 October 7, 2003 - #1 |
Welcome to Transverse
plot by JM de Joya and John Phillips
script by John Phillips and Chip Caroon
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Welcome to Transverse |
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| Transverse is a sleepy little town. It's like most little towns in the U.S. Very little happens here. At least that's what Transverse would like you to think. In fact it could be your own hometown if you lived in "Hell Town, U.S.A."
To the naked eye, Transverse is just like any other little town. A set of train tracks runs from the North end of Transverse to the South. In the center of town was the only train station but no trains ever came to Transverse and the train station hadn't been used in that capacity for decades. They have one high school, two middle schools, and four elementary schools. They also have two movie theaters, a shopping mall, a Museum of History and a University just inside the city limits. There's a "Little Japan" and a "Little Italy" - although in the past few years these areas haven't really been populated by Japanese or Italians - and a suburb in the upper part of town with a few white picket fences. Then Transverse has one thing in abundance: churches. Every religion known to man has a church or temple in Transverse. However, to everyone who has ever lived in Transverse, it is a city of last resort. Everyone who has ever come to Transverse have came looking for their last chance at a normal life. None of them realized that by entering, they were giving up all hope. Sadly, Transverse has become a city of secrets. Decisions aren't truly made by elected officials. Elected officials aren't necessarily put in office by popular vote. Yet the greatest secret of all lay in the mist that covers the city at night. Most people don't go out at night. Most people know better. Yet those who do are either hunter or prey or both. Eddie Collins lost his job today. It was the third one he'd lost in a month. The final check hadn't been enough to pay the rent so he had been evicted. Fortunately, it had been enough for him to purchase the bottle of Southern Comfort he was now nursing. He had decided to hole-up in the abandoned train station. It was still fall, so it was empty now. By winter, however, it would be full of homeless claiming their territory. He hoped he wouldn't still be there then. He was leaning against an outside wall next to a fire barrel when he heard the train pull into the station. For a moment he started to toss the bottle into the fire then a single passenger departed the train from a central car. He was a tall man with dark hair and dark eyes. He had a well trimmed mustache and goatee that gave him a sinister appearance. The black suit he wore would have been considered an antique to anyone outside of Transverse. He carried a single suitcase and he moved with purpose. "I've never been this close before," the stranger mumbled. "The Book of 'N' must be mine. This time I cannot fail." Eddie huddled up behind the barrel hoping that the man hadn't seen him but the stranger turned and looked directly at him. "Hello," the stranger replied. "My name is Silas Androvich." "Eddie Collins," Eddie stuttered. "Do you believe in fate, Eddie?" Silas asked. "I don't know." "Well I do, Eddie. And I believe that fate has brought you and I together tonight." "Really?" "Yes!" Androvich nodded. "You see that train over there. It has rules. The most important rule is that it cannot return empty. I have business here in Transverse. Would you like to take my place?" "I don't think so," Eddie answered. "Oh, I wouldn't start thinking now, Eddie. It's a little late for that." Eddie stood and started making his way to the train. He didn't want to. He wasn't even trying to. He was boarding the train against his will. Silas Androvich turned and made his way into Transverse. Behind him the train left the station and disappeared into the mist. The next morning Eddie's body was found on the train tracks. The coroner had determined that the cause of death had been a heart-attack. Yet everyone who saw his face knew that Eddie had been "frightened to death." Yamatora's Japanese Opera Theater was one of the few businesses in "Little Japan" that was still owned by the Japanese. It had regular showings through the week and two on the weekends. All shows were before dark. Tonight, a different kind of show is being performed in the Theater. Tonight, a young girl is pretending to defenseless. Tonight, this girl and her friends are hoping to capture a true monster. The handful of Japanese citizens that still lived in "Little Japan" had claimed that the Oni had made their way to Transverse. Several of them had been sighted in the area. Several dead prostitutes had also turned up. Although the papers were filled with "Jack the Ripper" type stories, the Japanese knew the truth. The Oni hunted women. Sedona Wade sat at the center of the stage. Her blond hair was covered in a long black oriental wig and her face was covered in white make-up. She sat in front of an Oriental altar. Beneath the altar was a pile of logs for burning incense and a set of black plastic chains hung from it. "She must be chained to the altar," an annoying voice said to Leslie Tiu-Yun-Chen. "She must appear helpless." "I know, Grandfather!" she whispered to the ghost of her grandfather. Most teenagers had nosy parents. Leslie had her grandfather's ghost who followed her everywhere. Privacy was something that Leslie never had and with the lifestyle she had chosen it had never truly been an issue. "Why do I have to do this?" Sedona whined. "Because you're better at defending yourself than I am," Leslie answered as she chained Sedona to the altar. "But Torrance can handle himself," Sedona complained. "I know but the Oni are attracted by young women. Even though I'm sure Thor would look really cute in that wig, the Oni will know the difference. Now shut up." "Yeah! Shut up!" Torrance Angus added from behind a curtain. At that moment a roar came from the alley from behind the theater. Sedona swallowed hard as she waited for the creature to enter. "It's taking the bait," Leslie's grandfather said excitedly. The Oni stepped onto the stage. It was humanoid in appearance, eight feet tall with a muscular frame. It walked hunched over with its arms swinging like an ape's. It had no hair anywhere on its body and its mouth was full a sharp serrated teeth. Its eyes burned red with hatred. It looked over at Sedona for a moment and paused to sniff the air. Then it moved right past Sedona and headed straight for Leslie's hiding place. Sedona watched the creature in disgust. "Oh that's it!" she snarled. "It's bad enough that the boys at school avoid me. Now this ugly thing takes one look and says pass." Sedona ripped the plastic chains from the altar and pulled one of the logs from below it. The creature was so certain that she was harmless it was caught off guard when Sedona struck it in the knee. A loud crunching sound could be heard as she broke the bone and cartilage in the Oni's leg. Gasping in pain the creature fell to the ground. Leslie rushed from her hiding place. "Thor!" she called. Torrance responded with a length of heavy rope from stage crews supplies. With great haste, Leslie and Torrance bound the creature. Once they were certain the creature was incapacitated, Leslie began to speak an incantation. "I entreat thee, Cyttorak, may your seven crimson bands bind this evil that it may do no more harm." Seven red bands of magical energy surrounded the creature. Leslie produced a cell phone from her pocket and made a call. "We've bagged and tagged this one," she replied. "It's ready for pickup." "Would you like some tea?" Ariana Helsington asked, after Duane Barclay flipped his cell phone shut and put it back in his pocket. The young black man just shook his head and continued staring at the computer in front of him. Ariana walked across her spacious apartment and leaned over the monitor. "Duane, are you listening?" "I am," Duane replied. "But I'm also busy with this." "Duane!" Gerald Wilson cried out. "You've been there for hours. Is there anything more that you could possibly know?" "This is a tricky situation," Duane said. "Acquiring files about the Oni isn't exactly easy." "Or legal," Ariana added. "I prefer to ignore such grey areas," Duane muttered. "Onikage is the only web site that tracks Oni sightings, and explains how to deal with the creatures. By the way, Leslie called. She has an Oni ready for pickup at the Opera Theater." "We'll take my van," Ariana said, walking to the door, grabbing her jacket and keys. "I'll drive, but first we need to stop by the museum and pick something up." "You mean you can just walk into a museum in the middle of the night?" Gerald asked. "You can if you're the curator," Ariana replied. "Let's go." Duane stood up. "Finished," he said. "We have all of the information." Fifteen minutes later, the trio arrived at the Opera Theater. The rest of their group was already waiting outside of the theater, with the unconscious Oni at their feet. Duane and Ariana helped Sedona, Thor, and Leslie drag it to the van, and put it in the mystical cage that Ariana had picked up. Leslie did another incantation, which removed the now unneeded Cyttorak bands. Gerald stook back. "Wow," he said, looking at the large creature. It reminded him too much of a similar unfortunate experience of two weeks past. Duane looked at him. "It's all in the contract, kid. You should have known by now," he said, slamming the back doors of the van shut. The Temple of "N" had been in Transverse since the beginning. No one had ever seen a service being held there. The small parking lot was always empty and no one ever admitted to attending worship. Despite all of this it was well tended. It was a clean building and its lawns were kept trimmed. Oddly enough the ravages of time had not affected it. It was almost as if it existed outside of time. Beneath the temple however was a shelter. It had housed the acolytes of the Order of "N" for centuries. Tonight it housed more than acolytes. Tonight, one of the high priests of the order had arrived. His name was Silas Androvich. Silas gathered the acolytes in a circle. Ceremonial candles provide the only light in the room. "Concentrate!" Silas commanded. "We must have complete and total concentration. We need to find an heir." Chanting filled the room as the acolytes began to speak in a language not used for over two thousand years. The acolytes spoke in unison and power began to flood into Silas. "By Daranthon's Lost Lore we seek the child with the mark of 'I'. Grant me the vision." The chanting continued as Silas repeated his incantation. The Chanting took on a rhythm. Then the chants turned into screams and laughter filled the chamber. Black blades of energy flew into the room. One after the other, the blades struck the acolytes. Heads rolled from the seated acolytes bodies as each blade struck its target. The final blade was aimed for Silas. Silas stopped his incantation when the chant had been replaced by screams. He raised his left arm and deflected the black projectile. "Who dares?" he breathed. "I am known as the Shadow's Wing," the attacker stated as he stepped from the shadows. He had an average build with dark hair. A slight slant of the eyes betrayed his Oriental ancestry. "One of Tenku's boys," Silas replied dryly. "I will find the heir before you," he challenged. "A challenge?" "A promise." "You're on," Silas said as he rushed the Shadow's Wing. Before he could strike him, the Oriental man stepped back and melted into the shadows. "Not again!" Sedona moaned. The nightmare had started again. She had this nightmare so many times before. She knew it by heart and still she ran. She was always running. A thick black mist surrounded her and she ran through ancient streets. Ruins of forgotten buildings formed the pathway she was traveling on. She still didn't know who she was running from but she knew to fear him. The street became narrow and soon she met with a dead end. Frantically she searched for a way to continue. The birthmark on her chest began to burn and she pulled at her shirt. Buttons flew through the air as she exposed the mark of I. Light burst from the mark and lit up the alley cutting into the mist. Then she saw him. A man wearing a black ceremonial robe approached. The mist moved around him hiding his face. He lifted his left arm and pointed at Sedona. As he raised his arm the robe's sleeve moved to reveal a tattoo. The tattoo was an inverted triangle; in the center was an undecipherable rune. The man took another step and his face was almost visible. Then she woke up. Sweat covered her body and she breathed heavily. Instinctively she reached for her birthmark. It was still warm. Silas stood in the darkened chamber. Most of the ceremonial candles had been blown out during the attack. The blood of his acolytes soaked the hem of his ceremonial garb. He reached inside his robe and pulled out a cellphone. He pressed a single button and raised the phone to his ear. "Mother," he said into the phone, "we have a problem." "I know," a cryptic voice replied. "I need replacements for the Temple in Transverse." "We have no replacements," the cryptic voice answered. "The Shogunate attacked all of our temples tonight. We didn't realize they had become so powerful." "I truly thought Tenku's death would put an end to such nonsense. The Shogunate should have died with him," Silas ranted. "Rumor has it, the Shogunate is attempting to resurrect Tenku. Investigate and if the rumors are true, prevent it from happening. If they are successful, all we've worked for will be lost." "It will be done, Mother," Silas responded. As he finished his conversation he noticed blood running down his arm. He hadn't realized the black blade had penetrated his skin. Absentmindedly he wipe the blood off with his sleeve. As he wiped the blood from his arm, a tattoo became visible. It was an inverted triangle with an undecipherable rune. Cole October stepped into the alley. He had the appearance of a Japanese businessman. He was clean and pressed and wore an expensive suit. He looked out of place in the dingy litter strewn alley. However the horse and cart at the other end of the alley looked even more out of place. The cart was decorated with images of dragons and several paper lanterns hung from its sides. It contained an unadorned wooden box. An elderly gentleman led the horse and two younger men carrying spears flanked it. "Hail to the Shadow's Wing!" the guards called as they bowed their heads. Cole returned the bow and step to the rear of the cart. Solemnly he lifted the lid of the box. It held the body of an old wrinkled corpse. Its skin was brown and tight and the hair and fingernails were long and unkempt. "Tenku, my old friend," Cole replied, "it will not be long." He turned to the guards and said. "Take him to the chamber and I will be waiting for you there. The Order of 'N' has been dealt with, but the Midnight Sons might still cause a problem." He made his way to the end of the alley and stepped through the wall. Beyond the wall was a descending staircase. Gracefully he went down the stairs and entered a circular chamber. At the opposite end was a set of cages. Five Oni looked through the bars at him. He opened the gate and two Oni stepped into the chamber. "Go!" he ordered. Obediently, the Oni ran up the staircase. "That should keep those kids busy for awhile, and by tomorrow night Tenku will be reborn." Next issue: Will Tenku rise? Find out next week in Midnight Sons #2 when the group faces off against the Shogunate!
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