David McMillan wrote:

DB Sommer wrote:

 

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 phrase "Ground Zero" being chosen with authorial malice 
aforethought, no doubt.
 

Oh yes, of that you can be certain.

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

	Head, singular.  And, since this if from a corporate flack's 
standpoint, perhaps it might work better as somethine like "Chief of 
Roxxon Operations, Japan," or something -- gotta keep all those shiny 
titles straight while climbing the corporate ladder.
 

I'll probably change it to a local head rather than a head of operations 
in the whole country. And used your grammar corrections.

�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. 
   

	Somewhere, Kagome Higurashi just sneezed.
 

Actually it is canon that the Evil Eye blew apart into multiple pieces. 
It was the trigger in the Avengers/Defenders war.

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.�
   

	<ahem>  This is the MARVEL universe -- Reed and Tony buy them by the 
boatload at Wal-Mart.
 

Actually Tony's never had one around Avengers mansion, which is 
surprising given how often Ultron has attacked them there.

Most sumos would probably fall before someone that big. A second was 
   

	Um... is the plural of 'sumo' 'sumos,' or just 'sumo'?  And 
technically, shouldn't it be "sumotori" anyway?
 

Maybe that was it. I was uncertain of the spelling

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

	Well, there goes your Comics Code approval.  :)
 

Like that's been a factor for decades. Back when Stan did that Amazing 
Spiderman drug story that didn't get the code, that was something. But 
that was probably the last time it did.

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

	0_0
 

Eyeshield 21 is cliche as hell, yet I find myself enjoying it despite 
that. Not one of the best out there, but okay to watch.

�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.�
   

	Um...
 

Well Kurita  is.

�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.�
   

	Okay, dunno him from Adam. 

Early joke villain for Spidey. He made one appearance back in the one 
appearance back in the 70's where he was forgotten until he made an 
appearance in the 80s (Spidey felt sorry for him and just toyed with him 
until he irked Pete, who leveled him with one punch) And then he 
becamea  pure joke along with some other villianous boneheads.

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.�
   

	Yipe! It's Freedom Force!  Or, part of them.  Or part of the 
Brotherhood of Evil Mutants.
 

Freedom Force, plus two

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

�Game plan,� Crimson Commando corrected.
   

	Someone's been tackled a few too many times.
 

He's just... focused.

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.
   

	Good plan.
 

Yep. No sense in being cannon fodder when you can hire someone else for 
the job.

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.
   

	Ah.  I vaguely recall the canonical version of these guys.
 

Depending on who wrote them, they could be dangerous, or just a joke.

�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.
   

	...superbeing trash-talking sure aint' what it used to be, is it?
 

These guys are new to the whole villain thing. The survivors will adjust.

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.
   

	Man, if you think THAT's bad, wait until you meet The Spleen.
 

Wrong universe.

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?�
   

	Okay, this is just SO wrong....
 

Given how I write, I'm surprised everyone didn't see it coming. ^_^

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

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

	Might actually be worth it, for that.
 

Heh.

�I�m not that sort of guy.�

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

	Didn't he just-- oh, you mean *literally.*
 

Yep. And she can supply the whips.

Super Sabre ran away from her in terror.
   

	Fast.
 

Superduper fast.

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.
   

	I'm pretty sure Janet van Dyne has done it at least once.
 

Probably at some point in her career.

�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.�
   

	Well, you could shoot him in the eyeball...
 

True, but heores don't do that.

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?�
   

	Actually, you need *two* darts, each with their own wire, that both 
strike the target.  Plus, if they don't penetrate the costume, they 
won't reach the skin in order to cause conduction.
 

Will change

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.
   

	"went from the dart"?  I think something's missing, there.
	Also, tazers work with high *voltage,* and low amperage.  Amps kill 
-- volts shock.
 

And here

�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.�
   

	
	Uh oh.
 

Yep. Now the real fight begins.

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.
   

	
	So, *why* did they sit out the first round?
 

Actually there is a logical reason for it.

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

	Ah.  That's why.
 

Yep

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

	I started to say "American Supervillain," but we're not *in* America, 
are we?
 

Nope.

�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.
   

	That's the name I couldn't recall.
 

The original smaller versions were simply known as Serpent Squads. Of 
course there was usually only 3-5 of them.

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.�
   

	Works for me.  I always wanted to see someone construct a superteam 
that way that could go up against the heavy hitters like the Avengers 
or the JLwhatever and give them a run for their money.
	Of course, these guys ain't it.
 

Baron Zemo's first version of the Masters of Evil were like that. But 
they were too big and fell apart in short order larger from not being 
able to function together or getting picked off piecemeal.

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.
   

	Which is why superspeed w/o super-resilience or a Wolverine-grade 
healing factor is just a Bad Idea.
 

Most of them have some ability that lets them deal with friction.

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

	TMI!!!
 

Heh

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.�
   

	Turnabout for Rock Python, eh?
 

Similar powers and similar weaknesses

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.
   

	He's gonna get creamed, ain't he?
 

Badly

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.
   

	Who--?

 

Sidewinder gasped as fifth member of Eyeshield suddenly� well, he didn�t 
   

	Okay, even *I* forgot he was there.  How do you *do* that, DB?
 

Actually I forgot about him the first time through and had to go back 
and add him in later.

Well, not really. Mostly people are trying to focus on the large number 
of characters being introd here, so he fell by the wayside. Luckily 
there's only a handful more serpents to go.

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

	Well, it seems like people don't lose track of him once they notice 
him, as long as they try.

 

If they had ended up distracted they would have forgotten about him though.

�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.
   

	Darned teleporters.
 

Like he says, not much in the way of offense, but it is useful in 
certain situaitons.

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

	<snerk>
 

Mutual admiration society among villains.

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.
   

	...boy, are *you* in the wrong lineup.
 

If she were looking for a boyfriend.

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

	...ooookay.
 

And this will be explained too

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.
   

	Ugh.  Ew.  No, make that EEEEEEeeeeeeeeWWWWwwwwww
 

Asp agrees. Cottonmouth II here has one of the most lame abilities around.

dank fortresses in the middle of nowhere for us. It�ll be fun in the sun 
and ocean waves lapping at our feet��
   

	Well, I will admit this guy seems to have it more together than most 
supervillain-leader types.
 

Sidewinder actually had a pretty good idea with the whole allaince, 
health care packages, and with his abilities, escape from any prison 
plans for the society. In fact it was too good, which is one reason they 
had Viper break it all up. There were other version, but without 
Sidewinder calling the shots, they were just another collection of villains.

Thanks for help. It's really appreciated.

DB Sommer


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