Attilan, the Great Refuge, home of the Inhumans . . . Three weeks earlier.
Black Bolt stood on the roof of his palace and looked up at the dark-matter dome that enclosed his realm and kept the Inhumans prisoners. Black Bolt was a tall, muscular man, with a regal demeanor. He wore a blue body suit, cowl, gloves, and had artificial wings from waist to forearms. He had a light blue zigzag design on his chest, and a symbolic emblem that resembled a tuning fork attached to his forehead.
How many years had it been, Black Bolt tried to remember, since his evil brother Grodd trapped them inside the dark field? All attempts to break out had failed miserably. Black Bolt felt guilty. He had failed his people. It was true that, under his leadership they had managed to survive without the sun. They rationed their water supply and grew food in the garden, which his cousin Halo supplied the light for. The big and simple-minded ZZZaxx had supplied electricity for the city. Amazingly, they had managed to survive. But they were still prisoners. Their king had failed to free them, and he was ashamed.
Suddenly, the sound of battle broke Black Bolt's morose reverie. He took to the air to seek out the source of the disturbance.
On the other side of the city, the Inhuman elite guard was preparing to repel an intruder. One who had tunneled up through the ground. As the guards surrounded him, the intruder looked up at the black dome, which blocked out the sky. "It is . . . just as we knew."
The Intruder was nearly seven feet tall and powerfully built. Most amazingly, his red flesh seemed to glow, like fire. The guards could feel the heat his body emitted from several yards away. And behind him, he left footprints burned into the ground.
"Stop where you are!" the leader of the guardsmen said. "Or we'll fire!"
The glowing man walked away from his hole in the ground and moved further into the heart of the city. "Where . . . where are your engineers? Your scientists?" he asked, in a strange accent, as if English were new to him. He ignored the guards.
"Fire!" the guard leader said.
The guards fired their stun weapons, which had no effect on the intruder. They lashed out with their natural defenses, of which they had a variety. Spikes, flame, venom, claws and other built-in weapons. These also had no effect. The heat from the intruder's body burned some of the guards and drove the rest back.
With a stamp of his foot, the intruder caused small rifts to open in the ground and geysers of steam spit out. The steam scalded the Inhuman guards. They screamed. The intruder walked passed them, moving deeper into the city.
Suddenly, the Intruder was met with a group of much more formidable opponents . . . The Royal family! Led by Medusa, the beautiful queen of the Inhumans, the royal family consisted of . . . Gorgon, the centaur-like beast-man; Triton, the green-skinned amphibian with wedded fingers; Halo, the youngest of the royal family, who had the power to transform into light itself; Dubbilex, the telepathic advisor to king Black Bolt; and finally, the lovely Crystal, who controls the elements.
The royals stood in the intruder's path. "Come no farther!" Gorgon ordered.
The glowing intruder continued to come closer.
"He looks like he's made of molten lava!" Crystal said.
"Well, no 'Lava man' is going to invade the great refuge!" Gorgon bellowed.
The Lava Man approached them. "Send me your great minds," he said. "Send me those who build."
"Stop where you are!" Gorgon ordered.
The Lava Man ignored him.
Gorgon stamped his powerful hooves onto the ground, causing a small, localized tremor. The Lava Man was thrown off balance, but steadied himself. Before Gorgon could renew his attack, more steam came from the ground. Gorgon was charred by the heat, but was powerful enough to withstand the attack. "Damnable cretin!" Gorgon yelled.
Medusa stretched out her moving locks, like a group of snakes. But the Lava Man's skin was too hot and she had to withdraw her tresses. Crystal tried to use the elements as an attack, but since the Inhumans were cut off from the outside world and the elements, her power was weakened. Her fiery attack seemed to only strengthen the intruder. She then tried to use wind, but the Lava man was not fazed by the gust of air.
Dubbilex was reading the Lava Man's mind. "He's from some sort of underground civilization. I'm having trouble reading his mind, but his arrival has something to do with the Dark Matter field."
Halo turned herself into light and flashed a powerful glow in the Lava Man's face. Since the intruder had lived so many years in the darkness of his underground world, he was unused to bright light. He was staggered by the surprise attack. The Lava Man responded with another burst of steam that blocked out another light attack. Halo, inexperienced in battle, moved in too close. The Lava Man hurled a mass of quick-drying molten ore at the glowing specter, which was the light-body of halo. The mass surrounded Halo, encasing her inside. It hardened and she was trapped.
Triton used his limited power over water to turn the remaining steam into water again. Then, using his ability to create "hard water", the amphibian Inhuman hurled solidified water bombs at the Lava Man. The bombs exploded with formidable impact, and shook the Lava man up, but didn't bring him down. However, the heat from the Lava Man's body was dehydrating Triton, who had to retreat.
Gorgon charged again, this time carrying a war club he'd picked up from one of the fallen guards. The Lava Man pointed at Gorgon, and a wave of intense heat incinerated the club, turning it to ashes. Even Gorgon was intimidated by this power.
The royal family was regrouping for another attack, when Black Bolt suddenly descended from the air, touching down in front of the Lava Man.
"The king!" several people yelled.
"Your highness!" Dubbilex said. "The intruder is powerful! Be cautious!"
Black Bolt nodded and stood his ground. The Lava Man approached him.
"Give me your engineers," the Lava Man said. "Give me your scientists!"
Black Bolt shook his head. The Lava Man moved closer. The Inhuman King held up a hand, indicating that the Intruder must stop. The Intruder moved forward, getting into Black Bolt's face. The Lava Man swung a mighty fist at the black-clad monarch. Black Bolt ducked, dodged the blow, and responded with his own powerful blow. The Lava Man was knocked off his feet. Black Bolt looked at his glove. It was singed.
Angry, the Lava Man regained his footing, and threw another punch. Black Bolt evaded this one as well. He chose not to punch the enemy again. The intruder's body was too hot. Like lava. Black Bolt's fork-like emblem glowed, and out from it came a burst of energy. The beam struck the Lava Man, knocking him backwards. The intruder shouted, in pain and anger. He caused more steam to raise from the Earth, but the mighty Black Bolt was not going to be stopped by such an attack.
The Lava Man obscured himself with steam. Black Bolt unleashed more of his energy rays, firing randomly into the cloud of steam. When the steam cleared, the Lava Man was gone. Black Bolt looked around, confused. Then, he saw the new tunnel. The ground had been melted under the Lava Man's feet. Had he retreated back where he came from?
The ground trembled under Black Bolt's feet. Black Bolt took to the air, just before the ground exploded in a burst of fire and steam. Black Bolt floated in the air. The Lava Man reappeared. He tried to encase Black Bolt in more of that molten ore, but Black Bolt blasted the mass of ore with his energy rays.
The Lava Man released his wave of hot air, hoping to incinerate the Inhuman monarch. Black Bolt recoiled and winced as the heat assaulted him, but he refused to fall. Black Bolt backed away, getting some breathing room and preparing his next attack. The Lava Man surprised the Inhumans by turning to stone and growing to gigantic proportions. He became a giant block of stone, 20 feet high and several tons. The solid block of stone was more resistant to Black Blot's energy rays, but slowly, the Inhuman managed to chip away at it. The Lava Man deliberately teetered, and started to fall over. The block of stone almost crushed some of the fallen guards. Black Bolt dived, and planted his feet firmly. The huge block of stone came down upon him. Black Bolt had to save the injured guards. Lifting his hands, he caught the huge rock. The weight of the block bore down on him and he strained to hold it up. Gorgon and Triton, both powerful beings, rushed to Black Bolt's assistance. Together, they were able to heave the heavy stone away. The stone shrunk and resumed a humanoid shape. The rest of the royal family - including Halo, who they'd freed - joined Black Bolt, Triton and Gorgon. They faced the Lava Man, prepared for anything.
The Lava Man knew that he was fighting a losing battle. Black Bolt was an even match for him. With the assistance of the other six warriors, they could defeat him. He decided to withdraw.
"I will have your greatest minds when I return," the Lava Man said. "I will come back with others and take them by force!"
The ground melted under the Lava Man and he sank down into the Earth, vanishing from sight. The Inhumans surrounded the hole, waiting for him to reappear, but he did not return.
"Thank the great Agon that he's gone," Medusa said.
"But he'll be back," Triton stated. "He said as much."
"And we will be ready for him!" Gorgon yelled.
Black Bolt shook his head. He pointed to the seemingly bottomless pit that the Lava Man had left behind.
"You want us to pursue him to his lair?" Medusa asked.
Black Bolt nodded.
"I agree!" Gorgon cried. "We should not wait to be attacked! We should bring battle to our foes!"
Black Bolt looked up at the dark dome that imprisoned them. The Lava Man had dug his way up from somewhere. Black Bolt had previously tried to dig his way under the dome but found that the field passed under Attilan, as well as over and around it. Yet, there must be a gap somewhere under the Earth, and the Lava Man found it and used it to get into the Great Refuge. Perhaps by going down there, a way could be found to escape this captivity.
"When do we leave?" Medusa asked.
Black Bolt pointed to Medusa and then to the royal castle.
"Oh, I see," Medusa said, "You want me to stay here and rule in your absence."
Black Bolt nodded.
"As you wish," she said.
Black Bolt looked at Dubbilex. Dubbilex peeked into Black Bolt's mind to see what the King was thinking. "His Majesty wants to bring ZZZaxx along with us. He thinks that the electrical being may be useful."
"Fetch him!" Medusa ordered Halo.
Halo nodded, transformed into her light-form, and flew off to find the creature called ZZZaxx. The royals waited. Soon, Halo returned, leading a 12-foot being composed of electrical energy. This bizarre being was known as ZZZaxx.
"Halo sayzzz that Black Bolt needzzz ZZZaxx," the creature said. "ZZZaxx likezzz to help hizzz friendzzz."
"Thank you, ZZZaxx," Medusa said. "We need you very much. You must go with Black Bolt and the others, into that hole in the ground."
"ZZZaxx will go," the electrical beast said.
Black Bolt signaled for the others to follow him.
"Into battle!" Gorgon howled.
Black Bolt led the others into the pit. Medusa watched them go. "Good luck, my love," she whispered.
Three weeks later . . .
The sun was shining on the Great Refuge for the first time in almost two decades. The Inhuman population was overjoyed, basking in the warm glow. The arrival of the Doom Patrol had been a blessing to the population of Attilan. The Blue Diamond had spent years trying to find a means of dissipating the dark-field dome that enclosed the Inhumans city and kept him from his beloved Crystal. His search led him to the Doom Patrol. The brilliant Mr. Terrific had found a way to free the Inhumans. They had been celebrating all day.
Meanwhile, Medusa was discussing the rescue of her beloved king and husband with Mr. Terrific. Medusa had been left to rule in Black Bolt's absence, but no sooner had the King left, then did his traitorous brother Grodd use his mental powers to take over the city. The Doom Patrol had saved the city from Grodd.
Mr. Terrific had sedated the telepathic simian villain and strapped a device to him that inhibited his mental powers. Grodd was no threat, at the moment. That left only the fate of Black Bolt and the rest of the royal family to be discovered. Medusa planned to go down into the pit to rescue him. The Blue Diamond was eager to go with her, in order to find Crystal. To Medusa's surprise, Mr. Terrific had volunteered the Doom Patrol's aid in this endeavor.
"I've been studying the pit," Mr. Terrific said. "We can't climb down. It's too steep, almost a straight drop and there are no handholds. Also, the sides are weak and could possibly cave in on us."
"Black Bolt and my cousins climbed down," Medusa said.
"The way I understand their powers, if the Blue Diamond's descriptions were accurate, I think I can explain that," Mr. Terrific said. "Black Bolt and Halo could have flown down. As for the rest, they could have just slid, if Crystal used her powers to create a thermal updraft to slow their descent."
"I see," Medusa said. "That makes sense. And we cannot emulate their method of descent. So, how do you suggest we follow?"
"I have means to do so," Mr. Terrific answered. "It's in my ship."
Soon . . .
Out from the Doom Patrol's jet, Mr. Terrific drove a vehicle that resembled a tank, but with a large drill in the front and two lasers on either side. Robotman, Negative-Man, Namorita, and Elasti-Girl looked curiously at the strange device.
"Here it is," Terrific said. "I call it the Mole Mobile."
"You've gotta be kidding!" Negative-Man said.
"No, I'm not," Terrific said. "This will get us where we want to go."
"Ain't there a bus that goes there, instead?" Robotman asked.
"Don't let it's appearance fool you," Terrific said. "Its perfectly sound."
"But, 'Mole Mobile'?" Elasti-Girl said.
"What's wrong with that?" Terrific asked.
"For a genius, you're not very good at coming up with names," she said.
"Forget the name!" Terrific said. "I guarantee that this will work."
"Are you insured?" Negative-Man asked.
"If you three don't want to come . . . " Terrific began.
"Don't bust a gut!" Robotman said. "We're all comin' with ya. After all, we gotta die of sumthin'."
Minutes later . . .
Medusa and the Blue Diamond joined the five members of the Doom Patrol in the Mole Mobile. It was a tight squeeze.
"Nobody inhale," Elasti-Girl said.
"I'm glad I don't have to breathe," Robotman said.
Medusa was pressed up against his metal hide. "You are very cold," she complained.
"Sorry, Queeny," Robotman said. "Can't help it. Warm heart, cold hands."
"Could you not have made this vehicle larger?" Namorita asked.
"I didn't expect to be taking so many people on board," Terrific said.
"I feel like I'm going into battle in a clown car," Negative-Man said.
"I can help a little in that regard," Elasti-Girl said. She shrank down to her two-inch size.
"Thanks Rita," Robotman said. "Anybody else got a useful power like that?"
"Like the ability to prevent cramps?" Negative-Man said.
"Is everyone finished complaining?" Mr. Terrific asked.
"Can we just get moving?" the Blue Diamond asked. "Crystal and the others could be in danger!"
"I concur," Terrific said. "No more delays. It's time to go!"
The rear of the vehicle lifted, allowing the drill to touch the ground. The drill snapped into action, boring into the Earth. The ship sank into the dirt and stone, diving down at an amazing rate. As the drill cut a path, the lasers on either side welded the loose rocks in place so that there was no cave-in.
"I'm starting to feel dizzy," Elasti-Girl said, standing on Terrific's shoulder. "Are you sure we're going straight down?"
"No, of course we're not," Mr. Terrific said. "I'm plotting a corkscrew course, orbiting the Lava Man's tunnel. It's the best way to maintain the integrity of our own tunnel and to insure that we don't go into free-fall if we hit a hollow."
"Right. I knew that," she said.
"Can I get out and walk?" Negative-Man asked.
"Do you always bicker in this manner?" Medusa asked.
"Yep. Pretty much," Robotman said.
"Can we go the rest of the trip in silence?" Medusa asked.
"What are the odds on silence, guys?" Terrific asked.
"Slim to none," Negative-Man said.
"100 to one," Robotman added.
Medusa sighed with annoyance. The trip lasted for several hours. Everyone was feeling very claustrophobic and cranky.
"How much farther do you think we'll have to go?" the Blue Diamond asked.
Suddenly, the Mole Mobile broke into an immense hollowed out area.
"I'd say we've arrived," Mr. Terrific answered.
The Mole Mobile shot out of the side of the rock hollow. Small wings protruded from the side of the vehicle, allowing it to glide on it's own momentum and touch down with a light 'Thud'! The craft skidded to a halt. The lights of the ship were the only lights in the area. Everyone crawled out of the cramped space.
"Thank Heavens for elbow room," Negative-Man said.
"I'm buyin' you a bigger Mole Mobile for Christmas, Mikey," Robotman said to Terrific.
"Enough talk!" the Blue Diamond said. "Let's start searching!"
"Right!" Terrific said, as he passed out flashlights. "There's a rather large tunnel to the left. I suggest we follow that. Namorita, you lead the way. Use your sonar to locate anyone in the area."
Namorita nodded, and led the others into the tunnel. She emitted waves of dolphin-like sonar to peer into the darkness. After a few minutes of walking along the tunnel, they came to another large cavern where the walls seemed to glow.
"What's causing that?" Elasti-Girl asked, noticing the luminescent walls.
"Natural phosphorescence in the stone," Terrific said.
"It's so hot," Namorita said.
"We must be close to the Earth's molten core," Terrific replied.
"Still no sign of Crystal and the others!" the Blue Diamond said.
Namorita snapped to combat stance. "I'm sensing someone approaching!"
Everyone waited, ready for anything. Soon, the Lava Man appeared, accompanied by a group of one dozen fellow lava men.
"It's him!" Medusa called. "He's the one!"
The Blue Diamond charged forward. "Where is she? Where's Crystal?"
The Lava Man emitted another burst of hot air, but it had no effect on the blue clad hero's diamond-hard skin. The Blue Diamond struck the Lava Man, knocking him across the cavern. The other lava men all jumped onto the Blue Diamond, but he threw them all aside with a few swings of his arms. He continued to attack the Lava Man.
"Those others don't seem to have the same powers as the Lava Man who Blue Diamond is fighting," Medusa said.
"Good," Terrific said, "because they're coming after us now!"
The other lava men charged the Doom Patrol and Medusa. The heroes defended themselves. These lava soldiers had hot skin and were somewhat stronger than normal humans, but otherwise had no special powers. There were not as formidable as the Lava Man who had invaded the Great Refuge, and who was now fighting with the Blue Diamond.
Robotman knocked them aside, although his metal hide was slowly getting charred. Larry Trainer released the Negative-Man from his body. The Negative-Man focused his radioactive power into a laser blast and scattered some of the lava soldiers. Rita shrunk down to avoid their fiery grip. Medusa grabbed some rocks with her moving strands of hair and hurled them at the lava soldiers. Namorita avoided contact with them, afraid of the damage their heat would do to her. She was used to the cool of the ocean, not the heat of fire.
Mr. Terrific commanded his T-spheres to emit bursts of intense light. The lava soldiers recoiled, pained by the flare of brightness. They were used to the dimness of their subterranean lair, and had never seen the sun. Their eyes were not prepared for so much light. They drew back.
"Light bothered the one who came to the surface, as well," Medusa said.
Terrific nodded. He ordered his T-Spheres to surround the Blue Diamond and the Lava Man, who he was wrestling with. The Spheres flared up again. The light hurt the Lava Man's eyes. Enraged, the Lava Man threw the Blue Diamond aside and ducked into the shadows. Mr. Terrific caused more light to be shined on him and his fellow lava men. They retreated down a dark tunnel.
"I wanted a piece of him!" the Blue Diamond hissed.
"You want to find Crystal, don't you?" Terrific said. "If we follow them back to their lair, we may find out where they're keeping her."
"Yeah, you're right," the Blue Diamond said. "I'm not thinking straight. Let's go after them."
Terrific led his allies down the tunnel. They trailed the lava people to a third large cavern in the Earth. There, they saw over a thousand lava men, each one ready to attack.
"This ain't good," Robotman said.
Negative Man nodded in agreement. "Suddenly, the Mole Mobile isn't looking so bad."
On a rocky ledge, stood a tall, chunky mole man with a crown. Must be their king,Terrific thought.
The king spoke in a strange language, which the original Lava Man translated.
"You have invaded our home," the Lava Man said. "We should kill for this insult. But we have . . . Other matters. We give you the chance to flee, or we will destroy you all."
"You invaded my land first!" Medusa said. "You attacked the Great Refuge!"
"I did what I must for my land and my people," the Lava Man responded.
"As do I," Medusa snapped back.
"You have some of our people, and we demand them back!" the Blue Diamond said.
"We have no one," the Lava Man said. "Spragg is holding them!"
"Spragg!" Mr. Terrific said, shocked. "Do you mean Spragg the Living Hill!"
"A 'living hill'? You gotta be joking!" Robotman said.
"You know of Spragg?" the Lava Man asked, surprised.
"I've heard of him," Terrific said. "My mentor Doc Savage fought him once before!"
Mr. Terrific tried to remember all the details of the tale Doc Savage once told him of Spragg.
Hungary, 1948:
Rumors had been circulating about numerous localized Earth tremors in parts of Hungary. The scientific community was curious about the phenomenon. The legendary Dr. Clark Savage, the man of bronze, was passing near the area and decided to check things out. He flew to the epicenter of the quakes, which was a town called Holtz. After he arrived, Savage found a large amount of quake damage, yet his queries were met with hostility. His investigation was not welcome. The local constable threatened to have him arrested if he continued to "stir up fear in the population", and so Savage pretended that he was leaving Holtz. But he had no intention of going anywhere.
One of the most prominent features of the town was a new but hastily constructed wall, fifty feet high. Savage waited until late at night and scaled the wall. However, as he neared the top, a charge of electricity stunned him. He fell to the ground. Almost anyone else would have been injured, but Savage managed to land well, and escaped harm. Tests with a slingshot proved that an invisible barrier rose above the wall. He tried to go around the makeshift fort, but there was no opening. Finally, the man of bronze managed to dig a tunnel underneath the wall and found himself inside.
As he broke to the surface again, he saw a large number of locals milling around a large, orange hill, each carrying a different piece of equipment. Studying the body language, combined with the fact that no one spoke, he determined that they were all in a trance and being forced to do the bidding of whoever was behind all this. But who was it?
Then, something happened that surprised even the man of bronze. The orange hill started to throb. Two large slits in the front opened . . . Revealing two large eyes in the side of the hill. Another, longer slit turned out to be an immense mouth. The orange hill was the arch villain behind all this.
"Attend, slaves," the living hill said. "Attend your master, Spragg the all powerful!"
So, Spragg was the name of his giant foe, Savage thought. Trying to remain inconspicuous, the man of bronze put on a hard hat and slumped over to hide his 6 foot 7 height. He joined the entranced locals, who circled around Spragg obediently.
"Work on the amplifier is going too slowly," Spragg roared, angrily. "You must work faster. I must have the energy to increase my mental powers soon. I am tired of waiting!"
"Yes master," the slaves mindlessly replied, in unison.
Savage wondered what 'amplifier' Spragg was talking about. Whatever it was, it couldn't be good.
"Obviously, I must increase my hold on you, if I am to rule in the near future," Spragg said.
Savage could hear Spragg's thoughts in his head. Obviously, Spragg had some sort of telepathic or hypnotic power. The people in the town were probably partly affected by it as well. That was why they tried to drive Savage out of town before he could discover what was happening. Savage wondered why it didn't effect him. He deduced that the metal helmet contributed to blocking out Spragg's power. That gave him an advantage. Surprise was another weapon that the man of bronze had. His vast intellect was his best tool.
As the slaves dispersed, Savage casually studied the device that was being built. It was an advanced piece of machinery, the obvious result of alien intelligence. From what Savage could see, it was built for the purpose of increasing Alpha wave energy.
Alpha waves, Savage considered. They were key in telepathy. Now it was starting to come together. Spragg's mental powers were clearly limited. Limited to the local area and unable to pierce metal barriers. But if Spragg could use an Alpha wave amplifier, he could use his power to control the whole world. Savage didn't know where Spragg had come from, but he was here with intentions of conquest. Savage could not allow that! He had to act . . . fast!
As inconspicuously as possible, moving among the mesmerized servants, the man of bronze made alterations to the amplifier. He realized that it was powered by Geo-thermal energy. The device drew heat up from the center of the Earth. Savage concluded that, using the rule of equal and opposite reactions, it was possible to alter the device so that it was pulled down to the heat source at the center of the Earth, rather than having the heat drawn up here.
Finally, when the device was completed, Spragg was hooked up to it and ordered his enslaved minions to activate it. To Spragg's shock, the amplifier was sucked down into the Earth, dragging the Living Hill behind it. The integrity of the pit wall gave way and caved in, burying Spragg, apparently forever.
Mr. Terrific finished relating this tale to the Lava Man.
"So!" the Lava Man snapped, angrily. "It was one of you surface people who is responsible for Spragg being here, in our domain. You saved yourselves, by sending your enemy to us!"
"It wasn't his intent to cause you trouble, and I apologize for any accidental injury we may have caused your people," Mr. Terrific said. "It was a tragic error, but there was no malice."
"Apologies do us no good," the Lava Man said. "Spragg still torments our people. So much so, that I went to the surface to steal the technology for that dark wall. It seemed like the only thing that could keep us safe from the creature."
"I see, and I understand your actions," Terrific said. "To make up for what Doc Savage inadvertently did, I will personally take the responsibility for getting rid of Spragg. I will see to it that he bothers you no more."
"He's volunteering us again," Negative-Man whispered.
Robotman agreed. "Why can't he ever volunteer us to go pick up chicks on the beach?"
The Lava Man was surprised by Mr. Terrific's promise. "You would risk your lives for us?"
"We owe it to you."
"You have no idea what Spragg is capable of!" the Lava Man said. "He is a creature of incredible power."
"Mr. Terrific will find a way to defeat him," Elasti-Girl said. "He's good at that."
"Thank you, my love" Mr. Terrific said with a smile. "Your faith in me is something I prize very highly."
"Then I will go with you!" the Lava Man said. "It is my duty to protect my people. I am their champion. How do you human's say it? A super hero."
"We welcome your company," Terrific said.
Soon . . .
The five Doom Patrol members, plus Medusa, the Blue Diamond, and the Lava Man moved through a labyrinth of tunnels, heading to the spot where Spragg was supposed to be.
"How is it that you know English so well?" Terrific asked the Lava Man.
"Years ago, I went to the surface," the Lava Man said. "I was captured by some humans, who did experiments on me. They gave me the mighty powers that I now have. I leaned English from them. Eventually, I escaped, and returned to my people. I used my new powers to champion and protect my race. I did well, until Spragg came. I was unable to defeat him. He has menaced us for far too long. One of my race is - how do you say it - clairvoyant. He sensed the energy field in the Great Refuge. We thought that it was something that could protect us. I went up to find its secret, but I was repelled by the Inhumans. They pursued me down here. I fought them again, but Spragg attacked. He captured them."
"And we will free them," Mr. Terrific said, "as well as ending the menace of Spragg forever!"
Suddenly, large rocks began flying down the tunnel, threatening to pummel the heroes.
"We're being pelted by Geodes!" Terrific cried. "It must be Spragg!"
"Spragg can control the rock of the Earth itself!" the Lava Man said.
At Mr. Terrific's orders, the Blue Diamond and the Lave Man took the lead, batting away the incoming projectiles. Robotman protected the others from the shards of crumbled rocks. Soon the rock attack ended, but Spragg was not done.
Humanoid-shaped rock men emerged from the cave wall and stalked the eight heroes. The Blue Diamond charged forward and started to shatter the Rock men with diamond hard fists. "Go ahead without me!" he said. "I'll follow you soon. Just find Crystal!"
Terrific agreed, and led the others further, into an immense cavern, deep in the Earth. It was extremely hot and the pressure was great, but they pressed on. Just then, the floor and walls started to quake. A violent tremor threw the heroes around like rag dolls. Stalactites fell from the cave roof, one of which almost impaled Larry the Negative-Man. Namorita tackled him out of the way.
Then, from out of the stone floor, burst a hill of orange stone. It had eyes and a mouth. The huge creature bellowed with a menacing voice that echoed loudly in the cavern.
"Creatures of flesh!" Spragg roared. "Your time is ended. Soon, begins the Stone Age. The age of Spragg, the Living Hill!"
"I was hoping that we could communicate. Negotiate," Mr. Terrific said. "But I can see that this is not an option. Very well, have it your own way!" Terrific looked to his allies. "Attack!"
The assembled force of heroes attacked the Living Hill. They managed to break some parts off of him and crack some other parts, but they did no major damage to the mountainous creature.
"Behold my power!" Spragg bellowed. Suddenly, his form changed and he took on man-like form, but fifty feet high. The surface men backed away, intimidated. "Flee, little flesh creatures!" Spragg shouted. "Flee from the mountain that walks like a man!"
Mr. Terrific saw the Inhumans coming. They were apparently hypnotized by the mental powers of Spragg. They attacked the Doom Patrol. Medusa gasped. "My love!"
Black Bolt looked at the beautiful woman who stood before him, torment in her face. "Please my dearest," she said. "Don't allow this creature to dominate your strong mind! You are a king! Fight him!"
Medusa's words reached him, and Black Bolt managed to fight off Spragg's mental control. He touched her face gently. She smiled tenderly. "My lord and husband," she said.
Black Bolt took to the air, retreating to a farther distance, where he could unleash his power more safely. He cupped his hands to his mouth and spoke. His voice was a curse and a blessing. It was magnified many million times. The sonic blast echoed across the cavern, causing vibrations stronger than even the previous tremor. Everyone covered their ears, in pain. The vibrations caused parts of the cavern to cave in. But Spragg was in the epicenter of the sound blast. The cracks already existing in Spragg expanded, creating a web-like pattern of cracks across the living hill.
Spragg shattered to pieces!
The other Inhumans were freed from his mental control. But before they could celebrate, Spragg started to re-form his stone body. Mr. Terrific thought quickly. He ran to the Lava Man's side. "Do you know what's above us, on the surface?"
"Only empty mountain ranges," the Lava Man said. "Hills like Spragg himself."
"And below?"
"Lava pits."
"Heavy pressure?"
"Indeed!"
"Excellent!" Terrific said. "Under us is a pressurized acceleration point in the Earth's Geo-dynamic circulation! I need you to use your control over lava. Negative-Man and ZZZaxx can help you by using their powers to increase the pressure underneath us. What we need is an eruption!"
Spragg was almost fully reformed. "Humans! I hunger for your deaths!"
With some help from his allies, the Lava Man manipulated the Earth's Geo-dynamisim, causing the forces of the Earth's core to build, to create an eruption. A giant plume of molten lava spit out from under the living hill. The controlled lava jet propelled Spragg upward, drilling him through the roof of the cavern, through miles of stone and out to the surface . . . And beyond. Spragg kept sailing upwards, until he passed out of Earth's gravity. Once weightless, his momentum continued to take him further out into space. He drifted helplessly away.
Later that day . . . back in the Great Refuge!
The Blue Diamond had been reunited with his beloved Crystal. Black Bolt smiled to see that his home had been freed from the dark-energy field. Everyone celebrated. Dubbilex spoke to Mr. Terrific.
"From what I could read of Spragg's mind, I believe he came from space," Dubbilex said. "He was part of a colony of spores, with a unified intellect, traveling through the galaxy harmlessly. One bit of the colony got separated from the others, and drifted until it went insane from loneliness. Eventually, it got caught in the Earth's gravity. It landed in Hungary, where it found that it had the power to control rock. Spragg formed himself into a living hill. It also had telepathic powers. Bitter and mad, it decided to conquer the humans who it felt were inferior to itself. Somehow, a group a humans tricked him and drove him down into the Earth, decades ago."
"In a way, I feel sorry for Spragg, but what we did had to be done," Terrific said.
"This is no time for bad feelings," Medusa said. "This is a time to celebrate. You are our honored guests. Remain as long as you wish. You will be spoiled for you sojourn here."
"Thank you," Mr. Terrific said. "We could use a day off. It's been a rough year."
Next issue: The beginning of a new story arc, featuring the Mole Man. Also, the Doom Patrol gets a new member.
Writers Note: This story owes a lot to the early Marvel classic Journey Into Mystery #68.