with Queen Ilona to improve the tiny country’s school system but his wife had found herself marveling at the beauty of the kingdom. She had once been a STAR Labs employee associated with more than one research project but she knew how rare an opportunity like the one her teacher husband had received could come along and she had gladly resigned from STAR Labs in the hope that time together in the small country would bring them closer together and provide Doug with a sense of accomplishment. He had swallowed his pride loyally during her years as their primary breadwinner. Now, she had happy to see him be the one given honors and a place of prestige.
Marene had one problem with the move to Markvia. She was a strong and independent woman and she did not like to feel helpless or as if she had little control over her own life. The last few years had made her feel that way again and again! She remembered how she had confided her feelings to a professional colleague in the mental health field.
“Gardner Grayle was a soldier assigned to a secret project that involved sensory deprivation among other factors. We didn’t realize that he would develop mental powers of his own. Maybe they came from his sense of isolation or perhaps he had always had them.”
“He was able to take control of the artificial environment and he turned it into a post apocalyptic fantasy in which he led a group of armored Atomic Knights in a quest to rebuild the post atomic war world. It lacked the harsh realities of what such a world would truly be like and came to include monsters, villains, and even the Greek god Hercules! Grayle’s mind and imagination were so powerful he was able to tap into latent mental powers and reshape the confines of his isolation into the heroic world of his creation.”
“He put idealized versions of people he knew in this world. I was there and so was Doug and two brothers named Hobard and a scientist named Bryndon but we were different there. I mean we were the way Gardner wanted us to be!”
She had struggled with her role in the experiment since she eventually learned that not only had her own memories of it been suppressed but Gardner had fantasized about her and saw her as his love interest and not a married woman.
“Gardner was in love with me and in his fantasy world, I was single and Doug was my brother. That caused some friction in my marriage since although nothing had ever happened between us, Gardner’s mind was so powerful that his emotions seemed so vivid and a real part of our life. We wondered if some stress in our marriage was caused by his mind reaching uot from his seclusion and altering our own reality in small subtle ways!”
Eventually, he emerged from the Project with help from Superman himself and he became a real super hero called the Atomic Knight. He died during the alien Invasion and left his super scientific armor to Marene.
“Gardner left his armor to me out of some crazy affection he kept for me even after waking up. The armor had actually been designed in part by a genius called Colonel Future. He modified it for me and I’ve used it a few times. It made me feel more alive than I ever had before. It also made Doug very worried about me but he respected my desire to make my own decisions.”
Now, she recalled the real reason the move to Markovia troubled her. The armor altered her in some way and she started having precognitive visions! One of those visions depicted her as the Atomic Knight in the more feminine golden armor Future had created for her. It showed her in Markovia fighting monsters. The whole thing seemed surreal…until Doug received the offer to teach there and Marene realized she might soon be living the nightmare she had envisioned.
“Well, I’m wearing a gown not the battle suit. That should mean I won’t be battling giant spiders in the ballroom!” she thought.
She held Doug’s hand as they approached the lovely Queen Ilona and she said, “I am so proud of you!”
He smiled and squeezed her hand as they listened to the young Queen’s effusive greeting.
At that moment a weird looking man cackled wickedly and adjusted the controls on a sophisticated looking machine. The strangeness of the situation was only increased by the fact that he did so with metallic limbs that attached to his bulbous torso and responded to his mental commands. He was short with a receding hairline and small eyes that looked at the world with malice but he had eight metallic legs attached to his body harness and at times he would lift himself off the ground with two of them and looked down at his machine with pride.
He smiled and said, “I have tested my machine for days and now I shall let the Markovians know what it means for their worst nightmares to come to lethal life!”
Just as the guests were being shown to their seats at the large banquet table, three guardsmen rushed in and approached King Gregor.
“Your Majesty, the palace is under attack! Horrible creatures are crawling over the gates and may soon breech the doors and windows!” said Ericose the Chief Guardsman.
King Gregor said, “What of the village? Are my people also in peril or has only the palace been singled out for attack?”
Ericose said, “I think for now it is only the palace royal that has been targeted!”
“Secure the ground as best as you can!” ordered King Gregor as his brother Brion used his own remarkable powers to nullify gravity and enable himself to fly out of the palace to see a scene of terror. Giant spiders were approaching the structure in spite of the best efforts of the guardsmen to stop them. Each arachnid was as large as a car.
Geo-Force (Prince Brion) had swiftly shed his royal uniform to reveal a costume of green and gold. He studied the scene for a moment. The spiders did not seem to be robotic in nature. Each one looked slightly different for the others and they moved more like living things than machines.
He raised his hands and generated scorching lava blasts that ignited the nearest spider and send it crashing to the ground. He slammed into the second one and tore it apart with his super strength. He was off to a good start but there were over a dozen more of the monstrous creatures and he could only do so much!
“I wish my friends were here!” he thought.
Geoffrey Barron turned to Charlize Wylde who was already kicking off her heels as she raced for the balcony that overlooked the courtyard.
“You don’t have to do this, Charlie!” he said.
She tossed her blonde hair away from her face and said, “I might as well make use of my other side!”
She growled suddenly and her body changed into the form of a huge She-bear! She bounded forward and hurled herself over the balcony to land on one of the spiders below. She raked the monster with her claws and tore into its body with her teeth. There was no sign of the lovely woman she had been seconds before her transformation!
As for Barron himself he shed his tux to reveal a metallic chest plate that ionized and became a thicker bluish metal armor that covered his limbs and allowed him to slip on a folded piece of clothe that miraculously hardened at his command to become a blue helmet that protected his head and gave him enhanced vision via a sophisticated yellow hued lens that extended across the upper half of the helmet. He activated jets via a cybernetic command and soared into the night. His enhanced hearing picked up the sounds of screams from every direction and he flew swiftly into the midst of a scene of combat in which beleaguered guardsmen were losing ground to the huge spiders!
“Thank goodness Marissa is safely inside in our room!” he thought as he generated a pulse of energy that knocked a spider into the air.
Little did the Technocrat, as Barron called anyone who wore his armor, know but his wife as the Eradicator was only now reaching the palace grounds. She moved gracefully through the night and when one of the spiders approached her she calmly removed her gloves and destroyed it with her burning touch.
Marene Herald had looked imploringly at Doug and said, “I’m sorry but I have to help! I have to!”
As spiders broke into the ballroom, Marene raced upstairs and changed into the gleaming golden armor of the Atomic Knight! She admired the craftsmanship Colonel Future had put into the design. It was entirely functional but also had a truly feminine design about it. She activated a jet pack and flew downward as she drew a baton that extended itself into an NRG-Blade. The weapon crackled with power as she drove it into the spider’s head.
She whirled and activated a matching NRG Shield which protected her from another spider as it reared up over her. She rolled under it and rammed the sword into its body again and again.
“This really is my nightmare come to life. My visions seem to be entirely accurate so far!” she mused. “How long until I see my own death or Doug’s?” she thought with dismay.
King Viktor recognized Barron in the Technocrat armor and he could see by the way Doug Herald’s eyes never left the golden warrior woman called the Atomic Knight that the heroine must indeed be the missing Marene Herald. He had witnessed Charlize Wylde’s transformation into the She-bear but he could still not understand what he had witnessed. Even after Baron Bedlam’s bizarre schemes and Dr. Jace’s advanced science, he could barely comprehend how a lovely woman could become a raging beast!
Wylde was growling and clawing at the spiders as her boss the Technocrat used his advanced weapons to slay other monsters. Geoffrey shuddered as he saw how much of his loyal friend had been lost to her savage other self!
“Faust has to cure her! He has to!” he thought.
He started to return to combat when he spotted a small figure on the edge of the palace grounds. She was about to fall beneath a spider. Her pale features were partly concealed by a veil but to his enhanced vision she was unmistakable.
“Marissa! That was Marissa!” he thought as he flew toward his wife.
He gasped as his special helmet illuminated the darkness of the night and allowed him to see Marissa on the ground before a looming spider. She was dressed all in black and her hands crackled with an eerie energy!
He dropped down to block the creature’s path and quickly blew it to pieces with an energy burst. As he turned to help his wife, his eyes widened with shock as he realized from her expression and the look in her eyes that there was no longer any trace of the woman he loved. She looked the same but her expressions, her mannerisms; her movements were those of an entirely different being.
“Marissa, honey? It’s me, Geoffrey!” he said in a pleading tone of voice.
She looked into his eyes and said, “Thank you for your help! The Eradicator is in your debt!”
Geo-Force was not tired yet. He seemed to be everywhere at once as he battled the spiders that threatened his kingdom.
“I won’t fail! I shall never fail my people again!” he vowed.
He smashed through another spider and turned to the Atomic Knight.
“You are a welcome ally!” he said.
The Atomic Knight said, “I’m trying my best!”
Technocrat couldn’t conceive of what shock or mania had changed his wife so much but he stayed by her side as she destroyed another spider with her energy touch.
“Is this my fault? Did one of my experiments turn my wife into this thing?” he thought.
Meanwhile, Sebastian Faust materialized within the tower room of the place royal. The long neglected room had been sealed off at some point to reduce the costs of the upkeep of the large building.
“I did it. I’m getting to be a regular Zatara!” he thought. He had sensed the source of the dark magic that threatened the kingdom came from this upper tower.
“I suppose it makes sense. The magic sort of rains down on the village below!” he thought. He gasped as a weird little man loomed up over him and grasped him by the throat with a metallic leg.
“I am Dr. Spider and while you are not the Sandman you will die as swiftly as he would! No one will ever challenge me again and live to boast of it!” he shrieked
“I labored for years to perfect my dream actualizer and it took all I had to give in terms of genius and labor to get it to cause people to have nightmares! Now, I have even greater power since it allows me to bring the stuff of nightmares to vivid reality. Someone in this humble village fears spiders and so it was so very appropriate that I make giant spiders my first creations! You see my name is Spider! Isn’t that fitting, eh?”
“Do not struggle little fly. My cyber legs shall crush you soon enough!” he cackled.
“Don’t hurry on my account!” gasped Faust as he struggled to reach a pouch that hung from his belt.
Dr. Spider smiled and said, “You are an odd little man! Perhaps, I should see what your nightmares are made of before I end your life! I do get so few pleasures, you know!”
He adjusted his machine and a glow filled the room. Moments passed and then nothing happened! Finally, the dream machine exploded into fragments of metal and wire. Dr. Spider hurled Faust to the floor and shrieked, “What are you? You horrid boy! You have broken my precious machine!”
Faust said, “I guess I don’t have any dreams anymore! Lost them when I lost …something else!”
He wriggled away from Dr. Spider and hurled a yellow powder at the scientist’s distorted face.
Dr. Spider screamed as he felt an eldritch energy burn his skin! While no mark or blemish appeared on the outside, his very essence or soul seemed to ignite!
He crashed to the ground and Faust kicked him repeatedly.
“That creep is as bad as my old man!” he said softly.
Suddenly, Geo-Force, the Atomic Knight, Technocrat, and the Eradicator broke into the room. The glow of energy from the machine had attracted their attention when it exploded.
Faust raised his hands and said, “I’ve saved the kingdom. You may shower me with gold and fair maidens!”
Technocrat said, “What’s going on? Is this more of your fouled up magic at work?”
Geo-Force said, “No, the youth seems to be telling the truth. I saw plenty of bizarre inventions in Dr. Jace’s old lab and that broken machine may very well have been the source of the spiders and the nightmares that tormented our homeland!”
The Eradicator lurched forward to grasp the fallen Dr. Spider and with a crackle of energy, she melted him to ashes before the others could pull her away.
“All criminals die when faced with the touch of the Eradicator!” she declared.
As Technocrat tried to reason with his wife, Geo-Force said, “I do not approve of killing but he did threaten our kingdom and has met the death his actions earned!”
King Gregor said, “Why this mad fiend used his machine to torture my subjects and then try to invade Markovia is another mystery!”
The Atomic Knight said, “We worked rather well together didn’t we?”
King Gregor entered the room and said, “Indeed, you did. It prompts me to ask you to form a team of champions to protect Markovia and its neighbors like your own Switzerland, Dr. Barron. I would like to see heroic defenders remain here and keep the area safe from outside threats!”
Geo-Force said, “You mean you want a team like my friends the Outsiders!”
Faust smirked and said, “What would you call us? Insiders?”
Much later, as Geo-Force and King Gregor made plans for such a team and secured the mad Dr. Spider, the Technocrat sat by Charlize Wylde who had resumed her normal female form, and tried to come to terms with all that had happened.
“Dr. Herald is a trained mental health expert. She says she can work with Marissa to try to resolve this whole Eradicator persona she had developed. I think we may well take her up on her kind offer. My armor won’t be manufactured either. I discussed it with King Gregor and he understood my change of heart. After seeing so much horror and witnessing what has come over Marissa, I’m not going to make weapons anymore. I’m turning my resources into production of things that will heal and not kill! It worked for Stark and it will work for me!” he said.
Charlize nodded and said, “Faust says he may be able to cure me or at least teach me to control my changes into the She-Bear! He wants to stay here too!”
In her room, Marissa Barron sat across from Dr. Marene Herald and said, “I remember bits and pieces of what happened to me when I was … that other person! I was watching everything I did like I was in a movie or play. It was as if I was an audience member and not a performer although it was my body that killed those people!”
Dr, Herald thought of her own pre-cognitive visions and how they seemed so accurate so far. She had experienced another one in which she and the others were a team and they were battling a beautiful woman and a team of costumed felons!
“I’m as much a prisoner of these visions as she is of her Eradicator persona! How can any action I take or any decision I make truly be my own if my future is already determined by the dreams or visions I see?” she wondered.
Faust strolled across the palace grounds and thought, “Being with those other heroes may be the right move for me. If Daddy Dearest comes looking for me, they can help me stop him from using me in his wizardry. Odd though, all those dreams came from that nutcase and his machine yet my senses made me think magic was behind the whole thing. I guess I have a lot to learn.”
Elsewhere, a tall woman in a red military uniform stood before a monitor screen.
“Dr. Spider failed to take over Markovia for me. I financed his machine for nothing. Still, I have learned more about who defends the kingdom and the Baroness Bedlam shall eventually claim her proper birthright as ruler of all Markovia!” she said.

In a realm beyond the waking world, a strangely dressed man watched and said, “I added my own magic to empower that mortal’s machine but something cut my domain of dreams off from the mortal realm for long enough to prevent its proper functioning. I will find the source of this attack soon enough!” he vowed
The End