The Tally Board was blank, as the current scores had been taken down earlier in the day. Several villains were on the fringe of being finalists. That only served to heighten the drama of the moment.
The audience collectively held their breath as the clock struck midnight. A few beats passed and nothing had happened. Some of those present looked around with puzzled expressions on their faces. Suddenly, a shrill noise came over the dome's loud speakers.
"Attention!", came the familiar voice of the receptionist over the loudspeaker. "Round One of the contest has now been closed. The following villains are to report to the Arena immediately."
Murmurs broke out among the growing crowd of villains. Excitement filled the hall.
"Firewing,..."
"As is to be expected," the fiery villain stated. Firewing was a most impressive physical specimen. He stood a full 6'6" tall and had unearthly bronze skin, hair, and eyes. This was not surprising, as Firewing was an alien who came to earth seeking to battle the improbable men the Earth had spawned. He was like a cosmic gunslinger, eagerly seeking the next worthy challenger. The nimbus of red flames playing about his form only made Firewing all the more impressive to the viewer.
"...Dr. Destroyer,..."
The master villain stood impassively at the rear of the chamber, his ever present aide, Menton, at his side. Destroyer's advancing into Round Two was never in doubt. It was beneath his dignity to show signs of relief or excitement. Such things were for lesser men. Soon this farce would be over and Destroyer would be the victor. There was no other possible outcome.
"...Borealis,..."
A few murmurs of surprise broke out among the crowd. The green and gold clad villain that hailed from Canada, seemed to be pleased. He also kept his response low key. There was still much to do before Borealis could claim the grand prize. If the stories were true, the Emerald Eye of Azog would only further amplify his already impressive mastery of the entire light spectrum. With the prize in hand, Borealis would finally be able to overthrow the oppressive Canadian government.
"...Ankylosaur,..."
"Yes!", the armor-clad villain said in response as he vigorously pumped his clawed fist. "I am the man! I am the man! Ha! I knew I should've ditched that loser Neutron a long time ago! Now he's out in the cold and I'm on the fast track to ultimate power!"
Those around the green, gold, and rust colored armored man hesitantly agreed. While he had accumulated an impressive number of points, Ankylosaur had always played it safe, gaining the maximum amount of points with the minimal amount of risk. However, each contestant knew that if the situation got too hot, Ankylosaur would flee. No one considered him a serious contender.
"...Black Paladin,..."
"A well fought contest," the dark knight said in response. "I do salute the other finalists and look forward to spilling their blood along the path to claiming the artifact."
Paladin's armor was jet black in color and didn't reflect light. There was something unsettling about the dark knight. An almost tangible aura of evil that could be felt by those nearby. Even in this crowded chamber of master criminals and desperate villains, they gave the Black Paladin a wide berth.
"...Ripper,..."
"Awright!", the large, purplish villain shouted out. Ripper was big and loud. Subtlety was not his strong suit. In fact he probably didn't even know what the word meant. Those present wondered what he would even do with the Emerald Eye should he win it. That thought probably hadn't crossed Ripper's mind yet either. The contest gave him an opportunity to fight, fight, and then fight some more. That was all that mattered to Ripper.
"...Void,..."
The man called Void remained silent, allowing himself a congratulatory smile, unseen under his full-face mask. He was clad in all black, save for a white belt and letter 'V' on his chest. Gadgets had always fascinated the Void. In fact, he became a villain with the sole purpose of collecting hero's gadgets. To the Void, the Emerald Eye of Azog was the ultimate gadget. It would be the crown jewel of his collection.
"... and the Monster."
"Urngh!", the hideous Monster roared. Most everyone present kept well clear of the creature. No one present knew just who-- or what-- the Monster really was. He-- assuming it was a he-- had never spoken. In fact, it had never appeared to have any sort of agenda at all other than causing chaos. What the Monster would do with the Eye was anyone's guess.
"Report to the Arena immediately to make your selections for Round Two..."
"NO!!", a mechanically altered voice cried out. "This is unacceptable!"
Turning, those present could see that the protestor was none other than Professor Muerte, leader of the dreaded Terror Incorporated. He wasn't taking his failure to advance into Round Two very well.
"I demand a recount! You cannot have a contest without the great Professor Muerte! Do you hear me, Claw! I will not be denied!"
The crowd began to thin out, leaving the distraught Professor alone to his complaining.
"This can't be right," another small voice was heard to say. "I'm Pulsar! The greatest supervillain ever! How could I not make the cut?! It's a conspiracy! It must be!"
Professor Muerte passed the whining Pulsar on his way out of the chamber. "Greatest dolt ever is more like it!"
"How dare you talk to me like that!", Pulsar screamed. "If you think I'm going to join your pathetic group, you've got another think coming, you tin-plated--!!"
His limited patience already gone, Muerte opened fired with his blaster gauntlets. "ARGGHH!! Silence!!"
The blast sent Pulsar across the room. He bounced off the deck and came to a sliding stop when he reached the wall. Dazed, he tried to sit up.
The Professor observed his handiwork and turned away. There was much he had yet to do. Muerte wasn't about to take this indignity sitting down. If he couldn't have the prize, then no one could!
Pulsar regained his wits in time to catch a glimpse of Professor Muerte's cape as he departed the chamber. "And there's more where that came from," he threatened loudly. "No one messes with the world's greatest supervillain!"
Ankylosaur made his way to the arena, still impressed at his making the second round of the contest. "My man, you are good! One a' the top eight villains on the planet! Baby, you are on your way!"
There once was a time when the man who would become the feared Ankylosaur was glad to even have a job, a warm meal, and a place to sleep. Things had certainly changed since those days.
Paul Bressler was a small time crook. That all changed one day when he and his partner John McDougal were hired by VIPER to do a simple job. The pair were to act as a diversion while VIPER forces raided an UNTIL research lab in Canada.
John and Paul got a little carried away and actually entered the labs only to find themselves smack dab in the middle of a fire fight between UNTIL and VIPER forces. The small time crooks fled, every man for himself.
Bressler ended up taking refuge in a shipping room. He amused himself by substituting his own address for the previous destinations on a series of crates. Paul then fled, avoiding the battles.
The crates arrived at his apartment over the next week by courier delivery. Paul was no genius, but he knew enough about mechanics to assemble the contents of the crates. Turns out that it was an UNTIL prototype battle suit. The suit was large, had lots of spikes and a tail. It reminded Paul of some kind of dinosaur.
Through some destructive trial and error, Bressler eventually figured out how to work the armored suit. And just in time as UNTIL officials realized what had happened and arrived on Paul's doorstep in force. Instead of a small time hood, they found the Ankylosaur waiting for them. The UNTIL Operatives were overpowered and were unable to pursue.
Small time crook Paul Bressler was gone. He was now the Ankylosaur and he would hit the big time in a big way!
The next few weeks passed as Ankylosaur hit larger and better targets. Money was his to be had! No bank vault was safe! No one in tights could stop him!
Then he caught up with his friend John McDougal. Or rather, what remained of him. Somehow, John had been transformed into a horrendous beast during the raid. While John had the basic form of a human, he now sported large, leathery brown wings and a tail. An almost animal-like fur covered much of his body. His fingernails had been transformed into razor sharp claws. John was now the monstrous Wyvern!
Unfortunately, very little of John's intellect still remained. Wyvern was more beast than man. But the creature was intelligent enough to know Paul and follow his commands. Together, Ankylosaur and Wyvern formed a very dangerous duo.
One day, Ankylosaur and Wyvern were contacted by a man calling himself Neutron. Initially, Paul was rather impressed by the man. He was arrogant, full of self-importance, and highly educated. Neutron was everything that Paul wished he himself could be when he was still a small time crook. And so Ankylosaur and Wyvern joined up with the Conquerors.
But this volatile alliance was not meant to last. In time, Ankylosaur realized that Neutron was just another nutcase. A highly intelligent nutcase, but a nutcase just the same. When the leader of the Conquerors set himself on a plan to steal the Emerald Eye of Azog it became the final straw for Ankylosaur. Taking Wyvern with him, Ankylosaur struck out on his own once more. Neutron's plan failed and he was nearly beaten to death by the Crimson Claw for his efforts.
But none of that mattered any longer. Now Ankylosaur had the Eye within his grasp. Perhaps once he had it, he would beat the tar out of Neutron for all the years of putting up with that egomaniac's verbal abuse. Yeah, that could be fun. Then all those others who ever put him down or tried to send him to jail. The Ankylosaur would be more than happy to settle the score with anyone who ever crossed him in the past.
The villains began to file into the Arena. Most of the vast chamber was dark. A single spotlight illuminated the center of the room. The Crimson Claw stood within the light, the being's features obscured by his ever-present hooded robe. The insufferably cheerful blonde receptionist stood by his side holding a large bowl. She reminded Ankylosaur of one of those annoying hostesses on TV game shows.
Once all of the finalists had arrived, the receptionist spoke. "Congratulations to each of you for advancing to Round Two. In my hands is the selection bowl. My master, the Crimson Claw, has already placed his eight choices in the bowl. On the slips of paper you are being handed you will write your choice for a target hero. All the choices will then be mixed into the bowl. At that time your selections will begin."
As the receptionist spoke, male servants handled the task of providing instruments for the finalists to make their selections and collecting the slips of paper. All were dumped into the bowl and then vigorously mixed together.
"When I call your name," the receptionist continued, "you will come forward and select a target from the bowl. If your selection is to your choosing, then you are all done. You'll have two weeks to return here with your target hero. Those who succeed advance into round three."
"You may reject your selected name. In this case, you will have to make two selections and capture both heroes to advance. Are we clear on the rules?" Other than a few grunts, silence was the receptionist's answer.
"Then we are ready to begin. Firewing has the first selection."
The being known as Firewing came forward, reached into the bowl, and pulled out a piece of paper. He unfolded it and read the name inscribed on it out loud. "Hornet."
The Crimson Claw finally spoke. "Do you accept your selection?"
"Hornet is as good as captured," Firewing stated arrogantly.
"Forgive me, master," the receptionist interrupted, "but the Hornet is currently one of our prisoners."
A look of displeasure came to Firewing's face. "What now, Claw?"
"Hornet, as with any other prisoners who may be selected, will be released," was the Claw's answer. "Will you keep Hornet as your target?"
"Of course. Firewing fears no man." With that, the fiery villain stepped back out of the spotlight. A hush fell over the assembly as they awaited the name of the next selector.
"Dr. Destroyer," the receptionist announced.
Destroyer entered from the shadows. The others moved aside as he approached. No one present dared to get in his way.
His gauntleted hand reached into the selection bowl and pulled forth a piece of paper. Unfolding it, he silently read the name written upon it. Without showing a trace of emotion, he handed the paper to the contest master.
"Black Diamond," the Crimson Claw announced for all to hear. Turning back to the selector, he added, "Are you satisfied with this choice?"
"Yes," came the answer in a deep bass voice. He turned and departed the chamber. The remaining selections were irrelevant to him. All that mattered was winning the game and to do that he would have to take down Black Diamond.
"Borealis,", the receptionist stated before Destroyer had left the Arena.
The Canadian master criminal reached into the bowl and made his choice. Nebula was to be his target. After a moment's consideration, he accepted.
Ankylosaur muttered to himself in the background. The ceremony of the whole thing was starting to get on his nerves. The receptionist would call out the selector. The villain would pick a piece of paper and announce the name on it. The Crimson Claw would ask if he was happy with the choice. Yada, yada, yada. He wanted to scream, 'get on with it!', but contained himself. Getting the Claw mad at him at this stage of the game was not a good idea.
Black Paladin selected fourth, choosing American Eagle. Ankylosaur winced. The American Eagle was an old man. Who here couldn't take him out?? They might as well put Black Paladin into the finals right here and now. The ebony knight made some flowery speech about his upcoming conquest, but Ankylosaur didn't pay much attention.
The Monster came next. His target turned out to be Quantum. For the first time, Ankylosaur thought to himself, "I'm glad that wasn't mine!" Quantum was a extremely powerful heroine that very few would try and cross. Oddly enough, her powers radically fluctuated. She could be a pushover one day, and could take on the world the next. Still, you never knew just how powerful Quantum was going to be at any given moment. It was a dangerous proposition, but the Monster accepted his target with a grunt.
The sixth selector was Ripper. The loud and brash man-beast was given Morning Star as a target. He eagerly accepted and stalked off. That was a fight that Ankylosaur might pay money to see.
Finally came the moment of truth. "Ankylosaur," the receptionist called out.
"'Bout time, too!", the villain muttered as he approached. Gingerly, he reached into the bowl. His armored claws were made for shredding, not picking up pieces of paper. Finally, he locked onto one of the selections and pulled it forth. He handed it to the Crimson Claw. Trying to open the paper up himself would take forever with his claws.
"Captain Australia," the Claw announced.
"WHAT!?!", Ankylosaur nearly screamed. "Who the hell put him in there!?"
Captain Australia, quite naturally, hailed from the land down under. The national hero was incredibly powerful. So much so, that any sensible villain gave Australia a wide berth.
"Two weeks to travel to Australia, somehow defeat and hold this guy, and made it back to LA?! It can't be done!" Ankylosaur was fuming. All the others had gotten relatively easy targets while he got one of the most powerful heroes on the planet! It was just like back when he was strictly small time-- some big shot was puttin' the screws to him!
"You may discard this selection," the Claw calmly stated. "But, you must take two selections should you desire to not confront Captain Australia."
"What choice do I have?" Muttering under his breath, Ankylosaur reached into the bowl once more. He picked Quasar with his first choice, Captain Lightning with the next. Neither were pushovers, but at least Ankylosaur had a chance. A small chance. A very small chance.
The Crimson Claw accepted the pieces of paper and made sure that Ankylosaur wanted these two heroes. The armored villain had no choice now. It was either capture Quasar and Captain Lightning or quit the contest. Angry and distraught, Ankylosaur stalked out of the arena.
Had he stayed a few more moments, he would have learned that the last villain, the enigmatic Void had selected Vortex as his target. It wouldn't have made him feel any better anyway.
Ankylosaur wandered the Crimson Claw's ship alone for the next several hours, cursing his luck. He had thought he had risen to the top, only to be violently knocked off the peak. "I could beat'm both," he muttered to himself. "Yeah, and pigs might fly too. Damn!"
Enraged, Ankylosaur absentmindedly punched the corridor wall with his armored fist. Sparks flew out from behind the wall, his punch apparently hitting some of the control systems. A panel that blended in perfectly with the hallway silently slid open.
Anger was suddenly replaced by confusion. "What's this?" Puzzled, Ankylosaur took a tentative step into the concealed chamber. It looked like a control center of some type. There was a console with several monitors overhead. It reminded the armored villain of a security checkpoint.
"Say... This could be useful. If I could deactivate the security protocols, I could just claim the Eye for myself. Yeah! Try and give me a raw deal, Claw, and I'll give you one in return!"
Ankylosaur checked the corridor once more to make sure that it was empty. Those pesky servants could pop in from out of nowhere. But no one was around. The armored villain entered the room, the door sliding shut behind him. He was far too large to take a seat at the console, and had to work standing up.
"These controls don't seem too difficult... For being an alien, the Claw's ship seems more designed for humans than-- than whatever the hell he is."
Experimentally pushing a few buttons, Ankylosaur caused the monitors to come to life. They provided different camera views throughout out the Claw's ship. "Here we go.... This should reveal something."
By pushing different buttons, Ankylosaur was able to cycle through a series of different camera shots. Finally, he stopped when he came to one that featured the Crimson Claw himself! The contest's master was standing in a room that Ankylosaur could not identify. It must be some part of the ship where the villains weren't allowed access.
The Crimson Claw stood before what appeared to be a dark window. Maybe a black mirror mounted on the wall. Unexpectedly, the Claw bent down on one knee before the strange mirror. The darkness inside the mirror seemed to move in disturbing swirling patterns.
"I hear your call, my masters", the Crimson Claw stated reverently.
"What the hell is this?", Ankylosaur wondered aloud. He caught himself, hoping that the communication into the Claw's room was not two-way. "The big, bad Crimson Claw is just a servant himself? But to who? And why?" More intrigued than ever, Ankylosaur stared at the monitor.
"We grow impatient...", came a bizarre string of voices from the mirror. It was as if several beings were all speaking at the same time.
"All is proceeding as planned," the Crimson Claw answered. "It is only a matter of human days before your imminent return. Before these disgusting creatures will bow down before you."
"They're invaders!", Ankylosaur thought to himself. "This whole contest is nothin' but a sham!" Dumbfounded, the villain continued to watch and listen.
"As it was in the olden days, so shall it be once again," the choir of voices from the mirror stated. "Far too long has it been since we walked upon the earth. Far too long have we been denied the pleasure of tormenting humankind."
"You shall experience your pleasures very soon, milords. These humans are so simple, so quick to believe whatever I tell them. They fight over the honor to possess your Emerald Eye like wolves fighting over a fresh kill. Little do they suspect the truth." The Claw rose and stood before the mirror. "According to my flawless planning, none of the humans know-- even suspect that the Eye does indeed impart great power; just not in the manner that they suspect."
"We had longed hoped that such a day would come," the dark beings of Azog added. "When this human exploratory dimensional ship entered our realm was the chance given to us. The humans who piloted this ship were drained of their life. We took that energy and bound you to their vessel, enabling you to slip the bonds that continue to hold us. Taking with you the greatest of our eyes and two of the lesser, you were sent to find a suitable dimension to enslave."
"This earth with its wide variety of powerful humans fits our needs perfectly." The Claw paced before the mirror, virtually beaming in pride while sharing its master plan with his superiors. "The Emerald Eye of Azog will bond with a human, creating a permanent gateway from the realm in which we are imprisoned. The more powerful the human, the larger the gate. The Children of Azog shall come forth in great hordes and lay waste to humankind. This 'Great Supervillain Contest' is required to determine the most powerful of these humans."
"And to select bodies for us to possess," the choir of Azog continued. "Powerful, human bodies for us to join with. Allowing us to freely exist in their dimension. We will become an invincible combination!"
Behind his face place, Ankylosaur's face had turned pale white. He was trembling. "My God...."
It all made perfect, if not perverse, sense. The contest served a dual purpose. Not only would it select the most powerful villain of them all to bond with the Emerald Eye, but it would also identify the most powerful supers, hero or villain, to be used as hosts for the Claw's dark masters.
And this just wasn't a spaceship, but a dimensional ship! The Crimson Claw was some kind of demonic creature from another dimension seeking to conquer ours!
Paul Bressler would never be considered as a noble man by any stretch of the imagination. But, there was no way he could just sit back and let Earth be overrun by these-- things. He had to tell someone.
The other villains wouldn't listen to him though. His actions earlier in the Arena had burned those bridges. They would probably think he was just whining about his bad luck. No, the heroes. They would listen to him. He had to make them listen....
Ankylosaur vacated the Claw's Dome as fast as his armored limbs would carry him. He had heard that a large force of heroes was gathering at the Guardians Base. That's where he would go to tell his story...
The armored villain rapidly moved across the mountains faster than anyone would have thought possible. In spite of the large and bulky appearance of his armor, the Ankylosaur was quite quick and agile.
Suddenly, he skidded to a halt as he noticed multiple blips on his radar. Turning, he could vaguely make out shapes passing overhead. It was a strike force of the very heroes he was attempting to reach! Judging by their flight path, they were heading towards the Claw's dome!
"Hey!! Down here!" Ankylosaur hollered, jumping in place while vigorously waving his arms. However, they were too far away to notice Ankylosaur. "Damn! There's never a hero around when you need one!"
Disgruntled, Ankylosaur reversed course, trailing after the faster moving heroes. "At least they're heading in the right direction...", he silently reasoned.
Epilogue:
Several moments after Ankylosaur departed the hidden control room inside the Claw's ship, two beings appeared in the empty room. The first wore a midnight blue armored suit made of some sort of plastic-like material. The armor sported no markings or designs of any kind. A number of weapons were in full view, as well as quite a few unseen surprises. A sword hung in a scabbard at his side, as well as a pair of holstered pistols of some sort. A laser rifle was slung across his back.
Beside him was an extremely attractive brunette woman clad entirely in black. A dull black, armless, legless body suit graced her torso. She wore matching short gloves and boots. Under this she wore a diaphanous body stocking that was a black nylon. A dull black cape hung from her shoulders to her knees.
"Good work, Jaime," the man commented. "Anky will now do his part to make sure this all turns out the way it's supposed to."
"Did you ever doubt me?", came an answer from the right wrist of both people. "I'm all set. The necessary programs are all in place, just waiting to be triggered."
"So now we wait?", the woman questioned.
The man put his arm around her. "We wait for the inevitable."
In X-Factor #3!
