#13 - Plays in Hidden Darkness

by Des Davies

Previously... Nightmare has Jen Kale trapped in the Nightmare Dimension, and the Seekers have no idea where their missing team-mate is.

The inky pool of blackness swirled and rippled. As the surface settled once more, varying shades of black shifted and an image formed there. The man's face was long and full of angular lines all culminating in a strong, sharp jaw and chin. The blackness seemed to suit the man, adding a dark and exciting edge to his arrogance.

"Nightmare," he simply acknowledged the other party present.

The Lord of the Nightmare Dimension looked down on the pool and the image it contained. He stood some six feet tall, and was rakishly thin. A suit of deepest blue clothed his form, and a hat of the same color sat holding black, wavy hair down. He did not respond to the greeting, rather he waited.

"The way to Limbo is warded. Would you know anything about that?"

"Yes. I warded it."

The voice from the image grew an edge. "May I ask why? I thought we had come to an arrangement regarding my access to Limbo through your domain. I do not like people who renege on their promises..."

"It is temporary," Nightmare replied. "I am expecting guests and I don't want them to know that path is open."

"Guests?" Roland Fannin asked. "Who would you be expecting that would notice such a thing?"

"Sefton."

Fannin's eyes narrowed and in a voice that sounded like nails tearing through flesh he said, "You would interfere with my plans?"

"In my own home I would do many things, but this one was little more than good fortune for me. Another of their group is here, thrown by the winds of fate, and inadequate skill. I expect the rest of them to arrive soon. Leaving the pathway unwarded would have led even the least proficient sorceress to only one conclusion. I did not think you would have wanted her to glean that piece of information."

"Who do you have?" The question was hissed.

"Kale."

"Which one?"

Nightmare kept a straight face as he answered the exasperated question, "The girl."

"You have not harmed her? She is not yours. If you so much as twist her mind I will rip your heart out."

Nightmare let the silence hang. As Fannin's mouth started to open, he said quietly, "Her friends will find and release her, and I will not harm her." He paused to let his words get across, but started again as Fannin made to say something.

"Understand this well demon. Your threats and rage mean nothing to me. I have chosen to allow you access to Limbo for my own reasons. You would do well to remember that."

The image in the pool began to stretch and rise upwards, forcing its way into the dimension. Fannin's figure was nearly half way through when Nightmare moved. In a blinding burst of speed his left hand slapped Fannin across the face. The blow snapped the demon's head to the side. When it snapped back to look at his attacker, spittle dotted his lips and his eyes were tinged with red. "You will..."

"No," Nightmare stopped him in a voice that seemed to come from everywhere. "YOU will do nothing. YOU will return to the world of mortals and continue with your feeble plan. I will continue to allow you access to Limbo, once the Seekers have left. Begone."

Nightmare made no move, but the surface snapped downwards and settled. Of Roland Fannin there was no sign.

Nighmare looked at the pool and a smile split his human face. It hung there for long moments as the body he had formed began to dissolve into its true form, becoming one with the shadows of his realm.

Lilith, Queen of Demons, lay sprawled over the chaise-lounge. One leg hung over the edge, and her toes idly played in the blood pooled on the floor. A diaphanous blue robe was her only covering, and it did nothing to hide the lush curves of her body.

Her latest child, the son conceived with Zarathos, sat sucking at the leg bone of his mother's latest paramour. The human had thought himself a player, and with a human lover he might have been. Lilith was anything but human. She had allowed him his pleasure, but when he was satisfied, she had used her magic to energize him again, and again, and again. The strain on his heart had finally killed him, but not before she had shown him the horror of what he was consorting with.

She could feel the egg inside her growing and forming even now. It would be several weeks before she birthed a new child, but she enjoyed the sensations its growth brought. It helped to ease the boredom. She remembered back to her decision to leave the other gods she had been birthed with. Their decision to leave this plane had angered her. But she had not had the power to do anything about it. She wanted that power. Power to choose her own destiny. Power to enforce her will and needs on those around her. Some would say she had fallen. That brought a mirthless laugh to her lips. She had been nothing as the lowest of the Mesopotamian gods. Now, now she had the power to change things. Power to enforce her will and not be taken for granted. Soon I will have this world in my hands and all will do as I bid," she thought.

She wanted to speak aloud. To let her latest offspring know of her plans. But to do so would be foolish, and costly if Fannin overheard her. Her lips curled in disgust as she thought of the suave, elegant demon. He stood ranks higher than her, but only for a little time more. Her defeat by the Midnight Sons had sent her downwards, only for Fannin to snag her for his plans.

While she had agreed to help him, she had no intention of allowing him to open the Gateway and allow the rest of the Mabdhara to return to Earth. His plans fell well with hers for now, but, soon she would be ready to strike.

She looked at her child, still sucking the marrow from the bones, and called out, "Come to mommy..."

Deep within the recesses of Bruce Banner's mind the entity known as Zarathos raged. As there was nothing in the way of furnishings, he had nothing to break or throw, so instead he traded blows with the savage Hulk, trying to break the creatures will and take complete control of it.

"Any chance he's going to win that battle?"

"Nope. Guys too much of a schmuck. He's going to keep trying. The Savage is too dumb to know when to quit."

The first speaker was another green incarnation of the Hulk, although one that combined Banner's intelligence with the Hulk's power. "I tend to agree. There is a way he could win, but he's unlikely to think about that at the moment."

The second Hulk was grey and shorter than his companion. He wore a charcoal zoot suit with matching hat. "If he does then we'll need to get involved. Much as I dislike him, I won't stand by and have that creature controlling him."

"Indeed."

"How much you want to wager that they'll still be at this in a couple of hours?" Joe Cool asked.

"I don't gamble," the Banner-Hulk replied tersely. "Especially with you."

Fannin's normally handsome face was contorted with anger. The red mark on his cheek ached. He lashed out at the statue on is right and it shattered into dust and rubble. He ignored the two people following him as they ducked to avoid the debris storm.

As quickly as the anger had risen, it disappeared. His face smoothed into its normal lines and he turned to summon the two women to him. "Where is the vault?"

The voice was seductive and irresistible. "Over there," the first woman answered. She was dressed in a lab coat, but her blouse was open several buttons lower than usual and her hair was loosed from the practical knot she usually wore it in.

"It's the third door on the right," the older woman pointed out with a smile of triumph. It elicited a snarl from the younger woman..

Ignoring the rising argument, Fannin strode to the indicated door. It was thick and locked by a keypad.

"Ladies," he snapped gaining their immediate attention. "Open the door. Please."

The older woman's face fell at the order, while the younger one moved forward gleefully. She punched in a code and with a snap, the door slid open revealing a room lined with shelves beyond.

Fannin strode through, the two women following, trying to be the one closest to him.

Unerringly he threaded his way through the shelves, ignoring the artifacts of long dead civilizations that lay on them. He finally stopped in front of a shelf that held only a single item. It had the shape of a large key, and was formed from a black, rock-like substance that was veined with red. Fannin caressed the key gently with a long index finger, and the red lines seemed to pulse with his touch. Then he deposited it in his coat's pocket.

He turned to regard the two women. "Fight for me," was his command.

Next: We return to the Seekers as they try to help Jen escape from Nightmare.

To be continued...