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MARVEL FANFARE #127
by Anthony Bianco
April/Year Four
Somewhere in Alaska
A squirrel bounded through the snowy white forest, with nuts in it's mouth for it's waiting family.
A powerful wind howled through the rigid branches of miles of pine trees.
A primal force awoke...
All she could see was white, at first, but then she slowly raised her head up out of the snow. Above her pine trees towered up to the cloudy sky. A couple of tiny birds dove down around her head, but she hurried them away with a few swipes of her claws. She had a terrible migraine ,and the world around her came into focus and then back out again every few minutes.
"Where am I?" she thought aloud.
Feral slowly picked herself up out of the snow. Sharp Pain ran throughout her body as she took a couple steps forward, so she sunk back down.
"I'm like a goddamn wounded animal! What the hell is going on?"
She lay there, racking her brains for an answer. Everything seemed like a white blur until finally the memories came flooding back....
Vera and Jacob Fuller...
Beulah...
and Davey.. taking that blast for her and dying..
She remembered how beautiful and serene his eyes looked, as he was lying there. They were that odd gray colour that melted her heart, up until his last breath. He was a beautiful child, and he'd changed her life forever in a good way. Feral knew ,now, that she had the ability to care for another person without regret or remorse. He had melted the ice that encased her heart and for that she would never forget him.
Tears stung her eyes threatening to fall. She felt a sadness growing from the very depths of her being. But then something else deep down began to mix with this sadness.
Anger.
It was a primal rage and lust for blood so great that Feral was overcome for a moment. It was all because of Jacob Fuller. The bastard had killed Beulah, and then killed Davey. He was the one who shattered the delicate glass of Feral's reality. Things were fine and almost normal,until he came along.
Feral managed a sick smile. She had killed his wife though. That Vera woman. Feral could still hear the screams as she fell from ten stories to the Los Angeles street below. But that, however, was a minor piece of revenge.
Feral wanted to taste Jacob Fuller's blood. She wanted to see the red, sticky liquid on her claws as she ripped into his flesh.
"How beautiful it will be!" she thought as she once again pulled herself to her feet and began to push through the dense pine. The hair on her body began to stand on end as her anger came over her in waves. The power she felt was indescribable, exhilarating, and overtaking...
Her eyes began to cloud over with a red light as her physical pain receded. The red glow bounced of the white snow, and Feral wasn't sure what to make of the situation. She simply accepted it.
"Is this what Wolverine feels during his little berserker rages??" she wondered.
"Am I gonna lose control?" she thought." Maybe I want to lose control!"
"My whole life has been about everyone else expecting me to keep in control for their sake and supposedly mine. So I killed my mother? So maybe I am a murdering bitch!!! No one can say I ever killed someone who didn't deserve it! NO ONE! And I won't stop! I am my own fucking justice, and the collar comes off now!!!"
Feral screamed as her fist flew into the trunk of a tree, leaving a very large dent. She heard it groan as it began to lean to the side.
She began to laugh with wild abandon.
Elsewhere in the forest a few tiny birds perched on a branch.
Omega Red's eyes probed the Alaskan forest.
The cold and the snow almost made him feel at home, but he didn't seem to care much. His heart grew into stone so many years ago.
He was man and machine.
For a week now, he had been in the states on the payroll of drug king Jacob Fuller, but had seen no action until two days ago. Jacob had told him that he needed someone to finish off a mutant wolf girl named Feral, that he had dumped in Alaska.
It sounded like fun to Omega Red. He knew, from what Jacob had told him, the girl was pretty beaten up and wouldn't be much of a struggle. Omega Red liked the idea of weak prey. He could play with her, torture her, and then kill her.
His tracking systems began to pick up a life form a mile away. He made his way quickly through the forest, tentacles extended.
Thats when he saw Feral, by any standard she was obviously beautiful. Her wolfish appearance was streamlined and feline. Her eyes were glowing with a red light.
Omega Red felt an eeiry excitement run through him, as he reached out of the forest for her.
Feral could smell him even before she felt his cold breath on her shoulder. It was the smell of death and metal.
She flipped out of his grasps and towards a tree.
"Omega Red? Anybody ever tell you, you could really use some sun, pale man?" she asked.
He stood there staring her down, " I have no time for your foolish nonsense, girl. I have been sent to kill you, and that is what I intend to do. So make this a little fun for me, and run."
Feral hissed and howled at Omega Red. She instantly knew who had sent him. She could smell Jacob Fuller all over his body. "So that gutless, child-murdering bastard Fuller sent you did he?"
"The identity of my employer is none of your concearn Feral. Prepare to die!" Omega Red's tentacles shot out of his hands wrapping themselves around Feral's ankles.He pulled her up to his face and she raked his eyes with her claws. He screamed and threw her down.
"Can't kill me if you can't see me, old man!!" she called.
She jumped on top of his head, slamming it down into the snow.
"Catch ya later, Red!" Feral rushed past him through the trees.
"Damn you girl!!" Omega Red was bleeding form the eyes. He began to follow Feral's trail through the dense woods.
Feral slid up into a high tree branch and waited for Omega Red to appear. She was going on instinct now. She had expected something like this from Jacob, who obviously wanted to make sure that she stayed dead. Well, Feral was not about to let that happen.
All of a sudden the tree beneath her gave way and she was falling through the air. She felt Omega Red's tentacles wrap around her and send a bolt of electricity through her body. She lay in the snow, stunned for a moment as Omega Red stood over her smiling.
"Well now, apparently I can kill you! Stay still, this will hurt!" He said as two more tentacles shot down towards her face.
Feral rolled out of the way and bounced off the a tree at Omega Red. Using all her strength, she slammed down into the ground. She began to pound his face in, her rage feuling her growing strength, and pieces of computer chips began to scatter around in the snow.
"How does that feel Pale man?? Does it feel good!!??" She began to scream into his face. Feral felt another tentacle coil around her neck and throw her through the air. She screamed as her back hit a tree.
Omega Red made his way back to his feet, and walked over to Feral. "This has been fun, but now it's time for this to end." He grabbed her by the throat and lifted her up above his head. He brought a tentacle sparkling with electricity towards her face. "Goodnight forever Feral...." he said.
Feral slipped out of his grasp and pulled the tentacle around Omega Red's frame. She pushed the tentacle into his head, and a surge of electricity ran through his body. He stuttered and convulsed as he hit the ground hard.
"Sweet dreams Red!" she said to herself.
Feral turned around and began to run through the forest. She could see the lights of a small bar in the distance.
Elsewhere in the forest, a few birds took off into the sky.
Four days later
NEEDLE INC.
Coskins, Nevada
Jacob's fingers rapped hardly against the mahogany table. His eyes were developing dark bags and his hair was a mess of brown and gray. He hadn't slept in days.
"Mr. Fuller? Uh.....Mr.Fuller?" Harry Bergen called.
"What!? What the hell is it?!" Jacob snapped.
"You...um...you still haven't given us your thoughts on what to do with the contaminated shipment of crack-cocaine that came in from Chicago yesterday. The science department has a hell of a lot of filtering to do if you want to be able to ship it back out before Monday." Harry began to flip through a few folders until he found the papers he was looking for. He slid the paper down to Jacob.
Jacob picked up the paper and tried to read it over. The words were blurry and hard to make out. He quickly became frusterated and ripped the paper in half. He threw it up into the air. "Do whatever the fuck you want! I don't care right now!!"
Harry collected his things and left the conference room.
Joselen King, head of defense and tactics for Needle, sat in sad understanding. Jacob had lost his wife a few days earlier in L.A., and he obviously wasn't much in the mood for business.
"Have we gotten any word back from Omega Red yet, Joselen?" Jacob asked quietly.
"None so far. We believe that satellite interference has been the cause of it. As soon as we hear from him you will be notified."
"Good, I want to be sure that Feral is dead. Omega Red is a living weapon, She wouldn't have been able to take him in her weak condition." Jacob stood up from the table and walked to the window.
Joselen stood up as well. "What are you saying? You think Omega Red can't handle the job?"
"NO, what I'm saying is Feral wasn't dead when we dropped her in Alaska. If she was strong enough she could probably get out of Red's detection. She's an animal Joselen! A fucking wild animal, and they have instincts that we don't. They know where to go-"
Joselen laughed a little. "Jacob, she is a mutant, not an animal, a mutant! I have a good feeling that Omega Red is gonna see that she is nothing but a blood stain in the snow when he is done with her."
Somewhere on the NEEDLE premesis
Feral slowly made her way through the ventilation system. She growled under her breath when she heard the fans go on nearby. Whenever she shifted postions, her back hurt thanks to the number Omega Red did on her days ago in Alaska.
She thought back a moment. Omega Red wouldn't have been able to keep on her trail since she literally hitchhiked and threatened her way all the way to Nevada. She wasn't sure how she knew where to go to find Jacob, but something deep down told her that her direction was the right one.
and now here she was in the NEEDLE ventilation system.
So close to Jacob Fuller.
So close she could smell him.
Jacob was alone in his office. He flipped on the cooling fans and sat down at his desk. Pictures of his wife Vera adorned his workspace.
"Vera. You were my life. The only reason I kept going was because I thought you would be there with me until the very end. But now...now I don't know. I love you honey, wherever you are."
He kissed a picture lightly and then drifted into sleep.
He awoke to the sound of pounding on his office door.
"What? Who the hell is it?!" he yelled.
The door kicked in and Omega Red stormed through. His body was scratched up and dented and one of his eyes was covered with a patch.
Sherry, Jacob's secretary, rushed in tow of Red. "I tried to stop him Mr. Fuller but.....um....well.."
"Silence!!" Omega Red screamed.
"Omega Red? What the hell happened to you, man!" Jacob asked.
"That weak, beaten down, wolf girl Feral, is what happened!! She proved to be more of a match for me, than I gave her credit for." Omega Red hissed.
Jacob grew wide-eyed. "No!No, I hired you to kill her you incompetent idiot!! What if....What if she comes here looking for me?!
Omega Red started for the door.
"NO! NO! Don't leave! I'll pay you triple what I promised if you stay. Please!?" Jacob was nervous and desperate.
Omega Red stopped. "Fine Mr. Fuller, I'll stay."
"Thank you. Thank you!" Jacob whined.
Feral kicked in the ventilation gaurd and crawled out into a long dark hallway. She quickly and quietly made her way through the halls.
Joselen got his mug of coffee and sat in the control booth. He tok a sip of coffee when he saw Feral on the security cameras. He spit out his coffee, "OH shit shes here!!!"
He hit the alarm button and made a call to Jacob's office. The siren rang throughout the NEEDLE complex, blaring in every hallway.
Feral groaned. "Godamn it! They must know I'm here. Well, I better find my dear Jacob quick!"
She ran out into what looked like a science laboratory. Machinery and test tubes lined the walls and counters were full of boiling beakers. She could smell cocaine in the air. In the corner of the room, She saw large bags of a white substance.
"So thats what he does? Runs drugs?"
"Maybe, but I guess you'll never find out, will you?" came a familiar voice.
"Nice to see that you made it out of Alaska okay, Omega Red!" Feral said as she whirled around.
Omega Red stood in the doorway, tentacles flaring.
Feral began to feel sick to her stomach and keeled over to the ground.
"Does that feel good Feral?" Omega Red asked evily
"Wha..what the fuck are you doing to me?" Feral moaned.
"Thats my mutant power working. I'm slowly creating a sickness in you until eventually you die. Now doesn't that sound like fun??" Omega Red began to make his way over to her.
Feral was starting to feel dizzy and staggered a bit towards one of the desks. She felt around and saw a large rifle weapon. It had PULSE tester written along the side of it.
"Now I will do to you what I was going to in Alaska!" Omega Red said standing over Feral."Are you prepared to die, for good, this time?"
Feral felt that rage boiling up inside of her again. Her eyes began to glow red and she could feel her adrenaline begin to pump through the legth of her body.
"Not exactly..." Feral cackled.
"What do you mean, not exactly? I have you beat! You're dead!" Omega Red's tentacle shot down towards her body.
Feral reached for the PULSE gun and pointed at Omega Red. She pulled the trigger and humongous wave of energy forced its way out of the gun towards him. He went flying backwards into a wall. His eyes rolled up into the back of his head. Blood slowly, began to pour out of his ears and nose.
He wasn't dead. Feral could smell it.
She picked herself up and made her out of the lab and to an elevator. She hit the button and made her way up to the first floor.
Jacob waited in silence.
He felt the butt of his gun in his pocket.
She was coming for him, he knew.
Omega Red was no where in sight.
Everyone was gone, believing it was a fire drill or something to that nature.
and there he was alone.
wainting in silence.
Feral calmly walked into Jacob's office. He sat there quietly staring out the window.
"You knew it would come to this didn't you?" Feral said taking a seat in the plush leather chair front of his desk.
"Maybe so." Jacob pulled the gun out and pointed it at Feral. "But I'm not going to let you just kill me Feral."
Feral's eyes began to glow red again, and she ducked under the desk. Jacob shot downwards but it was no use. Feral flipped the desk over and grabbed Jacob by the throat. She lifted him into the air and smiled into his face.
"This is all for Davey. You are nothing!" Feral let her claws run across Jacob's throbbing throat. His eyes went dead and cold.
Jacob Fuller was dead
His blood was on her hands
Feral let him fall to the ground. "This is all for Davey." she repeated.
Something inside of her felt fulfilled and satisfied. Her revenge was complete. She had killed Jacob and she was happy, but that would never bring Davey back
It would have to be enough.
Feral finally embraced the darkness. With the embrace, she was able to leave for good.
In this evil she had found the light.
and it was enough.
Two Days later
A gas station in Nevada..
"Yes, operator I would like to make a call to Los Angeles." Feral said into the payphone.
"Please punch in the number." the operator replied.
Feral pushed in the number to Beulah's apartment. She waited a few minutes until the phone began to ring.
"Hello?" a famliar voice asked.
"Beulah?! Belle you're alive!!!" Feral screamed with happiness.
"Maria ah thought ah would never hear from you again. Oh my god what happened to you?" Beulah asked.
"Its too long to explain. Hey, how did you survive that fall?" Feral said.
"Let's just say ah have a bit of a gaurdian angel. Ah moved downstairs too because of the damages to my old place. My number was re-wired here. It won't matter soon, since I'm leaving for New York city in a couple days. I have some business to take care of. What about you?"
"I don't know where I'm going Belle." Feral said.
"Well, good luck wherever it is honey!" Beulah replied.
"I'll try to contact you in New York sometime. I might be by that way."
"Ah hope that you do. Like ah said, good luck in everything! Oh, my landlord is here gotta go! Much love to ya." Beulah said.
"Thanks Belle. Bye." Feral hung up the phone.
She pulled the collar of her coat up around her face a little more and walked towards the road.
She knew was going somewhere, even if somewhere
was nowhere.
I like to think that everybody is capable of change, even when it may not seem like it. I saw the character Feral as someone who was rich with possibilites.From her troubled childhood to her growing bloodlust, each gave me strings from wich to pull great emotion and characterization.With these past few stories, I did my best to help her evolve from a bitter murderess and troubled soul to someone who could genuinely care about themselves and others. Thanks to the death of Davey, Feral grew and understood herself even more, so it was almost a necessary sacrifice. Feral faced many obstacles and saw a lot of blood to get where she is. In short, It is a story of survival. Surviving life and surviving yourself.
I've grown quite attached to these characters in this short time. Beulah especially! I promise you haven't heard the last of Beulah Mowry at MV1! We'll hear from her again!--
And as for Feral....who knows? I don't have any immediate ideas but I strongly intend to continue her story in the near future. I mean there are some strings hanging....where will she go? who will she meet? Even now as I write this there is a seed of an idea growing in the back of my mind...
I'm sure we will see this murderess with a heart again, very soon!!
Also, I wanted to say a BIG THANK YOU to Sam! for being a wonderful branch editor and for helping me tell my stories. I always enjoy working with you.
As for what I have planned? Well, only tommorrow will tell I suppose! :)
-Anthony"I talk to cows"
Bianco