Issue #3
January 2010

“We all have Secrets”

Written By Brent Lambert

The bike shot down the dirt hill sending sand and rocks into the air in its wake. Bullet Biker after leaving the circus had gone about gathering parts from junkyards and bike shows to build up his own customized motorcycle. It had taken a good deal of work and more time than he would have preferred to have spent, but it paid off in the end. He was one of the few people in the world that could boast a motorcycle that fired off missiles and shot off spikes.

Zarro knew from the schematics that Dr. Black had given him that this side of the complex would be the least defended. He had no idea how Dr. Black had managed to come across such detailed floor plans, especially from a private security firm. It wasn’t his job to ask questions and wonder about the details. His job was to capture a weapon and deliver it. No questions.

Still, he was looking at a wide range of security cameras and other detection devices that would make his presence known in no time flat. Cameras were sitting atop spikes and they were interspersed across the desert landscape. Dillon was pretty sure that for every camera he could see there were at least three he didn’t.

Thankfully, Bullet Biker had been given more than enough technological enhancements to make the job a bit easier to handle. His motorcycle had been outfitted with EMP bursts that knocked out the surveillance devices. Dr. Black had provided the upgrades at no extra cost and didn’t expect a dime in return. As creepy and arrogant as the guy was, Zarro had a hard time talking bad about the guy with that kind of a deal.

As for the mines that were illegally outlining the base, Dillon’s vehicle had been equipped with a guidance system that allowed him to detect any and all disturbances in proximity to his vehicle. Combined with his own expertise in whipping his bike, he’d be able to avoid all the mines laid out. Now he was beginning to understand the importance of this laser if it had to be housed in a facility surrounded by mines.

“Sure this security would make a good report on the evening news. Might even make someone’s career,” Bullet Biker said to himself as he whirred across the desert night towards the large dome surrounded by barb wire fencing. It was apparent that Crane had things he didn’t want making their way to the public.

Phoenix, AZ

Damien stabbed his fork into the piece of steak and took the tender meat into his mouth. When he was nearly done he said, “They need to have their staff understand exactly what medium well is.”

Jason shook his head with disapproval. “Man, why is it that every single time we go out to eat there is an issue?”

“Only because you have yet to understand the sophistication of my eating habits.”

“There are some things I don’t think I would want to know about you,” Jason laughed. “Though at this point I don’t think there is much I don’t know about you.”

Damien leaned over his plate with a smile. “I’m secretly a super hero with a talking bird for a sidekick.”

“Yea and Aami’s a ninja assassin,” Jason smirked.

Aami choked on her broccoli and spat it on her plate. She quickly wiped her mouth with a napkin and said, “Sorry. Guess it was a little more than I could manage.”

Christos laughed. “I don’t blame you darling. These two boys have made me choke on my fair share of food too.”

Aami wanted to sink into her seat and die. She felt hot red embarrassment crawl up her chest and lock her throat into a death grip. Of all the things she could have done, why was it something as gross as spitting back up her food? Christos probably thought she was a complete street urchin right about now. If she had a million dollars she’d buy a pair of wings to escape their stares. Just fly away and run to a bucket of Breyers.

Knowing she was embarrassed, Christos said, “Hun, I would rather have had you spit it up than Jason try to give you the Heimlich.”

“Talk about an easy way to get some broken ribs,” Billy laughed as he winked at Aami. “Jason slugs around with big orange men.”

“It was just an arm wrestling match. The Thing is a friend,” Jason replied. Truthfully, while he could hold his own against the guy it wasn’t a match-up he could walk away bruise free from.

Pushing off of Jason’s thigh, Aami stood up and said, “Going to the ladies’ room. Be back in a bit.”

When they thought she was out of listening range, Billy bit back his laughter and said, “Your jokes still suck Jason. You made the poor girl choke.”

Jason shrugged. “Hell, the way she reacted you would almost think I was saying something true.”

“Oh yes. We’re all sitting at a table with a nimble ninja assassin,” Christos said, his voice dripping like a chocolate ladle of sarcasm. “If she’s a ninja then I must be Gabriel ready to blow his horn and toot off the Apocalypse.”

Billy put his hand on top of his boyfriend’s and leaned over to kiss him on the cheek. “The world is full of surprises Christos.”

“Maybe, but I don’t feel like dealing with any tonight if I can help it.”

That was when Billy’s cell phone began to vibrate in his silk pocket. He rushed to pick it up and pressed the Blackberry to his ear. “Talk to me.”

Christos smirked. “He’s always trying to be cool and suave.”

Jason took a sip of his tea and said, “Certainly not the Billy I knew in—

“What! How could that have happened?!” Billy shouted through the phone. His face had gotten two shades paler and once hand was visibly shaking. “You call whoever you have to call to hold him off. I’m coming.”

Jason’s first question was an immediate and obvious one. “What happened?”

Billy slid his Blackberry back into his pocket and said, “Someone’s attacking one of my facilities. My guess is that they’re after the package I received earlier this week.”

Christos knew what he was going to do so he offered up an alternative in the form of a question. “Are you going to call the authorities?”

“Not a chance. I’m going to handle this on my own. I could use your help Jason.”

“You got it bro,” Jason said as he stood up from the table. “Christos, would you mind keeping Aami company?”

Christos saw the boyish excitement that was being channeled between Jason and Billy. He wished that they would take things more seriously. “Bring my boyfriend here in one piece and you have yourself a deal.”

The men quickly made their ay out of the restaurant with a concerned Christos’ eyes burning into their backs. The two seemed perfectly capable of being responsible adults when they were on their own, but together its like watching two boys playing Cops & Robbers. There was an element between them that Christos didn’t understand and he wasn’t sure that he ever would. Some things probably weren’t meant to be understood.

Christos raised his hand up to get the waiter’s attention when he realized that it was completely covered in bulging, red millipedes. With an angry whisper he said, “Damn it! Not now.”

The entire world around him began to rumble and crack away like glass, revealing a hellish world of red skies and rivers of black magma. Mountains constructed from thousands upon thousands of screaming bodies clotted the landscape like grass. Two-headed dragons floated over the literally man-made structures and like playful children they rained down fire on the undead souls. Their flesh was burnt black, but it would heal in time.

Ebony dirt oozed beneath Christos’ feet with every step he took. He found himself compelled to walk in the direction of a glowing white cathedral seated between two of the mountains. Something in it was beckoning to him.

“Christos? Are you alright?”

He snapped from his vision and saw Aami with a stressed stare and a hand on his shoulder. Wanting to diffuse the situation, he said, “I’m fine. Just a bit lost in thought.”

“Guess our boys had to go handle some business,” Aami said as she sat back down in her seat. “I’ve gotten use to being ditched on dates.”

Trying to ignore his vision, Christos said, “It’s not the leaving that bothers me, but the fact they seemed so eager to do it. They didn’t take it seriously.”

“They can’t take it serious all the time or they’ll burn out. We’re in relationships with warriors. One just has the guise of a superhero and the other wears a business suit. If they took their lives as serious as people expect them to then they’d quit.”

Christos sighed and said, “Sometimes I just wish he would.”

“Then he’d be boring,” Aami laughed.

Figuring he could now make a segue way, Christos bluntly asked, “So what are you hiding from Jason?”

Aami tried to fight the urge to sink into her seat again. Had she given away something? “What would make you think that?”

“Well, I doubt you’re a ninja darling, but something about what Jason said bothered you or you wouldn’t have ran from the table. So what is it?”

Aami glared at the Mediterranean beau and for the first time she didn’t like him. “I’m a ninja.”

“Secrets eat away at you and your relationships. Whatever we try to keep in the dark always finds it way to the light,” Christos said. He wanted to tell Aami that he knew this fact from personal experience, but then he would be putting her in grave danger.

“No offense Christos, but I don’t have any demons chasing me.”

“We all have demons coming for us. The real question is whether we decide to fight them or keep running.”

El Paso, Texas

Jeremy Rivera hated working security, but it was the only good paying night job he could find. His Mom could watch the kids at night while he worked and eh could handle them during the day. He refused to not watch his kids grow up so he wasn’t going to slave away during the day if he could help it. Too many people were willing to sacrifice their kids in the name of work and Jeremy wasn’t going to cunt himself among their number. Kids needed their parents and Jeremy had two boys who needed him. He was going to be front and center in their lives because they deserved to have a father they could see.

Fortunately, the work he was doing wasn’t too back breaking. All he had to do was watch over a warehouse of confiscated goods from people trying to illegally cross the border. He had been issued a gun, but he seriously doubted that he would ever need to use it. The only things he ever felt the urge to shoot were some birds. Of course he didn’t want to explain to his manager why he was needlessly wasting rounds so he fought off that urge.

With that out of the question, he did what he did most nights. He would lean back in his chair, crack open a Coke, crank up the TV and read Men’s Health to fantasize about having an amazing body. The time to go to the gym just wasn’t there for Jeremy. Maybe one day when the boys were older he could find some space in his schedule. If eh was ever planning on getting the boys a new mom, he needed to get rid of the beer gut. If he got any bigger he would start looking like his Dad and that thought alone was horrifying enough to make him want to start doing sit-ups that moment.

While trying to avoid thoughts of obesity, a large rumble severely shook his tiny security booth. He didn’t know El Paso to have earthquakes, but from what he just felt he couldn’t think of anything else to call it. Putting one hand on his gun, he stepped outside of his security booth and looked around. The gate leading to the warehouse was intact and nothing outside of it appeared to be damaged. So where the hell did that rattle and roll festival come from?

Moving further away from his booth, Jeremy pulled out his flashlight and began to search the pavement path leading to the warehouse entrance. He fought the urge to ask if anyone was there and just sent his flashlight scanning in every direction. It was too damn quiet after that rumble.

Jeremy felt a cold chill tingle down his spine and wrap around his stomach. Being a single father of two he prayed for quiet, but this quiet was wrong. It wasn’t a soft quiet that you get after a baby goes to sleep. No, this was the kind of quiet you got right before a tornado came barreling down on you.

“That’s fear mortal. It is always hard to truly discern, but one thing is clear. You are rank with it.”

Hands trembling, Jeremy turned to see the voice’s source and choked back a scream at what he saw moving towards him. The creature stood at seven feet, but had a slender frame except for exaggerated pectorals. Three red slits ran across each side of his chest’s gray flesh and they seemed to breathe in air like nostrils. White spikes covered the top of the creature’s head while its green tongue wagged low. Jeremy saw a predator and knew it was coming for him.

Flight or fight kicked in and Jeremy made his choice by firing his gun. Unfortunately, it was a weapon he hadn’t practiced with in almost a year. His aim proved to be atrocious and the bullets that actually stuck the creature simply bounced off. Determined to live, Jeremy took the only option that was left to him. He ran.

Jeremy had almost made it to a security alarm, but it was too late. He was lifted up into the air and flung like a slingshot into the creature’s arms. The poor man screamed the entire way.

“I will find the banished one and your knowledge of this world will help me.”

The creature’s tongue slid in Jeremy’s ear and he screamed.

Author’s Notes

Building the world that AE lives in can be tough and with shorter issues it’s going to take me a little more time. But with that said, I’m loving it and having a lot of fun. I’m getting to use a character that probably would never receive this much attention at Marvel proper. So I feel like I’m actually utilizing fanfic to its full potential.

-Brent