Battleforce #0

[Spider-Man Beyond]

Battleforce #0
Blast From the Past

Written by Joel Sawyer
Edited by Daniel Dyer

The Silver Star Tavern, Caliper Street, Tuesday night. Being a Texas cowboy country music bar in an east coast industrial town and Tuesday being a workday and all, ain’t much happenin’. I mean, only the die-hard pool players, part-time workers, and full-time drunks bother to show. Too bad it is also the network premier of a new documentary.

“True Investigations with Elliot Carter” flashed across the screen on the TV behind the bar. Usually turned to sporting events, tonight a regular had a special request.

“So far on tonight’s edition of ‘True Investigations’, we’ve discussed the arrival of the Techno-Warriors, the formation of the government sponsored team ‘Force Five’, and that team’s subsequent betrayal.”

The bartender lifted a remote and aimed toward the TV.

“Hey, don’t turn that off,” the sole man sitting at the bar said.

Elliot Carter continues on the screen, “Now we will explore the creation of America’s second true superhuman team, Battleforce.”

“Sorry,” the bartender offered, “There’s a ball game starting that some of the others want to see.”

“It’s only another 45 minutes. They’ll just miss the first quarter. Watch this.” Robert Dubb turned toward the other five patrons in the tavern’s main room and shouted, “Hey, if ya’ll can wait til nine to watch your game, I’ll buy a pitcher for each table!” Dubb, a brown haired man in his thirties, his face unshaven, grinned as his new friends boisterously accepted his offer. “See,” Dubb said to the bartender, “Everything’s kosher.”

“You really want to see this, huh,” the bartender stated the obvious.

“Yeah,” Dubb replied with a smirk. “You might say I’m really into it.”

“Although the details were not revealed for years, we now know that Force Five’s first mercenary assignment was a strike in India financed by interests in Pakistan. As facts of the incident became known to the US government and Force Five’s involvement verified, the Defense Department launched a hurried, all-out effort to deal with the renegades who now called themselves The Steel Military.”

Dale Morgan steps into the Silver Star’s front door. He is moderately tall with a muscular build, but his facial features are almost strikingly average for an African-American. Short, black hair, brown eyes, features not really too large or too small for his face, the kind of face that doesn’t stand out. Which was one of his greatest assets.

Gavin Gordon, political analyst starts, “Remember that, in 1998, America was riding high.”

“Just in time, guy,” Robert called from his stool. “I’m buying this round, so the first one’s on me!”

“The economy was good, foreign relations were strong, and the election machine had not fully started up, yet.”

“Thanks,” Dale lied, then he asked the bartender, “Where’s your bathroom?”

“Politically, Force Five’s defection could have ended careers.”

“Through that entry, down the hallway. If you reach the pool tables, you went too far.”

“The administration was in a panic. With direct support of the President, the Defense Department created Battleforce.”

Elliot Carter continues, “Over the course of four weeks, the administrators of Force Five assembled a new team meant to take down their predecessors. The team consisted of: Striker, the team leader in red and blue body armor and a gauntlet giving him an energy infused punch; Gunn, an expert marksman in blue and black body armor and an energy rifle recovered from a Techno-Warriors battle site; Mindreader, a government telepath; The Insect, female world champion martial artist and acrobat in light combat armor; Starfall, the human power plant; and Claw, mystical martial artist with a paralyzing touch. Together, they were Battleforce.”

Dubb grinned and said to himself, “The only challenge we ever had, and we screwed them good!”

***

[Spider-Man Beyond]

In the restroom, Dale began stripping out of his expendable outer layer of clothes and strapping his armor down tight.

***

[Spider-Man Beyond]

Carter says, “For a year and a half, Battleforce performed admirably.”

Dubb raises his glass, “To the losers.”

“Revealed to us and our viewers for the first time, the crime fighter known as Ace admitted that he was also Gunn in Battleforce.”

“He was,” Dubb gasped.

“Ace agreed to speak with us about his time in Battleforce. Ace, thank you for meeting with us.”

Ace replied, “Thanks for the opportunity.”

“Hello, Robert,” Ace said from the bar hallway.

Dubb looked up and smiled. “Nice timing, Ace. It’s like 3D without the glasses.”

Ace stood in the doorway that Dale Morgan had used just a minute before. His outfit was utilitarian- medium blue steel mesh body suit with black strengthened kevlar boots and helmet with gloves, elbow and knee pads, which were also black. The black helmet with blue face mask looked like an old-style flight helmet and completely concealed his face. In fact, the only brown skin showing was around his neck and his fingers. On the front of the helmet was a white rectangle with a capital ‘A’, like a playing card. “Glad you’re entertained,” Ace replied, “Robert Dubb, you are under arrest.”

“Going all formal on me?” Dubb asked. “Under arrest? You just can’t say that!”

“Ace explained to ‘True Investigations’ that there is information he cannot reveal, but he could describe the team’s official activities.”

“Federal Marshall, Robert,” Ace replied, “I’ll show you my badge if you want, once you’re secure.”

Ace on TV states, “There has been too much speculation about the team. It’s past time for clarification.”

“I can’t do that, Ace.”

“I know.”

Ace on TV continues, “By December 1998 we had battled and lost to the Steel Military twice. Battleforce was rushed into its first missions, and it showed.”

In one smooth motion, Robert stood and drew a snub-nosed pistol from his pants while Ace took a fighting stance.

“But then you faced the Techno-Warriors,” said Eliot.

Dubb fired off three shots in quick succession. The shots shattered wall fixtures, flipped and split a table, and exploded a neon sign, sending sparks flying. Ace dove behind the hallway wall, hoping it was thick enough to block the energy pulses. The bartender dropped behind the bar and the bar’s patrons cowered, crawling as far away from the combatants as they could. Ace was near one exit, and Dubb dropped behind the end of the bar near the front doors, so the bystanders had no where to comfortably go.

Ace on TV says, “The Defense Department put a great amount of resources behind Battleforce, so our two losses scared a lot of people, but we proved effective against the Technos.”

“You’ve made a mistake,” Dubb called, peeking up over the bar and covering the rear hallway with his weapon. “You have to reach me to get me, and I’ll get several free shots if you try. How’s your luck these days, Ace?”

“Come on, Blaster,” Ace suggested, “You don’t want to hurt anybody.”

One man trying to hide under a table whimpered, and the unseen bartender gasped as he reached for his shotgun. Blaster was a Techno-Warrior and a world-class marksman. The bartender snapped his hand back to his side, sat down, and prayed.

“You have to let me go,” Dubb called back, his demeanor now hard and serious. “You know me. I don’t want to hurt anyone, but I will shoot everyone here if that’s what it takes to get me out.”

Elliot Carter continues, “In January 1999, Battleforce fought The Techno-Warriors.”

“Fine,” Ace spat, “Go. I’m not through with you yet.”

“The criminals escaped capture, but for the first time, they withdrew without achieving their objectives.”

“Oh, look at the time,” Robert shouted, “Gotta run!” Dubb throws three small spheres into the tavern’s main room and shouldered his way out the front door. As the grenades go off, Dubb ran like hell.

Ace stepped out as the other bar denizens slowly rose to their feet. “Crap, the phone is out,” the bartender grumbles.

“I’ve already called the authorities,” Ace explained.

“Next, Battleforce dealt with ‘Dr. Death’ Narciso Rota, a pacific island Dictator with a supercomputer, chemical weapons, and support of Chinese paranormals.”

Ace helps a good ol’ boy in a blue T-shirt to his feet. “Are you all right,” Ace asks him.

Eyes teared up and his vision blurred, the man replied, “My ears are ringing.”

“They were flash-bangs, meant to disorient, not injure. Your vision and hearing should return soon. Are you injured?”

“No, I don’t think so,” he answered.

“Members of Battleforce with two British superhuman agents fought with the Chinese supers while Rota prepared to invade Taiwan,” says Carter.

“Was he really Blaster?” the bartender asked, trembling.

“Yes,” Ace stated, using a finger to activate his helmet-radio. Ace then said, “Sky Ranger, do you have him?”

“We’re following him, Ace,” a voice said near his ear, a voice no one else in the room could hear. “He doesn’t seem to know we’re watching.”

“Good work, Sky Ranger,” Ace said, smiling under his mask.

Gavin Gordon says, “It is believed that China backed Rota to place him in power to increase their control of Taiwan. Once British and US forces were involved, China abandoned Rota, labeled the superhuman altercation a misunderstanding, then offered assistance against Rota.”

***

[Spider-Man Beyond]

Ace is on a motorcycle, and memories fight to the surface. He relives a ground assault where he, as Gunn, led the Insect, Claw, Britain’s Madam Thistle and China’s Man-Blaster (roughly translated) while Starfall, Britain’s Ghost, and China’s Changing Man fought in the air. We were the greatest multinational superhuman coalition ever at the time, he mused, “We watched as Madam Thistle used her plant control powers to immobilize 50 tanks and hundreds of soldiers. None of us knew that Rota would drop nerve gas on his own people trying to get us. A thousand died, but Rota slipped away.”

Ace brings his cycle to a stop. His helmet-com barks, “Opposite corner, Ace. He went in, hasn’t come out.”

“Understood, Sky Ranger,” Ace whispered. “I’m going in.”

Ace climbs a fire escape on the old, three story building, once offices and warehouse space. It should be almost deserted. Ace sprinted quietly across the roof searching for entry, finding and forcing open an old trap door. Descending an old, steel ladder, and crossing the upper floor, which is dark and dusty with lack of activity, Ace hears laughter from a lower floor.

Now it’s time for my luck to kick in, Ace thought, letting his senses expand. A hundred sources of info from six different senses rushed into his mind, which interpreted the data quickly and efficiently. Ace had no more luck than the next guy, but telling everyone about his ‘luck powers’ certainly kept enemies from seeking the truth about his abilities.

Smells: dust, insulation, rat poop, beer, off-brand nacho chips, eggs, bacon, human sweat, cigarettes. Sounds: laughter, television, tiny skittering claws, ruffling feathers. Touch: slight vibrations from the floor and walls.

He found a stairwell leading down and started to descend. He could see clearly in the darkness, so he needed no light. Slowly he stepped downward as the voices became louder and clearer. He noticed how strong the bacon smelled just before stepping on the step smeared with bacon grease. His senses and trained reflexes did not help much when traction is suddenly, surprisingly taken away, so Ace tumbled the rest of the distance down the stairs, sprawling into the lit room at the bottom.

“Crap,” he spat.

Prone and on his belly, Ace looked across the large loft at Robert Dubb and six male companions. Most of the room is empty, but the corner where the men are clustered included two table, many chairs, several Foreman Grills, a large-screen TV, and several smaller televisions. A temporary lair, he surmised, noting that the smaller screens are for surveillance cameras, one trained squarely on the rooftop Ace has run across.

“Ouch,” Dubb said falsely empathetic, “Big, professional crime-fighter fails to notice a little bacon grease on the step. I love it!”

On a wide screen TV, True Investigations, Elliot Carter says, “...incredible footage rom helicopter news cameras as Battleforce apprehended Crocodile, a vicious criminal who seemed unstoppable.”

Dubb walked toward a far exit saying, “You are persistent, Ace, but you shouldn’t have come here.”

“However, their next case, against a criminal telepath called Mind Master, ended when he fell from the roof of a ten-story building. His death was ruled a suicide,” Carter continued.

“Don’t even give him a chance, guys,” Dubb called. “Ten Thousand dollars to each of you if you kill him.” The exit door closed behind Dubb as the men draw pistols.

Ace on TV states, “Starfall was injured and could not catch Mind Master, and everyone saw him purposely dive off the roof. We learned later that it was actually murder.”

Ace stood up, wiping the grease from his foot as he raised a baton in his hand. With a flick of the wrist, the short baton extended to a full 3 ½ foot length fighting rod.

“Then Battleforce added an android tank, code-named Black Knight, just before their next conflict with the Techno-Warriors.”

Ace charged forward as the thugs raised their pistols, all looking like pulse weapons of Machine Maker’s design.

Ace on TV continues, “The Black Knight countered Behemoth, Maker’s construct. With all six of us and Knight together, we beat the Techno-Warriors and made out first arrest.”

Ace again expanded his senses and moved. Even as the thugs began to fire, Ace could see the trajectory of the shot and begin dodging before the bolt was away. As he dodged, he closed the distance between he and his attackers, who didn’t have the sense to spread out.

Jack Teo, the original Blaster states, “Yeah, they surprised us, arrested me, and sent the others scrambling to escape.”

Using the baton like a foil, Ace assumed a classic pose and disarmed two thugs. Ace avoided two more blasts but knew the next would hit before it did. His body armor took the shot to the shoulder, and Ace spun and flipped the man over his shoulder, then drove his foot into the side of another’s head. As the man fell unconscious, Ace shifted slightly to take a second shot to his kevlar armored side instead of the less armored hip. Wincing, he sank to a crouch for a split second, thinking, I can’t take many of those, before jumping forward and locking an opponent into a choke hold. He turned even as a thug fired.

“Lucky your friend made me turn just as you fired,” Ace quipped as his human shield dropped. Ace nailed the shooter with a baton strike to the head. Three down. Ace smashed a side kick to a thug’s head, but amazingly, the man took the blow.

Elliot Carter continues on, “The victory against the Techno-Warriors was quickly followed by the captures of the Steel Military and ‘Dr. Death’ Narciso Rota. At this point, the government had full faith in Battleforce.”

Despite Ace’s sensory array, sometimes his reflexes could not respond in time. The three remaining attackers converged. Ace ducked another blaster shot and blocked the 2x4 swung at him, but the baseball bat crashed full force into his helmet.

Gavin Gordon pipes up, “By itself, the arrest of Rota justified the creation of Battleforce.”

Ace knelt, trying to clear his head, and the only thug still with a pistol placed the barrel against the crime-fighter’s head. Ace absent-mindedly placed the tip of his baton against the thugs thigh.

“It’s funny,” the thug snickered. “They used to call you ‘Gunn’, and a gun is about to kill you.”

“That is funny,” Ace guffawed back. “You know what else is funny? My baton is also a stun gun.”

As he finished the statement, his thumb depressed the catch, and a jarring jolt of electricity slammed through the hapless comedian.

Ace on TV says, “We were flying high in autumn 1999. We had become the elite superhero strike force of America.”

As the comedian wet himself and fell to the ground convulsing, his two remaining companions dropped their weapons and fled.

“An elite force for America, but as we will see, Battleforce would soon fail, with tragic consequences.”

***

[Spider-Man Beyond]

Robert Dubb enters his little apartment (he had a dozen like it across the US) and barked, “Lights, on! TV, channel 72!” Dubb opened his living room closet and begins to hurriedly undress.

Elliot Carter continues, “...called Electroid, claiming to be a new, powerful super-criminal. Electroid lured Battleforce into a fight with himself and four other mercenaries: ‘Target’ Domingo Monzano, ‘The Lynx’ Marcia Garza, ‘Acid’ Hoy Latu, and ‘Crossbow’ Judy Bell.

Dubb stripped to his BVD’s and t-shirt, and started to don his fighting gear: pants, shirt, boots, waist and shoulder belt, PFG (personal field generator), helmet, and goggles. Once dressed, he looked in the mirror, puffing up at the Techno-Warrior colors of steel grey and magenta. It was mostly the deep red, with grey side slashes running from his ribs, down his side and the side of each leg into the black boots. The short sleeved shirt allowed Dubb to feel a rifle against his skin as he took aim. A silly thing, really, but part of who he is.

“The makeshift criminal team stood no real chance against Battleforce, but as the mercenaries met defeat, the true threat revealed itself.”

Blaster lifted a rifle into his arms and smiled. “Ah, it’s good to be alive and armed,” he said to his reflection.

Ace crashed feet first through the glass patio door. As he landed, Blaster raised his rifle to his shoulder. Ace timed the attack perfectly, ducking under the shot while driving his foot into Blaster’s midriff. Blaster slammed into the wall, the breath exploding from his lungs.

Ace on TV says, “Of course it was a trap, and we weren’t prepared for it.”

Blaster tapped the mushroom cloud insignia on his chest, activating the PFG. With a thin aura surrounding him, he shouldered the rifle again.

“Are you all right, Ace?” asks Carter.

Ace on the TV replies, “It’s very difficult to describe what happened, that’s all.”

Once more with a classic fencing forward thrust, Ace touched the tip of his ‘sword’ to the muzzle of the rifle, electricity surging through the weapon’s metallic parts and frying its electronics.

Ace on TV continues, “And, of course, it was the Techno-Warriors.”

Blaster pulls the trigger several times–*click*click*click*– and snarls, “You shorted it out! Do you know how much this costs?”

“About as much as your defense team, I imagine,” Ace taunted, standing in a defensive fencing pose. “Coming quietly?”

Blaster takes a hand-to-hand stance with his rifle and replied, “I’m no one-trick pony. I’ll beat you even without a bayonet.”

“As we defeated the hired help, the Technos stepped out from their cover. They were around and above us, a perfect kill zone,” says Ace on the TV.

Blaster charges and swings the butt of his weapon upwards, but Ace ducks and parries. Ace slashes with the baton, and Blaster smoothly blocks. Blaster blocks a side-knee strike with the rifle, then drives the rifle butt up into Ace’s chin with a vicious uppercut. A solid spike seems to shoot from his chin into his brains, and Ace’s eyes blur for a second.

“Techno-Warriors Starburst, Laserbow, Computron, Hypnotizer, and a new Blaster were accompanied by the Kronus, a remote-controlled android that Maker utilized to join the fight without being physically present.”

Through the pain, Ace tapped Blaster with his baton and shocks him, but the PFG absorbs some of the effect. Shouting, Blaster came forward, and Ace grabbed him, sacrifice throwing him over a counter top and into the apartment’s kitchenette. Blaster rises and exits the kitchenette, saying, “Remember what happened next, Ace? We were both there.”

“Oh, I remember you there, Robert,” Ace hissed. “Your big debut.”

Blaster leapt forward for a rifle butt smash. Instead of dodging, Ace set himself against the strike and lowered his head so the blow would hit at the point of greatest protection. Ace felt the jarring blow, but not enough to hurt him. Ace whipped his baton around and shocked Blaster on the back of his right hand, and even with the PFG in place, Dubb’s hand flexed involuntarily and he lost his grip. With a twist and a wrench of the rifle, Ace disarmed Blaster. Startled, Blaster stood stupefied as Ace launched a side kick, low kick combo that slammed the marksman back into the kitchenette counter. With another fencing thrust, Ace neatly pressed the button that disengaged the force field. Blaster’s eyes popped wide open beneath his goggles, and then Ace kicked him square in the face.

Ace on TV then says, “Then the Techno-Warriors unleashed their secret weapon.”

Blaster collapsed with a crash into his TV table, and the television fell over without breaking. Ace stood near Blaster for several seconds, ready to fight until his senses told him that Dubb had passed out. Ace relaxed.

“Yeah,” Ace sighed, “How could I ever forget?”

***

[Spider-Man Beyond]

Seven years ago: Electroid, Target, Crossbow, Acid, and Lynx are down, and Battleforce stands victorious on the sports arena floor they had been lured to.

Kneeling next to Mindreader, Claw shouts in his mellow voice, “He’s alive, but out cold. I can’t tell how injured he is through his armor.”

Gunn sits in a dirt pile where a truck rally had gone on hours before. The Insect crouched beside him, admiring the crossbow bolt jutting from his leg. “How’s the leg, sweetie,” she asked.

“Missed the artery,” Gunn replies through gritted teeth, “Can you break the shaft?”

“Sure, honey, but its going to hurt,” she says apologetically.

“I’m sure not as much as our last date,” Gunn smirks.

“Thought we agreed not to bring that up,” she teases back before breaking the bolt off close to where it broke the skin.

Striker and Starfall examines Electroid, with Striker suddenly ripping the shirt open. “I don’t understand,” Striker growls, “Our self proclaimed ‘greatest villain in the world’ is wired. He has no powers.”

“What’s going on,” Starfall asks quietly.

A low, low pitched roar filled the air, throbbing through the air and loosening their gritted teeth. Insect, broken arrow still in hand, shields Gunn from harm. Striker, grimacing, looks for a target as his energy punch charges up. Starfall, taken completely off guard, covers her ears. Claw sees the target of the deep bass pulse and shouts, “Knight!”

The Black Knight robot’s entire frame shook and rattled as the sonic pulse struck dead on. Weakened by a corrosive spray from Acid earlier, the Knight’s chest plate couldn’t take it. With a metallic squeal and popping of seams, Black Knight’s chest caved and splintered, and the sonic pulse shredded the construct’s internal components. Black Knight fell over sideways as Claw noticed the newcomers to the arena.

“Techno-Warriors,” he shouts, collecting his inner strength for the fight to come.

They stood in a semi-circle up in the seats, their view of the arena floor unobstructed. Laserbow stood with his energy-firing longbow. Starburst blazed in his fiery green corona, sighting down his arm. Hypnotizer aimed a pistol. Someone new wore Blaster’s uniform and held a new model rifle to his shoulder. Computron held a pistol like she had a dead rat in her hand. In the center stood a five-foot tall android, the source of the sonic pulse. A voice, unmistakably belonging to Maker, commanded from the robot, “Behemoth, kill.”

With a muffled “stump...stump...stump”, Behemoth plodded through a vehicle access door onto the arena floor. Where Black Knight was a ‘tin woodsman’, metallic and clunky but recognizably humanoid, Behemoth looked like a walking industrial machine, similar to the loader in ‘Aliens’, but hotter, greasier, and not as pretty. Behemoth’s hydraulic strength was enormous, and each Battleforce member sees the new additions, four foot long blades replacing its usual pincer grips.

Striker moves first, charging forward with his fists shining and shouting, “Starfall, Gunn, cover me, all out!” Starfall explodes in incandescent orange light and fires a bolt of pure heat and force that shakes Behemoth. Gunn pushes himself against a hay bale, out of sight of the other Technos, and fires practiced shots at the mechanism, hoping to find a weak point. Striker closes the distance and mega-punches the robot in his steel-plated gut, the sound of the impact ringing to the rafters. “Why haven’t the other Technos attacked yet,” Striker ponders, preparing another punch.

“Can you get it to turn toward me,” Gunn asked the Insect, “I’ll shoot out its visual sensors again.”

“Sure,” she agreed, “But you owe me dinner at La Perez.” Insect launched herself toward the robot.

“Would’ve done that anyway,” Gunn smiled as he set himself and waited for his shot.

Striker sidesteps a clumsy blade attack and mega-punches Behemoth again, this time denting its armor. Striker curses the steel demon’s emotionless demeanor as Starfall flies by, trying to punch through the construct’s back armor. Insect circles behind as Striker ducks another attack and punches yet again.

He wasn’t fast enough for the next attack. Striker landed twenty foot distance away from Behemoth, and his right arm landed ten feet farther. Despite the horror they just saw, however, they were professionals. Starfall instantly swooped in and moved Striker aside while Insect and Claw drew the monster’s attention. Gunn fired his laser, but missed the optics, leaving a sizzling melted hole in Behemoth’s faceplate. Behemoth swept Insect aside and bore down on her, arm raised. Gunn focused, aimed, and fired dead on target, hitting squarely in the automaton’s optical sensors.

Behemoth paused for just a second, then brought the blade down on Insect’s prone form.

“TERRY!” Gunn shrieks, knowing what the only result of such a blow could be.

Starfall circles the brute, firing repeatedly. “What did Maker use for armor this time,” she wonders. Claw scales its back. His paralyzing touch would be useless here, but maybe he could damage or rip out components not completely protected. Gunn fired when he safely could, leaving nickel-sized holes in the juggernaut. Striker, fighting the onset of shock, sees Acid laying nearby and crawls over to the unconscious crook. Quickly but clumsily, he frees one of the criminal’s acid tanks.

Behemoth suddenly rears backward, unbalanced itself, and fell on it’s back. Claw almost made it out of the way, but the robot’s steel shoulder smashed into the martial artist’s back. Starfall falters, realizing that the other Technos had left. Bastards, she thinks, and starts to power up.

Behemoth turns over and starts to rise, something it never could do before. Striker stumbles into Gunn holding the container of acid.

“Like Black Knight,” Striker croaks.

He’s dying, too, Gunn thinks.

Taking the cannister, which was about the size of a 2-liter of soda, Gunn sprints (that is, limps quickly) toward Behemoth, throwing the cannister at the robot and drawing his secondary weapon, a ten-shot high velocity pistol with explosive shells. It takes three shots, but the cannister bursts all over Behemoth’s head and chest. Gunn pulls Striker down behind a concrete barrier. When Behemoth regains its feet, it could see only one remaining target: Starfall, now blazing and lighting the entire arena in an orange glow. Behemoth lumbers forward, it’s steel plating sizzling and dripping away. Starfall shrieks and fires the most powerful blast she can muster, a blast that will leave her feeling sick for days. Already cracked, punctured, and in placed partially melted, the plating failed, splintering and shattering. Much like the Black Knight minutes before, Behemoth fell smoking and sputtering to the dirty arena floor.

Gunn ran to Insect, his first close look confirming his fears. He cradled the body and rocked slowly back and forth whispering, “The optics were shielded, the optics were shielded.”

***

[Spider-Man Beyond]

“Ace? Ace, are you all right,” Sky Ranger barked into Ace’s ear, shaking him back to reality.

“I’m here,” Ace responded, dropping to one knee to bind Blaster’s wrists and ankles.

“We lost you for a moment. What’s your status?”

“Blaster is down,” Ace said, feeling much more satisfied than he should. “Send a team to secure him, stat. Machine Maker won’t wait long to counterstrike.”

As Ace tied Blaster, the TV continued behind him.

“Claw and the Insect died in that arena, and the Black Knight was destroyed. A month later, the Department of Defense learned that Mindreader had helped lure Battleforce into the trap, that he had colluded with Maker, and that he had murdered Mind Master by mentally compelling the criminal to jump, a power the team did not even know that Mindreader had. These were fatal blows to the program, and Battleforce ceased operations in February, 2000.”

“I’m getting closer, Techno-Warriors,” Ace said to no one. “I’m going to take you down.”

-END-