And to show that I am indeed still writing, though the rest of this 
might be a little time coming. Anyway, here's the prolgue to the last 
chapter to Act 2


Prologue

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Jonas Hale, Roxxon�s Oil and Gas operations chief, surveyed the sparse 
Japanese countryside before his eyes settled on the scene before him. 
While he disliked field work, he did whatever his boss, Hugh Jones, 
ordered. And when the owner of Roxxon said, �Go to the middle of nowhere 
and make sure this item gets to me,� one hung up the phone, jumped in 
their limousine, and arranged for their corporate jet to take them to 
the middle of nowhere, if they liked their high paying job.

At least Jonas liked what he saw. They were slightly ahead of schedule, 
a good thing considering what had happened to the previous similar 
operations. And a part of him was glad at being present. If this item 
worked the way some of the people in R+D thought it would, he might need 
to transfer over to the New Energy Division, and being personally 
involved in securing the artifact would earn him plenty of brownie 
points. There was nothing like being at ground zero when a new event was 
on the horizon to boost one�s career.

The local heads of operations in Japan, Yoshihiro Kimura walked over to 
Jonas. �It�s secure, Sir,� he said in impeccable English.

�Seal the door and load it on the transport.� Jonas ordered. As the 
doors to the portable vault were shut and the equipment that would seal 
it was moved into position, Jonas noted how worried Yoshihiro looked. It 
was time to be a responsible boss and reassure the employees. �What is it?�

At first it appeared Yoshihiro would say nothing, then he began talking 
quickly, a torrent released from a burst dam. �I�m a bit worried, Sir. I 
heard that the other pieces of the artifact were stolen by a team of 
super-villains.�

Jonas jerked slightly. That was supposed to be confidential. �Where did 
you hear that?�

Yoshihiro became more nervous, and not for the same reason that had 
unnerved him in the first place. He began to babble some nonsensical 
explanation when Jonas cut him off.

�Never mind. I suppose it shows you have some initiative and 
resourcefulness to have dug up that information.� If Yoshihiro wanted to 
rise up the corporate ladder, and anyone at his level by definition 
wanted to, he would need those abilities. And if he was very good at it, 
Jonas would keep a close eye on him as both potential resource and as a 
rival. �What I say goes no further than here, is that understood?�

�Yes sir.�

Jonas looked around to ascertain the two were indeed alone, then began. 
�When the Challengers of the Fantastic and Fantastic Four defeated 
Prester John, his weapon, the so-called �Evil Eye of Avalon� was 
shattered into seven pieces and sent to the far corners of the Earth. 
The Board and Mr. Jones felt the Eye might be a viable form of 
alternative energy and sent out teams to recover the pieces. Of the 
seven, one was recovered by AIM, two more by an unknown party, and two 
by us. Make that three including this one. We are also in the process of 
recovering the final one. However, the facility that housed the two 
pieces we already had was indeed raided by a group of SPBs. They 
successfully stole the pieces, which is why we took special measures to 
protect this piece.�

Jonas pointed to the giant container. �That mobile vault is made of 
adamantium. Not adamantium steel. Pure adamantium.� He watched as 
someone applied a liquid to the seal. Within seconds it hardened. �And 
now that the piece of the Eye is inside, the door itself is now sealed 
with adamantium we had been keeping in its liquid state. Now that it�s 
hardened, even we can�t open it. At least not here. The only way to open 
it is with a molecular rearranger, and it�s not like you can pick one up 
in your local department store.�

�But the vault itself could be stolen,� Yoshihiro pointed out.

Jonas nodded. �True, but we�re taking extra security precautions there 
as well.

Yoshihiro looked around. �Triple the usual number of security guards?� 
he asked dubiously.

�Superheroes.� Jonas pointed at what appeared to be a standard yellow 
school bus approaching from the west. The pair watched as it pulled up 
to the site, only to be surrounded by a large number of guards with high 
tech weaponry. Yoshihiro watched in disbelief as four men dressed in 
American Football uniforms exited the bus. They wore red tops, white 
pants, and full padding. Each had a black helmet with a vicious-looking 
bat etched on the side. The outfits only differed by the numbers on each 
man�s jersey. However, despite the identical nature of their outfits, 
they were easy to tell apart. One was huge, both in height and girth. 
Most sumos would probably fall before someone that big. A second was 
small, with oversized hands and huge bare feet, and almost seemed to 
move like a monkey. One of the others was short as well, though there 
seemed to be something� furtive about him. The final member was tall and 
from his bearing the leader. He had an oversized sports equipment bag, 
the barrels of a number of weapons sticking out.

The leader handed a number of documents to the guards that confronted 
them, giving a maniacal laugh that chilled Yoshihiro to the bone. The 
laugh seemed to unnerve even he man�s teammates. After their identity 
was verified, the group walked over to where Jonas and his subordinate 
stood waiting for them.

The leader smiled, his teeth honed to sharpened points. To Jonas he 
said, �Eyeshield 21 at your service.�

While the first part was obvious, given that the all wore eyeshields to 
protect their identities, the latter part needed to be addressed. �Why 
�21�?� Jonas asked.

�We hope to have that many members before the season is over.�

�Aren�t there normally twenty-two players on a team?�

�We�ll have one guy playing both sides of the field,� the leader explained.

�I see,� Jonas said.

�But there�s only four of you now,� Yoshihiro pointed out.

�Five,� said a quiet voice from right next to him.

Yoshihiro nearly jumped out of his skin. Right beside him, as though he 
had been there before the bus arrived, was a fifth uniformed man. �I� 
didn�t see you. Sorry.�

�No one ever does,� he said sadly.

The leader laughed again. �I�ll introduce us. I am Crimson Commando: 
quarterback and strategist on the team.�

�And your power?� Jonas asked.

�I perforate things with these.� Crimson Commando pulled out a pair of 
machine guns from the bag and began firing them in the air, causing all 
the guards to duck for cover as well as pull out their own firearms.

�Good power,� Jonas agreed. More than one potential problem to Roxxon 
had been ended up conveniently �perforated�. Sometimes simple solutions 
were the most appropriate for complicated problems.

�The rest of my team ain�t too bad either, but they need a hell of a lot 
more practice before we become the best superhero team on the planet. 
This guy here.� He walked over to the huge man. �Is Stonewall. He has 
super strength, extra tough skin, and is immovable once he plants 
himself. An offensive lineman if ever there was one.�

�Hello,� Stonewall said in a very high, friendly voice.

Crimson Commando went to the small guy with the big hands and bare feet. 
�This is Monkey Boy.�

�It�s Gibbon! Not Monkey Boy! Gibbon! Gibbon!� The little man began 
dancing, resembling nothing so much as an irate monkey.

Yoshihiro couldn�t say �Gibbon� was all that much of an improvement over 
�Monkey Boy,� but chose to remain silent.

�He�s agile and has a good set of hands. Think of him as the wide 
receiver on the team,� Crimson Commando said, then went to the other 
small member. �And this is the final member of our group: Super Sabre. 
He�s super fast. Foes are literally defeated before they know it when 
he�s around.�

Yoshihiro nodded at the group. �That�s an impressive team you have assem��

�You forgot about me,� a voice said next to him.

Again Yoshihiro nearly jumped out of his skin, despite the fact the same 
thing had happened just moments before. �I thought you left!�

Crimson Commando looked at the man in confusion. Then he said, �Oh, 
right. That�s Mr. Anonymous. He�s so plain, he tends to blend in to the 
background. Don�t feel bad. I forget he�s on the team most of the time, 
too.�

�Wait, there�re five of us?� Gibbon asked.

Mr. Anonymous� sigh was so passive, no one knew he had made it.

Jonas nodded. �Now that the introductions are out of the way, here�s 
your mission.�

�Game plan,� Crimson Commando corrected.

�Game plan,� Jonas said. He pointed to the vault as it was loaded on an 
armored car. �You are to follow that vehicle and protect the contents 
with your lives.�

Crimson Commando shook his head. �Sorry, coach, I�m calling my own play. 
We�re going to kick the asses of those guys first.� He pointed up in the 
air.

Everyone looked up to see a large saucer, the front resembling a snake�s 
head, heading silently toward the group at a high rate of speed.

�How did they find us?� Jonas shouted.

�What difference does it make? If you weren�t worried about being found, 
you would never have hired us,� Crimson Commando countered.

�I guess.� Although heads would roll for this security leak.

Crimson Commando continued. �Besides, finding us isn�t what�s important.�

�What is important?� Yoshihiro asked.

�Our reaction to it.� Crimson Commando unlimbered what appeared to be a 
bazooka from his pack. He aimed it from his hip, targeting the rapidly 
approaching craft, then pulled the trigger. The explosive projectile 
made a whooshing sound as it shot through the air, striking the saucer 
directly in the serpent design. The craft came to a dead stop in midair 
as the explosion from the impact blinded everyone momentarily. When the 
people on the ground was able to look again, they saw that while the 
front was now mutilated, the craft could still fly, only a slight wobble 
in its flight.

Crimson Commando lowered his weapon. �Sturdy craft, and high tech. That 
armor piercing shell should have gone clean through the whole thing.�

The saucer extended struts and landed some twenty meters away. Jonas and 
Yoshihiro took cover with the security forces, allowing their heroic 
hirelings to earn their pay by acting as shock troops for whatever foes 
were about to emerge from the ship.

A landing ramp unfolded from the saucer, touching the ground. A large 
hatch opened and a quartet of brightly-garbed people exited the craft. 
The first thing everyone noted was that each of the newcomers seemed to 
have some kind of snake motif. Two of them were women and two were men.

The first woman was dressed in a tight pink and orange body suit, 
showing off a trim athletic form. Two small metal projections were 
located on the back of her hands. A second woman was dressed in a tight 
yellow outfit with scales designed into it. She wore a yellow visor that 
covered her eyes, and wielded a pair of metal whips that moved as though 
alive.

One of the men wore a purple and blue body suit with a headpiece whose 
top flared out and flattened. The headpiece bore two circles that were 
obviously supposed to represent eyes on the side, though his true eyes 
were visible from under the headpiece.

The final member of the quartet was by far the most bizarre. While his 
upper torso was decidedly human, his lower half was serpentine, 
stretching back three meters before ending in a tail. He wore a green 
suit with scales on every surface area other than his head, which 
remained bare of anything, even hair. A pair of blades was attached to 
the back of his hands.

�You bastards nearly killed us,� the woman in orange and pink said.

Crimson Commando snorted. �Quit whining. If you can�t take a little 
rocket to the nose, you don�t have the right to call yourselves 
super-villains.�

�He does have a point,� the woman with the whips said.

Crimson Commando hefted yet another gun into his hands. �Since you 
survived the crash, you�re worthy enough to fight the Eyeshield 21. What 
are your names, so we can make you into early members of our rogue�s 
gallery?�

The woman in orange and pink spoke. �I�m Fer De Lance. A snake with very 
long fangs.� She crossed her arms in front of her chest in an �X�. Long 
blades shot out from the metal projections on the backs of her hands.

The woman in yellow spoke. �I�m Coachwhip, who strikes so fast you�ll be 
dead before you know it.� She cracked the metal whips in front of her.

�I know who you�re fighting,� Crimson Commando said. He looked to the 
two men. �You with the corny snake think on your head. What�s your name?�

The man bristled. �I ain�t a costume designer, you know. I just whipped 
this up when my mutant powers came out. Anyway, I�m Rock Python. Skin 
harder than rock, and I�m pretty strong.�

The one with the serpentine lower half spoke. �And I am Bushmaster. My 
abilities are� self-explanatory.� His lower half lashed back and forth.

Crimson Commando shrugged. �I just got finishing introducing my team, so 
I don�t feel up to going through it a second time. So why don�t we cut 
to the chase and beat the crap out of one another?�

�Kill them!� Fer De Lance cried out. The snake oriented villains 
scattered, going for separate targets.

Fer De Lance raced right for Stonewall. The big man remained completely 
motionless. The villainess shot a cruel smile and gave a shrill battle 
cry as she brought her blades back, then drove them straight for 
Stonewall�s heart.

They bounced off his skin, completely ineffective.

Fer De Lance was off guard by the uselessness of her weapons. Stonewall 
responded with a loud �Furuba!� and swatted her away with an open palm 
strike. She went sailing away, body limp as it landed with a thud on the 
packed earth.

Bushmaster slid toward the small guy with the big hands, slithering 
across the ground like his namesake. It would be but a moment�s work to 
finish off the goofy-looking kid before attacking the big guy. While Fer 
De Lance�s attack might have been ineffective, he�d see what effect 
wrapping his bionic snake tail would have on the big man.

Bushmaster lashed out with the blades on the backs of his hands 
(silently noting either he or Fer De Lance ought to switch the location 
of the weapons, since they were nearly identical.) Much to Bushmaster�s 
amazement, the small youth leapt into the air with an inhuman agility. 
All he saw was a blur as two oversized feet planted themselves squarely 
in his face. Powerful leg muscles drove the appendages into Bushmaster�s 
skull, rattling his brain enough to cause unconsciousness. The last 
thing that went though his mind was that the kid really needed to wash 
his feet: they smelled awful.

Coachwhip ran toward the other little man, whips at the ready. He didn�t 
look like much, not even worth flaying the skin from his bones. To her 
surprise, he simply stood there, letting her draw within striking 
distance. That would be his mistake. Even if he had some degree of 
invulnerability, it wouldn�t do him any good. The tips of her whips were 
adamantium steel, and with the velocity she could create, she could 
drive them through just about anything. She smiled grimly and aimed 
right at him�.

�And then he was gone.

Coachwhip was only vaguely aware of a blur that snared her whips in 
mid-air. Something red seemed to pass by her vision. And then she felt 
herself trip as her legs seemed to have become one giant appendage. She 
tried to break her fall, but her arms were pinned to her sides. She gave 
a brief cry as she fell face first to the ground.

Super Sabre stood confidently over his fallen foe. �That takes care of you.�

Coachwhip began writhing on the ground. �Oh god. I can�t believe you 
tied me up in my own whips.�

�They aren�t too tight, are they?� Super Sabre asked, concern in his voice.

Her writhing increased . �No, but I can�t move a muscle, and it�s really 
turning me on.�

�What?� Super Sabre asked, his jaw dropping.

Coachwhip began breathing hard, as though she had just raced in a 
marathon. �Bondage is so erotic. Why don�t you put me over your knee and 
spank me for being a bad girl?�

Super Sabre began to back away in fear. �No way!�

�Do a good enough job and I might reform,� Coachwhip offered.

�I�m not that sort of guy.�

Coachwhip tried wiggling toward him. �Whip my ass! You know you want to!�

Super Sabre ran away from her in terror.

The last member of the quartet, Rock Python walked slowly over to his 
foe. There had been no doubt in his mind who he would pound into pulp. 
Anyone stupid enough to insult a super-villain�s costume to his face 
deserved to die. It wasn�t like there were any seminars on super 
villains and style or something.

Crimson Commando aimed his gun at Rock Python and shot him in the legs. 
The villain barely paused in his speed as he continued heading toward 
his foe. Crimson Commando fired several more shots at various non-lethal 
areas of Rock Python�s body, all to no effect. He even resorted to 
shooting him in the head, which barely made him flinch.

�That won�t work,� Rock Python said, making a great production of 
cracking his knuckles. �Even armor piercers won�t do more than leave a 
bruise. And if you do that, I might break more than just your face.�

Crimson Commando tossed the weapon aside and pulled out a small boxlike 
device. He aimed it at the villain, who was no more than ten feet away. 
�Tell me something.�

�What?�

Crimson Commando pushed a button. A small dart with a suction tip shot 
from the box and attached itself to Rock Python. Two wires led from the 
dart to the box. �Your skin can still conduct electricity, right?�

Rock Python went from the dart. His fingers had just brushed against it 
when the box shot a huge amount of amperage down the wires and into the 
villain. Rock Python fell over, smoldering and clearly unconscious.

�Thought so,� Crimson Commando said, resetting the weapon.

�That was actually easy,� Gibbon said.

�Maybe superheroeing won�t get us killed after all,� Super Sabre said in 
relief.

�Or it could be the day is merely young.�

All eyes turned toward the origin of the voice: the serpent saucer. 
Standing at the base of the ramp --having walked out while everyone was 
caught up in battle-- were a dozen people, also dressed in snake themed 
costumes. All of them exuded an air of danger.

�This doesn�t look so good,� Gibbon said to no one in particular.

One of the people moved forward. He wore a full body costume and mask so 
that no portion of his skin showed. Like the others it was reptilian, 
completely brown with a long orange cape that billowed about him as 
though it had a life of its own. He had a belt with a holstered pistol 
of unknown design in it.

The villain clapped. �Bravo. Nice work. I sincerely thought those four 
would do better with their audition.�

�Audition? What is this? Tryouts for �Super-villain Idol�?� Crimson 
Commando snapped.

�Somewhat. The four people you fought were trying out for a position in 
the Serpent Society. That�s us, by the way.� He indicated the large 
group before him.

Super Sabre looked the group over. �There�re an awful lot of you.�

Sidewinder shrugged. �To be honest, we don�t have any true powerhouses 
on the team. I guess anyone of the Hulk�s or Tomazooma�s stature doesn�t 
want to go with a snake motif. Rhinoceroses or Buffalos seem to be more 
in their line. But what we might lack in strength, we make up for in 
versatility and numbers.�

�And you�re the leader?� Crimson Commando asked.

�Sidewinder, at your service.� He bowed.

�Thought so.� He turned to Super Sabre. �Blitz Package 8.�

Super Sabre nodded. That was one of their basic plays: Have the fast guy 
take out the bad guys� leadership elements and throw the rank and file 
into chaos. At least that was the plan.

Super Sabre ran forward full speed at Sidewinder. The world seemed to be 
in slow motion as everyone else stood immobile. A dozen fists to the 
head delivered in one second should knock him out. He didn�t seem to be 
the type who had super durability or uncanny reflexes. After that he�d 
go after anyone that seemed to be toting a weapon.

Super Sabre had cleared half the distance between him and Sidewinder 
when something caught his eye. It was the woman standing next to 
Sidewinder. Like him, she wore a full body suit, though a swath of green 
hair poked out the top of her outfit. Her outfit was skin tight and 
unusually plain, a black body suit that showed a slender form 
underneath. Her boots were slightly large, and for some reason she wore 
kneepads. She was the least snake-like of the group.

It was then she did the impossible: she moved. No, she didn�t just move, 
she moved at normal speed. Super Sabre was so focused on Sidewinder he 
had no time to react as the girl ran forward, arm outstretched. He 
barely had enough time to roll with the clothesline as she nearly 
decapitated him from the force of their opposing velocities.

Super Sabre�s unconscious body skidded across the ground at a speed in 
excess of one hundred kilometer an hour. He kicked up a dust cloud that 
stretched for a full kilometer before friction and inertia forced him to 
stop.

The remaining members of Eyeshield 21 looked on in stunned silence.

The girl in black moved slow enough to become visible again, wrapping an 
arm around Sidewinder�s waist in a very intimate manner.

Sidewinder said, �This is Black Racer. She moves fast in every way. She 
seduced me within a week of meeting her.�

�What can I say? I�m talented,� she purred.

�I�ll let the others introduce themselves as they soundly thrash you,� 
Sidewinder said, openly taking it easy in Black Racer�s arms.

The largest man in the group, who was dressed in a green and blue outfit 
with a much better designed snake cowl than Rock Python, charged toward 
the equally sizeable Stonewall. As he charged, he bellowed, �The name�s 
Puff Adder, and I�m a lot stronger that that Rock Python geek.�

Stonewall merely stood there, bracing himself.

Puff Adder took a deep breath as he ran, seeming to become bigger a 
moment before he struck Stonewall. He bowled into the hero full force.

And Puff Adder was sent flying backward anyway.

The villain lay on the ground, rubbing his head. �Geez. That guy didn�t 
budge an inch.�

A beautiful woman, slender with a dancer�s body, moved next to the 
fallen Puff Adder. She was dressed in a simple white dress that showed a 
great deal of flesh, and with only a pair of green snakes flowing up the 
side. The only other snake thing about her was a snake shaped tiara on 
her brow.

�I don�t think you want to tangle with him, Asp. He�s a tough one,� Puff 
Adder warned.

Asp looked Stonewall over. �Tell me, did he seem to be wearing armor?�

�Nah. He seemed more like Anaconda. Naturally tough. Not wearing armor 
like Death Adder.�

�Good.� Asp held out her hands and a twisting bolt of yellow leapt forth 
from her palms. It struck Stonewall dead center in his chest.

For a moment nothing happened, then Stonewall�s eyes rolled into the 
back of his head and he hit the ground, unconscious.

Asp smiled at her handiwork. �It doesn�t matter how big he is. My venom 
blasts paralyze the nervous system. If they can hit skin, they can 
affect my foe.�

Puff Adder rose to his feet. �Nice moves, Aspie. How about after this is 
all over you show me what other moves you have?�

She cradled his chin in her hand. �Don�t make me shoot you too, Puff. A 
high enough dosage will still your heart.�

While Stonewall fell to Asp, Crimson Commando was in motion. To Gibbon 
he yelled, �Run interference!� While he aimed a gun at the still casual 
Sidewinder.

Gibbon looked at the half dozen super villains heading toward him and 
Crimson Commando. �Oh what the hell?� He gave a war cry and leapt for 
the group. Maybe a suicidal attack would catch them off guard and he 
would beat them all. He had heart. He was the underdog. He wasn�t about 
to let fear rule him. The good guys always won when those factors came 
into play.

And then one of the snake men, with a tail with a knob on the end, shook 
it in Gibbon�s direction. The monkey boy found himself struck with a 
solid wall of vibrations that knocked him out.

�Score one for Rattler,� the man with the tail said.

Crimson Commando knew it was over, but was damned if he wouldn�t take 
the cocky snake leader with him. He aimed a gun at Sidewinder, who 
refused to move. Crimson Commando smiled. He had worked with Super Sabre 
before. No matter how quick Black Racer was, she wasn�t fast enough to 
prevent Crimson Commandos reflexes from firing first.

He squeezed the trigger. Just as he did so, Sidewinder�s cape flowed 
around him, momentarily blocking him from view. Then the cape impossibly 
folded in on itself so small that Sidewinder couldn�t possibly be in it. 
Then it disappeared altogether.

Crimson Commando had only a second to wonder what had happened to his 
adversary when he was struck from behind by a stun blast that rendered 
him unconscious.

Sidewinder holstered the stun blaster. He turned to see the rest of the 
serpents that had not taken on the superheroes had obliterated the 
security forces. Like clockwork. �And that takes care of that.�

Black Racer disappeared for a few seconds, then came into view again, �I 
swept the area. We�re secure.�

A lead pipe to the back of the head sent her to the ground.

Sidewinder gasped as fifth member of Eyeshield suddenly� well, he didn�t 
exactly appear from nowhere, as if he had been invisible. Nor had he 
been moving at super speed and finally slowed down. It was like he had 
always been there and Sidewinder only happened to notice him because he 
had hit Black Racer.

�Get him!� Sidewinder shouted.

Mr. Anonymous found himself set upon by over a dozen super villains, and 
learned the hard way that sometimes anonymity was a blessing.

After beating the hero within an inch of his life, the serpents backed 
away, though they double-checked the area to make sure no one else was 
lurking in the background.

Now certain the area was secure, Sidewinder walked over to the vault. A 
beautiful woman in a skimpy skin tight black outfit, and adorned with a 
trio of lifelike small snakes wrapped around her body, examined the vault.

She wrapped a knuckle on the side. �Looks like adamantium to me. It�s 
impossible for any of us to crack it.�

�So we�ll sidestep it, my dear Black Mamba.� Sidewinder�s cape engulfed 
him again, folding in on itself until it disappeared from sight. A 
moment later the process reversed itself, the cape appearing from 
nowhere, and unwrapping to reveal the man underneath.

�Teleportation. Not much of an offensive power, but unparalleled in 
obtaining hard to get merchandise.� Sidewinder held a peculiar device in 
his hand. It almost appeared to be a holder for a torch, in approval. 
�Excellent. With the other five pieces we have collected, we need only 
one more, then our freedom will become a reality. But first, we need to 
deal with our trainees.�

By this time the four petitioners had recovered and approached Sidewinder.

Fer De Lance was the first to speak. �That was a fluke. It wasn�t a true 
test of my abilities. I�ve killed dozens of people more powerful than 
that. Give me another--.�

�Relax,� Sidewinder smoothed. �You all passed.�

�But they defeated us,� Bushmaster pointed out.

�You were overmatched. Also there was too much of a reliance on weapon 
users in your grouping rather than the variety of skills needed against 
superheroes. All of you have abilities that will benefit the Serpent 
Society. Line up, if you would. Cottonmouth!�

Cottonmouth approached his leader. He was on the slender side, with a 
gray costume with yellow boots and gloves. The abdomen of his suit had 
design to make it look like it was a mouth. He wore a headpiece as well, 
similar to Puff Adder�s, but with a chin guard. The top and bottom had 
faux teeth, making it look like his face was inside a giant mouth.

�The induction ceremony, as we discussed,� Sidewinder said.

Cottonmouth nodded, pulling out four communications devises that also 
served as homing beacons.

He handed one to Bushmaster. �Like the tail,� Cottonmouth said.

Bushmaster bowed his head, stoically accepting the card.

Next Cottonmouth walked up to Rock Python. �That guy didn�t know what he 
was talking about. It�s a great headpiece.�

�Yours is nice too.� He accepted the card as well.

Coachwhip was next. Cottonmouth said, �Here you go, and if you ever need 
tying up, I can show you a good time.� He grinned lasciviously.

�Snakes turn me off,� she said icily.

Cottonmouth paused, staring at the woman trying to determine if she was 
serious.

�Just get on with it,� Sidewinder urged him before Cottonmouth could 
even try to argue the point.

He walked up to the last one in line. �And yours.�

Fer De Lance accepted the badge.

Cottonmouth then showed his superhuman ability as his jaw literally 
dropped a foot and a half, showing off a set of razor sharp teeth. He 
lunged forward, his mouth widening to inhuman dimensions as he engulfed 
Fer De Lance�s entire head. His jaws shut with an audible snap. There 
was the sound of bone breaking as he drew his head back.

Fer De Lance�s headless corpse sprayed blood everywhere as the body fell 
backward, spasming reflexively.

The three remaining inductees stood paralyzed for a second. Then they 
reacted, backing away from Cottonmouth, weapons at the ready.

�Oh my god!� Bushmaster said.

�What the hell is going on?� Rock Python shouted.

Coachwhip held her whips apart, one looking like it might wrap around 
Cottonmouth, while the other was aimed in Sidewinder�s direction. �I 
thought you said we were on the team!�

�You are,� Sidewinder said as the sounds of bone continuing to break 
came from Cottonmouth�s now impossibly swollen cheeks, though they were 
becoming smaller by the second. �Unfortunately for Fer De Lance, she was 
already on another team and was only pretending to be on ours. She was a 
Hydra double agent. I am very much an �honor among thieves� sort of 
leader, which is why I bargained for our official release from our 
current employer rather than just running off, despite her giving many 
of us our abilities. Like Cottonmouth�s cybernetic cranial and digestive 
tract reconstruction.�

Cottonmouth nodding in acknowledgement, crunching away.

�Excuse me for one second,� Asp said, then ran behind a nearby rock so 
she could vomit in privacy.

Sidewinder looked toward the group. �If anyone else feels they can�t 
handle their turncoat nature, feel free to leave now. There won�t be any 
repercussions.�

One of the men dressed in a copper colored snake outfit, whose name was, 
appropriately enough, Copperhead, approached Sidewinder. He handed over 
his card, then walked off.

When no one else stepped forward, Sidewinder said, �Excellent. We will 
now return to our employer so she can fix our Serpent Saucer. We have 
but one more piece to track down, then we�ll be freelancers and our own 
bosses. No more goddamn requests for vacations, time card punching, or 
filling out forms in triplicate. And to add frosting to the cake, I got 
us a top notch severance package to give us a start. I have my eye on 
this cozy little hideaway in Hawaii for our base of operations. No dark 
dank fortresses in the middle of nowhere for us. It�ll be fun in the sun 
and ocean waves lapping at our feet��

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


Avenging
Act II, Chapter 9
The Lesson of the Serpents
(Strength in Numbers)








             .---Anime/Manga Fanfiction Mailing List----.
             | Administrators - ffml-admins@anifics.com |
             | Unsubscribing - ffml-request@anifics.com |
             |     Put 'unsubscribe' in the subject     |
             `---- http://ffml.anifics.com/faq.txt -----'