The receptionist sighed. No doubt it was yet another villain seeking to learn about the contest her Master was running. She disliked humans immensely, as well as their form. But she was in no position to complain. Putting on her best face, the receptionist opened the dome to allow the newcomer entrance.
The man jumped back as the dome silently opened before him. He nervously looked around, as if expecting to be attacked at any moment. Finally, he entered and approached the receptionist.
"Hello," the receptionist greeted in a pleasant tone. "How many I help you?"
The man stood before her desk. He was certainly the most unimpressive human she had yet to meet. After gathering his courage, he spoke. "I am the great Monopole and I've come to interview the Crimson Claw!"
That certainly was not what the receptionist had been expecting to hear. "I see. My master does not give interviews. Good day."
"Wait!", Monopole said, holding his hands up before him. "I heard about this contest of his and want to find out all I can."
"I can help you with that. In fact, that is my function here. To process all the villains who come here and field whatever questions they may have."
That seemed to please Monopole, who adjusted his ill-fitting helmet. "Great! My readers will be most interested in all of this." Reaching into his cape, Monopole produced a small tape player.
"You are a reporter?", the receptionist questioned.
"I produce several underground publications. Perhaps you've heard of them: Crimes of the Heartless? Villainy Unbound?"
"No, but my Master has not been on your world all that long."
"Aha!", Monopole responded in a loud voice. "You're aliens! This is so cool!"
"Am I to understand that you produce publications that are aimed for villains themselves?"
"That's right," Monopole stated proudly. "I tell the complete story instead of the skewed versions you find in the so-call free press. Villains are getting a bad rap from those who don't understand them. After all, who are the ones with any vision of making a better world? A hero? Hardly! They just are just a bunch of glory hounds seeking to satisfy their colossal egos!"
The receptionist paused, as if listening to some distant, unheard voice. "My Master will permit you to interview me for your publications, since it will spread the word of his contest among the very participants he seeks."
"All righty then!" Monopole looked around for something to sit on but found nothing. Finally, he took a seat on the edge of the receptionist's desk. "Let's get down to business." The admirer of villains switched on his tape player and asked his first question. "What is the purpose of this contest the Crimson Claw is running?"
"As I mentioned earlier, we are aliens to your world. I have adopted human form so as to deal with the contestants in a smoother manner. In my Master's travels, he discovered an ancient artifact dubbed the 'Emerald Eye of Azog'."
"This then is the grand prize of the contest?"
"That is correct," the receptionist answered.
"If this Emerald Eye is so powerful then why doesn't your Master just keep it for himself?"
"The Eye was created by humanoids to be used by humanoids. My Master is unable to utilize its full potential since he is not human. So, he decided to find a humanoid culture and present it to them. But when we arrived on your world, we found that your people were not united. Many separate nations and individual cultures exist."
"So you were stuck with trying to figure out a method to find someone worthy enough to present this artifact to?", Monopole questioned.
"Yes. It would take years to make a choice by simple observation, time which we do not have to spare. Instead, he would hold a contest for those who have, as you said, 'vision' and the desire to change things. To the winner of this contest will go Ultimate Power."
"That is so cool." Monopole was eating the receptionist's story right up. "How does the contest itself work?"
"There are three rounds, of which we are currently in the first. Round One lasts a total of twelve weeks where those who wish to participate must earn points. The eight villains with the most points will advance to Round Two."
"How do these villains collect 'points'?", was Monopole's next question.
The receptionist produced a document from underneath her desk. "This here is the criteria for earning points. Each hero has been assigned a point value based on his or her individual power, experience, and reputation. Situational modifiers are applied from there. So, simply defeat heroes and pull off crimes, and return here for proper documentation, to earn points."
"It's like being rewarded for doing what a villain likes to do anyway."
"So we are told," the receptionist commented.
"What happens in Round Two?"
"In Round Two, the top eight point totals from Round One each draw to determine their opponent. The villain then has two weeks to capture his target and bring them to this dome. Those who succeed will advance to Round Three."
After a pause, Monopole asked his next question. "And Round Three involves what?"
"The survivors from Round Two will battle each other. The villain who triumphs over all the others may claim the Emerald Eye as his prize."
"How long has the contest been running? I only just heard about it a few days ago."
"We are in the sixth week of the contest. The halfway point."
Monopole considered for a time before asking his next question. He had gotten all the relevant information on the contest itself. "Have there been any unusual developments in the contest so far?"
"Given the nature of our contestants, such things are to be expected. Several instances come to mind."
Monopole moved the tape recorder closer to the receptionist. "Go right ahead and tell your stories. My readers would just love to hear them."
The receptionist considered for a moment which tale to tell. Finally, she began. "The first interesting event involved the disqualification of the Iron Maiden..."
"Sacre Bleu! Vhat makes you suggest that my capture eez invalid?!" The villainess known as Iron Maiden was normally icy cool and well in control of any situation. She was sheathed in her gray-blue metal and black leather costume. A breastplate, gauntlets, mask and boots gleamed in stark contrast to the dull black of the remainder of her costume. Her long hooded cloak swirled about her like a dark blue wraith as she gesticulated wildly.
Standing behind the French mastermind was her aide, Mentalla. The mentalist remained quiet, having rarely seen her mistress so angry. Mentalla was almost as tall as the Iron Maiden. She wore a dark green body suit with red gloves and boots. A large red letter 'M' was emblazoned on the front of her costume, the upper portion reaching her shoulders, the lower portion disappearing into her ankle boots. Mentalla was attractive, her long brown hair, which nearly reached her waist, matched the color of her eyes.
The Crimson Claw's receptionist looked back at the emotional villainess with remorseless eyes. She was simply doing her job. A distasteful one at that. Putting up with these egotistical cretins day in and day out was wearing thin on her. She wouldn't let it show however.
"I am sorry,..." She looked down at her computer again. "... Iron Maiden. Our records clearly indicate that you failed to defeat your opponent in direct combat." Her cheery disposition only served to make Iron Maiden that much more upset.
"Vhat difference does zhat make?! I defeated and brought 'im 'ere!"
"You tricked him into entering a room filled with sleeping gas. While I find deceit an admirable tactic, you cannot be given points for Supreme's capture. It is clearly against the rules. Would you care for me to recite them again for you?" The receptionist began typing on her computer console.
Iron Maiden slammed her gauntleted fist into the machine, smashing it. "I shall not stand for zheez! I demand you credit moi properly."
"Mistress! Please try to calm yourself...", Mentalla started to say, but was completely ignored.
The receptionist stood up and placed her hands squarely on her hips, looking at the ruined machine. Stupid uncontrollable humanoids. She waved her index finger in the villainess' direction and added in a singsong voice, " Now, now, you've just cost yourself a 5 point reduction for destruction of property."
Iron Maiden moved swiftly. She reached out with her metallic fist and caught the annoying receptionist by the throat. She hefted the unfortunate worker over her head, leaving her dangling from the villain's grip. "I will not be denied," she hissed. "Zee prize, she will be mine!"
All around, other servants of the Crimson Claw began to assemble in the area. Most of them had pulled unusual looking weaponry and had them trained on the tall villainess. Mentalla looked around nervously. While her mental powers were great, even a powerful psionic such as herself had great difficulty in even sensing the mere presence of these strange Servants of the Claw.
In a raspy voice, the receptionist responded, "Assaulting the staff is another 10 point demerit."
Iron Maiden screamed loudly in frustration and anger. She threw the startled assistant against a far wall. All at once the Claw's servants opened fire. Numerous beams of energy connected with her protective armor. Iron Maiden shrugged off the attacks and waded into the massing servants.
Mentalla screamed in surprise when the servants began to attack. She should have known they were coming, but didn't. Her protective force field shielded her from the occasional ricochet that came Mentalla's way.
After a few moments of throwing the staff around, Iron Maiden stood unopposed in the reception area. Mentalla moved forward to tend to her mistress. "Did they hurt you?"
"Get away!", Iron Maiden shouted, her anger unabated. A small crowd of other villains had gathered to watch the mismatched battle. The French mastermind turned to glare at the villains. "Vhat are you fools gawking at?!"
"Way ta go, toots!", Armadillo shouted. "'Bout time someone taught these creeps some manners!"
"Trash 'em all," Psion urged. Behind them Panda and Raccoon were applauding as they watched the spectacle. No one had any great love of the receptionist and the other Servants of the Claw.
The receptionist stood up not far away and straightened her outfit and smoothed her hair. "You should not have done that. I would suggest you vacate the premises immediately."
Iron Maiden started towards the receptionist again as the crowd cheered for her. "Mess her up!", Bulldozer yelled.
"Vhat are you going to do to stop moi, mon cher?" Iron Maiden towered over the smaller woman.
"Why nothing, of course." She stepped back a few steps and a large figure stepped out of the shadows. The crowd went silent as the being approached. Even Iron Maiden stopped in her tracks. The Crimson Claw had rarely put in a personal appearance since this contest had begun. Today he did so.
"I grow weary of this childish outburst. It shall cease at once." The Claw's voice remained even as he spoke, despite the inhuman quality, but there was more than a hint of threat behind the command.
Iron Maiden was not one to be swayed so easily. "I 'ave been cheated. I shall not stand for zhis." Behind her, Mentalla found that the Crimson Claw eluded her psionics as easily as his Servants had.
"Yeah, this whole thing is unfair if you ask me," Psion spoke up, walking up alongside the armored villainess.
The Crimson Claw had expected to have to deal with such outbursts. When you deal with lesser life forms such as these, you prepare for the inevitable discontent. The Claw preferred to avoid physical confrontations whenever possible. This time it seemed that would not be the case.
"I quite agree. I demand satisfaction." Iron Maiden glared back at the inhuman mastermind of The Great Super Villain Contest.
"She demands satisfaction," Psion echoed.
The Crimson Claw regarded his antagonists with hateful eyes. He would need to nip this uprising squarely in the bud and squash any further ideas of challenging his authority. Psion was easily the weaker of the two in front of him. He studied the egotistical villain for a few moments.
"Very well, you will receive the satisfaction you desire." Everyone in the immediate area was rather surprised to hear the Claw's sudden consention.
"See, you just have to push your point." Psion turned to Iron Maiden and smiled. Iron Maiden was rather surprised. She returned the look and suddenly flinched as a burst of blood splashed onto her mask and body. Her eyes grew wide as she watched the Crimson Claw extract his clawed fingers from Psion's face. The psionic mastermind collapsed to the metallic floor like a discarded rag doll. Iron Maiden looked back to the Claw, still taken aback.
"Satisfied?", the Claw asked. His eyes flared a reddish light as he spoke.
Iron Maiden started to stammer out a reply, but the Crimson Claw quickly cut her off. "You are hereby disqualified from this contest. Leave now. You should consider yourself fortunate that I am feeling generous over this minor disturbance." The Claw raised his arm and pointed a bloody, clawed finger towards the entry to the blue metallic dome.
Without another word, Iron Maiden wrapped her cloak about herself and stalked out of the base with as much dignity as she could muster, an astonished Mentalla taking step behind her. The other villains who had been watching hadn't said a word since Psion was felled. The Claw gave the group a silent look as he was about to depart and they all scattered as quickly as they could. The male Servants of the Claw dragged the lifeless body away...
"Wow," was Monopole's response as the receptionist completed her tale. "From what I heard, Psion was a pretty powerful mentalist up in Canada. To be taken out with one strike means that the Crimson Claw is incredibly powerful."
The receptionist nodded in agreement. "It served notice to those who would not follow my master's rules." While the receptionist's retelling of the disqualification of Iron Maiden was accurate, she had left out some of the details. Information that she didn't wish Monopole to pass on to his readers. Such as how the Servants, upon being defeated, reverted to their true hideously alien forms. Or how the oxygen rich Earth's atmosphere burned their skin in their natural appearance. No need for that to become public knowledge.
"Come with me," the receptionist told Monopole. Puzzled, the admirer of villains followed. They entered into the nearby elevator. "Arena Level", the receptionist said into the microphone.
"Where are we going?"
"My master thought it would be helpful for your story if you could see the object of his contest. The Emerald Eye of Azog itself."
"Cool! So, other than Iron Maiden, has anyone else been disqualified?"
"There have been a few," the receptionist explained. "Among them was the woman calling herself Lady Blue."
"That's not too surprising... Lady Blue is too nice to be a true criminal. What did she do to be kicked out of the contest?"
"The cyborg called Halfjack organized a group of villains with the purpose of defeating and capturing the Champions. Lady Blue betrayed Halfjack by alerting the Titantic Trio to the plan. Instead, it was Halfjack's forces who were defeated, driven off, or captured." (Editor's Note: As seen in Troubleshooters #8 & #9)
"Good riddance to her, if you ask me," Monopole concluded. It made no difference to the receptionist one way or the other.
The elevator came to a halt and the pair disembarked. "This is the arena," the receptionist stated.
Monopole was in awe of it. The great arena was easily over one hundred feet wide and several stories high. The chamber was circular, most likely filling one complete level in the Claw's strange starship. High over the center of the arena floated a trio of green oval-shaped gems. A glowing field of energy surrounded them all.
The receptionist casually walked over to one of the computer keypad stations. She tapped a few buttons and the trio of Emerald Eyes slowly descended to floor level. "Do not get within ten feet of the Eyes," she instructed. "The energy field surrounding the Eyes is fatal to your kind."
"I thought there was only one Emerald Eye-- There's three of them up there!"
"Two of them are fakes. There is only one real Emerald Eye of Azog. This is all part of my master's precautions to prevent theft."
Monopole circled the trio of Eyes nestled inside their field of lethal energy. For a few seconds he considered risking the danger to grab the Emerald Eye, but ultimately decided against it.
The receptionist allowed Monopole to take several pictures before returning the Emerald Eyes to their place high overhead.
"Has anyone tried to steal the Eyes before? I'm sure that there are those not content to follow the rules. Those who would circumvent the contest to get their hands on the prize."
"Of course, but they failed," the receptionist stated proudly.
"Tell me about it."
The four members of the Conquerors sat around a table in the mess hall sampling the fare offered by the Crimson Claw's food servers. Neutron, the team's self-appointed leader, and Arc nibbled at their food. Ankylosaur choose not to partake, as he was unwilling to remove his armor in public. The remaining member, Wyvern, was lunching voraciously on a large pile of meat, snorting as he wolfed down huge portions.
"Here, John, you can have mine." Ankylosaur pushed his plate of food over to his teammate.
"Nrrygh!", Wyvern snorted in response. He lifted the plate offered to him and scooped the contents into his mouth.
"Will the two of you please pay attention?!", Neutron asked impatiently.
"Hey, I ain't gettin' between Wyvern an' his lunch," Ankylosaur protested.
"This is important," Neutron retorted. Arc didn't say much usually. He was a good little follower, Neutron thought. Not as unpredictable as these other two.
"I heard ya, Neutron," Ankylosaur answered in an irritated tone. "I just think yer nuts is all."
"That incompetent lout, Blackjack, nearly succeeded in pilfering the prize of this contest last week," Neutron continued. "We can succeed were he failed."
"I ain't goin' up against the Claw, Neutron. That's suicide. Just ask Psion."
Arc looked up worriedly at the mention of the first villain to feel the Crimson Claw's wrath. The image of the fallen villain had graced the recreation level since the gruesome event happened. "Maybe he's right, Neutron," Arc added meekly.
"Are you a spineless weakling, Arc!? Didn't I train you better than that? Neutron's true genius will prevail." Arc quickly averted his eyes and continued to poke at his food with his fork.
"Then you don't need either of us," Ankylosaur added. He stood up from the chair he had been reclining on. "Right, Wyvern?"
Wyvern snorted something unintelligible in response as he finished licking his plate clean. "Ice cream," he growled as he looked up from the plate, his chin dripping blood from the meat.
"Yeah, sounds good ta me. Let's get outta here before I change my mind." The two quickly departed the mess hall.
"Insufferable louts," Neutron fumed. As Neutron groused over loosing the opportunity to capture the Emerald Eye of Azog prematurely, he was approached by another.
"I couldn't help but overhear your conversation," the villain known as Beamline said. Letting that sink in for a moment, he then added, "I believe we can acquire the prize if we work together." Beamline was a physically unimpressive figure. He wore a bluish-gray armored costume. A black on dark red synchrotron pattern graced his chest. His domino mask, boots and gloves were red and he wore black trunks.
Neutron smiled a wide grin and pulled out a chair for the megalomaniacal criminal. "What do you have in mind?"
A short time later, the three scheming villains had been joined by Sledge, Blowtorch, Bulldozer and Daigon...
"Are you sure this idea'll work?", Sledge asked skeptically.
"Of course it will work, you..." Beamline was suddenly cut off by Neutron.
"Of course, the plan will work. As long as the five of you complete your task. The Claw can never stand up to our combined power!" Neutron pumped his fist in the air as he spoke. The villains that he and Beamline had settled on were not known for their great intelligence. Sledge and Bulldozer were muscle bound simpletons. Blowtorch was an insane pyromaniac. Daigon was an unknown quantity to them. She called herself the 'demoness' and wore demonic looking battle armor. Daigon seemed to revel in death and destruction. They would make excellent cannon fodder to throw before the Crimson Claw.
"Ultimate power," Bulldozer said wantingly, wringing his hands as he spoke. "Ya ready, Blowtorch?"
"Burn, baby, burn!", Bulldozer sung in response. "Disco inferno!" He squeezed the trigger and sent a jet of flame shooting down the corridor.
Moments later, the newly assembled group of villains made their way onto the arena level and entered the main area. High above, the three Eyes gleamed irresistibly.
"This'll be a piece o' cake," Bulldozer chuckled.
As the seven criminals advanced on the prize, a large squad of the Crimson Claw's Servants appeared in the room from out of nowhere. Each possessed a strange looking weapon. They fired. A few of the villains quickly fanned out, while Bulldozer and Sledge simply absorbed the incoming blasts.
"Let's waste these ugly suckers!", Sledge shouted.
Just then a jet of flame engulfed the Servants. They all howled inhuman screams as they burned in the unrelenting fire which Blowtorch sprayed into their midst. "Fire! Fire! Fire!" He cackled as he liberally scorched the futile attempt to stop them.
Daigon looked on with amusement. "Their screams are a symphony of pain to my ears. You play the most beautiful music, Blowtorch."
After a moment, Blowtorch shut off his flamethrower and just stared at the flames as they consumed the bodies of the Claw's minions. "I'm burnin', I'm burnin', I'm burnin' for you...", he sang.
"Told ya," Bulldozer said, "piece o' cake." He and Sledge hadn't even had time to enter the fray.
"Keep your eyes on that door," Neutron chastised. "We are not out of this yet. The Claw himself will be here any moment, once he realizes what we're doing." He looked over toward Arc who was quickly working at the control panel that controlled the energy field protecting the Eyes.
Arc had pulled two panels free from the wall and had numerous wires dangling from the openings. He worked to re-wire the access pad. "Almost there, Neutron. The field will be down momentarily."
"Excellent!", Neutron responded.
"All according to plan," added Beamline.
The group watched as Arc lowered the trio of Emerald Eyes closer to the ground. Suddenly they stopped about 10 feet from the floor. "What happened?", Beamline asked, an irritated tone in his voice.
"A small technical difficulty," Arc stated. He worked feverishly for a few more moments, but was unable to drop them any further.
"Bah! Height is of no consequence. Quit wasting time and drop the containment field," ordered Neutron.
"At once," Arc quickly responded. After a few moments, the greenish glow of energy began to fade. It lingered faintly, as Arc continued to splice wires and punch controls.
Suddenly, without warning, Daigon flew at the three Eyes. "Ultimate power belongs only to the demoness!" As she made contact with the glistening orbs, a bright burst of energy shot out engulfing all the onlookers. Everyone was knocked off their feet and sent flying.
When everyone's eyes had cleared, the villains could see that Daigon was lying motionless on the floor of the arena. Smoke wafted off of her armored form.
"I guess the field was still operational," Arc feebly tried to explain. Neutron smacked the electrical villain in the back of the head.
"Of course it was..." Neutron stopped in mid-sentence as he caught sight of an incredible vision. Daigon's clumsy effort had somehow knocked one of the Eyes free from the containment field. It lay near the unmoving villainess.
Neutron launched himself at the prize in earnest. His fingers grasped it just as a red gloved hand closed over his. He looked up to see Beamline, grappling for the very same prize.
"Unhand the Eye this instant!", Beamline demanded. Already he could feel the power flowing through him from the Emerald Eye. His mind was expanding, radically new thoughts and concepts filled the scientist's mind.
"The prize is mine!", Neutron protested. He was also feeling the effects of the Eye. "Only I alone am worthy to possess this artifact." The two struggled vainly to wrench the gem free from the other's grasp. After rolling about on the floor of the arena for a few moments, they each began unleashing bursts of energy. They were unfocused and uncontrolled as neither was willing to relinquish a handhold on the coveted prize.
Bulldozer and Sledge looked on mirthfully. "They sure don't know how ta wrassle," Bulldozer observed. "They look like a couple a' schoolgirls fightin' over the phone."
"Yeah, I figure we wait 'til one of them beats the other, then smash 'em in the head and take it ourselves."
While all this was transpiring, Blowtorch was content, even engrossed, in watching his beloved flames dance about the arena. Every once in awhile, when a Servant of the Claw would stop flaming enough for Blowtorch's tastes, he would reignite the fallen creature. "Smoke on the water! A fire in the sky!" Blowtorch played air guitar on his flame-thrower as he sung the lyrics.
He barely noticed as the Crimson Claw stepped onto the scene. The Claw regarded the scene and quickly moved, defying his considerable bulk. Neutron and Beamline were smashed aside by backhanded blows from the Claw.
Realizing the situation they were now in, Beamline and Neutron quickly went about putting the contingency part of their plan into action.
"Attack the Claw!" Beamline commanded.
"We are close to the prize. He cannot stop us now!", Neutron shouted in agreement.
The Crimson Claw turned to look at the remaining villains: Arc, Sledge and Bulldozer. Daigon remained unconscious on the floor and Blowtorch was too engrossed in his fire to pay the slightest bit of attention to what was going on behind him.
"What're ya talkin' about, ya pansies?", Bulldozer said, much to Neutron and Beamline's ultimate surprise.
"Yeah, who are you guys anyway?", Sledge added. "Come on, 'Dozer, let's get out of here and get a beer."
"Arc! Help us!", Neutron cried vainly. He watched helplessly as Arc joined the other two villains heading toward the elevators.
The Crimson Claw watched, his face perpetually hidden behind his cowl. After the villains vacated the arena, he turned back to the two responsible for this effrontery. They would be taught a lesson they would not forget.
"Were they...?", Monopole asked.
"No, but they'll never forget the pain they felt," the receptionist answered. "My master was in an extremely generous mood that day. Beamline, Daigon, Neutron and Blowtorch were all disqualified. Arc, Bulldozer, and Sledge all received 10 point demerits." The receptionist couldn't understand why her master hadn't simply slain all the humans involved in the plot. That's what she would have done. But, it was never her choice to make.
As the receptionist told her latest tale, the pair had been moving through the Claw's Citadel. They were now on the recreation level, the portion of the ship where the villains were allowed to mingle.
"Here is the last stop on your tour," the receptionist announced. "The Tally Board."
The board filled one entire wall of the chamber. It was much like a leader board at golf tournaments. At the top left hand corner of the board was the villain with the most accumulated points. Dr. Destroyer stood on top with 56 points. Firewing was close behind him with 53.
All the way at the bottom left hand corner was the villain with the fewest points. It was Iron Maiden who stood at -30.
The receptionist noted how eagerly Monopole took in all of her stories and descriptions of the contest. "This 'Monopole' will, unwittingly, serve my master well," she silently deduced. "He will be most pleased." The tour complete, the receptionist led Monopole back to the entrance of the dome.
"Thank you for everything," Monopole stated. "I'll get on my story right away. It'll be out in a matter of days."
"Very good." The receptionist pressed one of the buttons at her workstation, causing the outer door to seal behind Monopole. As she watched him depart, a hateful glare came to the woman's normally cheerful face. These 'humans' were the most annoying of creatures. She would not miss their passing...
