E.G.G Episode 10: Vengeance

AND THERE CAME A DAY, A DAY UNLIKE ANY OTHER. WHEN THREE FRIENDS UNITED TO CREATE THE FUTURE THAT WE NEVER COULD. ON THAT DAY, E.G.G WAS BORN.

Eileen and Acacia journeyed to Asgard to find Josh, who had gone missing, sans clothes. After figuring out that he was under a spell from the alluring Enchantress, the set him free and returned home, but not without a warning from Heimdall, the gatekeeper of Asgard. He let them know that if they if they ever returned without permission, he wouldn't hesitate to kill them.

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-Vengeance-

Josh walked into the Inner Shell and up to an agent, who was pacing back and forth.

“What’s going on agent?” Josh asked.

“Oh, yes sir,” he replied, rushing over to his terminal. “Someone is requesting permission to board, but he doesn’t have clearance.”

“You know who it is?”

“Scan is complete, the guy is… Johnny Blaze.”

“Blaze, Blaze, why does that sound familiar? Let him up.” The agent typed in the command, and in an instant a man wearing all black a leather jacket with spikes on it appeared in the Inner Shell. He had a chain wrapped across his chest.

“Hey,” Josh said, cautiously approaching him. Johnny looked at him.

“Huh? Oh, uh, hi.” He shook Josh’s hand. “Johnny Blaze, pleased to meet you.” He looked around uncomfortably. “Can I talk to whoever’s in charge?”

“That would be me.” Josh said.

“Oh, alright, good. Uh, do you mind if I sit down? I’ve been walkin’ for a while now…”

“Sure…” Josh said as some agents wheeled up a chair. Johnny looked around.

“Do you have any water? I’m dry as dirt.” Josh nodded and some agents brought him a glass of water. “Much obliged.” He said, as he began to drink. Josh watched him, then sighed.

“Mister Blaze…”

“Mhm!” Johnny interrupted, holding up his finger and continuing to drink. Josh waited.

“Mister Blaze…”

“Mmmmhmmmhhmmmm!” Johnny drank, drank, and drank until the glass was empty. He put it down and looked at Josh. “You were saying?” Josh took a deep breath to maintain his patience.

“Mister Blaze, what exactly is your business up here?” Josh asked.

“Oh, sorry, I should have mentioned that before. My business here, mister, uh…”

“Westbrook. Joshua Westbrook.”

“Right. Well, you see, there’s a demon loose on your ship.”

“A demon?”

“Yep.”

“On the ship.”

“Yessir.”

“… Okay.” Josh motioned to some agents, who began to make their way towards Johnny. He stood up quickly.

“No, you don’t understand, there’s a demon, he’s here from Mephisto’s realm, I’ve gotta get him back before he wreaks havoc on the living.”

“Mephisto? As in Mephistopheles? As in the devil?”

“That’s the guy.”

“And his realm is…”

“That’s the place!” Josh sighed.

“I’ve had enough of you.” Eileen entered the room.

“Hey Josh,” she said. “I was looking through some archives and…” She saw Johnny, stopped, and dropped her papers. “What is he doing here?”

“You know him?” Josh asked.

“Josh, that is Johnny Blaze, get him off of this ship right now!”

“Eileen, slow down. What’s the problem?”

“He’s a demon, that’s the problem!”

“Uh, half demon.” Johnny interjected.

“What is she talking about?” Josh asked.

“Well you see, I’m the only one who can walk in both worlds.” He said. “I’m the Ghost Rider.” Josh’s eyes widened.

“It’s time for you to go.”

“Now wait a minute, I came here to get a demon.” Josh paused.

“If you’re the Ghost Rider, then all that rif-raf about demons is true, and you’re saying there’s one on Mother Egg, right now!”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying.” Johnny answered.

“Okay, fine, you can get the demon, but you can’t do it here!”

“But the demon’s here…”

“No offense Mister Blaze, but I don’t want that monster you turn into loose on my ship. I know you can’t control it, and I have no idea when it could happen.” Johnny laughed.

“Oh, don’t worry about that,” he said. “It only happens after dark in the presence of evil. And the Ghost Rider doesn’t hurt you if you’re innocent.”

“And what defines ‘innocent’?” Eileen asked.

“Well, the Rider’s most powerful attack is the penance stare, he looks into your eyes and forces you to relive the pain of every innocent soul you’ve killed. What about you?” He said, pointing to Josh. “Have you done something you don’t want the Ghost Rider to see?”

“Okay, I stole some cookies from the cookie jar, but who hasn’t!” Josh defended.

“Why are you talking about justice and innocence.” Eileen said, still maintaining a safe distance. “I thought you were the devil’s bounty hunter.”

“I was,” he said. “But I, uh, quit. Sort of. I still hunt down escaped souls, I just don’t do it for him anymore.” Eileen shook her head.

“Either way, I don’t feel comfortable with you up here.”

“Well I wager you’ll feel a heck of a lot less comfortable sleepin’ with a demon right under your nose!”

“Okay, that’s enough!” Josh interjected. He looked towards the window, then froze. The sun was disappearing in the horizon. “You said you transform at night?”

“Yes,” Johnny replied. “in the presence of evil.”

“And you say there’s a demon on the ship.”

“Yep.” Josh turned to Eileen.

“Get everybody in their rooms, now! Tell them to lock the doors and come out for nothing until I give the okay!”

“Josh, are you serious!” She asked, panicked. “You cannot let him stay up here! He’ll…”

“Eileen, unless you know how to deal with a demon, this is our best shot. Do what I told you now!” Johnny held his head and dropped to his knees.

“Aaahhh!!!” He shouted. “It’s too late!” Josh and Eileen both backed up and drew their guns. Johnny stood up laughing. “No, I’m just kidding.”

“Grah!” Eileen shouted, shooting three times at his feet, causing Johnny to jump back.

“Whoa there little lady! Calm down!”

“Are you serious! You scared me half to death!” Eileen put her hand on her head and began breathing hard.

“Eileen,” Josh said, putting his hand on her back. “Just calm down. Go to your room, close your door, I’ll be there shortly.” She slowed her breathing.

“Okay…” She said. “Okay. I’m leaving.” She began to walk away, then turned to Josh. “Please be careful.” Josh nodded. Eileen left and Josh grabbed the intercom.

“All agents, this is not a drill. Report to your rooms immediately, lock your doors, and do not, I repeat, do not come out for any reason until I myself give the okay. There is a demon on board, if you see it, do not make contact. Just run.” He hung up the intercom as agents scrambled to get to their rooms. He walked up to Johnny. “Make this quick.” He said.

“I will,” Johnny reassured. He looked at Josh, who readily armed himself with a Thwip Blaster. “Aren’t you gonna go hide with your girlfriend?”

“Number one, she’s not my girlfriend.” Josh said, setting it to net. “She’s my second in command. Number two, I’m gonna protect Mother Egg. From ghosts, ghouls, and even demons.” Suddenly there was eerie laughter that echoed throughout the halls. Josh and Johnny looked around, and the laughing continued from all ends.

“You sure about that?” Johnny asked. Then all of the lights blacked out. The backup generators kicked in, but they were only the emergency lights. The inside of Mother Egg was glowing a dull red, but visibility was still minimal. Josh then turned quickly.

“You hear that?” Johnny listened, and heard footsteps approaching from a nearby hall.

“It’s him.” Johnny said. He turned to Josh. “I know you wanna be a hero and all, but you may wanna clear out. This could get pretty ugly.” Josh stood his ground.

“I’m not going anywhere.” He said.

“Fine,” Johnny said. “But just remember, I did warn you.” With that, Johnny screamed loudly. Josh backed up as Johnny dropped to his knees and began screaming in what seemed like pain and agony. He clutched his head as his skin started to burn off. His screams turned to roars, roars of anger, roars of vengeance. He dug his fingers into the metal ground and scraped the floor. Josh’s eyes widened in horror at the terrible sight. Johnny was now a skeleton. His hands bones, his skull exposed. He stood up, turned to Josh, and his head caught fire. He was no longer Johnny Blaze. Now, he was the Ghost Rider. Josh gulped.

“Okay, now I might go somewhere.” He threw the Thwip Blaster down and ran for his life, screaming the whole way. Ghost Rider watched him run off.

“Coward.” He hissed.

Suddenly the laughter came again, this time from the same hall as the footsteps. Ghost Rider took his chain from around his chest. He carefully scanned the area. Suddenly a black figure leapt from above and knocked him to the ground. The creature growled in his face, bearing talons on his fingers and pale gray skin, with pitch black hair and rat like eyes.

“Rider!” He whispered in a deplorable, desirable voice.

“Madness!” Ghost Rider growled. He punched the demon and it slid across the floor. Ghost Rider stood up and grabbed his chain. “Go home!”

“If you call that place a home,” Madness replied. “I’d hate to see where you work.” Ghost Rider swung his chain, and Madness jumped out of the way, clinging to the wall. “You can’t keep me from my goal Rider. No one can!” He jumped off of the wall and ran down a corridor. Ghost Rider growled, and stomped after him.

Meanwhile, Josh had reached Eileen’s room. He rushed in, slammed the door, and locked it. He looked to see Eileen curled in the corner.

“Come on Eileen,” He said, barricading the door. “You’ve got to pull it together.”

“I hate demons Josh.” She said.

“Yet you weren’t afraid of Nightcrawler!”

“He’s not a demon!”

“Sure looked like one to me.” Josh slid one more piece of furniture in front of the door and stopped. “That should do it.” Suddenly Ghost Rider crashed through the wall and slammed into Eileen’s bed, shattering it. Eileen screamed to the top of her lungs. Ghost Rider stood up, and looked directly at Eileen. He pointed to her.

“You.” He growled. Eileen’s eyes widened in fear and horror. “Innocent.” Ghost Rider stepped back through the hole in the wall, dragging his chain with him. Eileen’s eyes rolled to the back of her head, and she fainted.

“Great.” Josh said, picking her up, pushing through his barricade, and running out the door. He rushed into the hallway where Ghost Rider and Madness were locked in battle. “Not that way!” He said, turning in the opposite direction. Ghost Rider wrapped his chain around Madness. Then he gripped it, causing it to catch fire, along with Madness. Madness screamed in pain.

“Burn!” Ghost Rider shouted. Madness broke free.

“No!” He shouted. “You will not keep me from her!” He rushed down another hall, Ghost Rider right on his tail.

Across the way, Acacia scrambled through her room.

“Okay,” She said to herself. “I’ve got my demon proof underwear, my demon proof anklets, my demon proof headband…” She searched through a drawer frantically, then finally pulled out a stick with a bunch of bells attached to it. “And my shaman stick! But I can’t help feeling I’m missing something…” Then she gasped. “Oh no! Where’s my demon proof sombrero!” Suddenly her door burst down. Acacia screamed and jumped back. Madness crept into her room. Acacia shook her stick.

“Hey-a-hey-a-hey-a!” She chanted. Madness knocked the stick to ground. “I knew that street merchant ripped me off!” She shouted. Madness roared triumphantly and Acacia backed into the corner. “What do you want from me?” She asked.

“I just wanted to see you again,” Madness replied. “Partner.” Acacia stopped. She took a closer look. Tears came to her eyes. She reached out touched Madness’s cheek.

“Terry?” Suddenly Ghost Rider’s chain wrapped around him and he was yanked away from Acacia. Ghost Rider dragged him across the floor.

“You’re mine!” He growled.

“No!” Acacia shouted, drawing her guns. “I won’t let you hurt him!” Ghost Rider looked at Acacia.

“You would protect a demon whose soul is stained with the blood of innocence?” He growled. He pointed at Acacia. “You, guilty.” He wrapped Madness in his chain and threw him to the side of the room. He grabbed Acacia by the shoulders and slammed her against the wall. “Look into my eyes.” He growled. “Feel the pain of the innocence killed!” Acacia’s eyes widened and began to turn black.

“No,” she said, shaking he head. “NO!” Suddenly Ghost Rider was knocked across the head. He turned to see Josh with a pole.

“Get away from her!” He shouted. Ghost Rider roared and threw Acacia to the side. She got to her hands and knees and scrambled over to Madness. She began to unwrap Ghost Rider’s chain.

“Terry, what happened to you?” She said. Madness shook his head.

“I did terrible things Acacia,” he replied. “Things I never wanted you to know about. But I had to warn you. A great danger approaches, and I feel you will not be able to stop it.” He looked over to Ghost Rider, who smacked Josh halfway across the room. “If I want to end this I have to go willingly. But heed my warning Acacia, danger is nearing.”

“Terry, what are you talking about?” She asked.

“Seek the heart in the everlasting dominion. That is where the answers lie. I must go now.” He looked to Acacia. “Could you, tell Fumiko…”

“I will.” Acacia said, knowing what he was going to ask. He nodded, then stood up.

“Rider!” Ghost Rider, who held a badly beaten Josh in his hands, turned, dropping Josh to the ground. “I will return with you.” Ghost Rider walked over and grabbed him.

“Good.” He hissed. He held his hand up and opened a portal. He grabbed Madness by the shoulder and pulled him along. Madness looked back at Acacia.

“Goodbye, old friend.” He said, as he and Ghost Rider disappeared through the portal.

“Goodbye to you too.” Acacia silently said. Josh stood up, holding his head.

“Wait a minute, did you know him?” He asked. Acacia nodded.

“He was my partner.” She turned and walked away. Josh stood, confused. Then he shook his head.

“Better if I don’t know.” He walked out to give the all call that everything was safe, and the demons were gone.

Acacia sat on her bed with a piece of paper, examining it. Suddenly Eileen came in. Acacia quickly covered the paper.

“Hey, what’s up Eileen?” She asked.

“Josh made pancakes for breakfast!” She exclaimed. Then she looked at her. “You okay?”

“Yeah, I’ll be out in a minute.” Eileen nodded and left. Acacia uncovered the paper with Terry’s warning written on it. Seek the heart in the everlasting dominion. She squinted. Then she stopped.

“No.” She whispered. For she had noticed something she had not before.

Seek the heart in the everlasting dominion.

Seek heart in everlasting dominion.

Seek Heart In EverLasting Dominion.

S.H.I.E.L.D.

Remember to leave questions and comments so that I can address them in the Q&A this Thursday, October 9! Check and see if your question gets answered! And look for Episode 11: New Recruit, the next day October 10!