The Indigo Light (7)
“Captain Trips will be warned ahead of time of your coming,” Grandmaster continued, “and will select whichever persona he feels will do the best against you. He will be playing for a prize of great value to him. If he chooses JJ Flash or Starshine, his energy powers will be formidable. If Moonchild or Cosmic Traveler, his mental prowess will be quite a challenge. You will not be fighting him in water, so I don’t see Aquarius as an option, but he may choose him just to keep you off balance. You will be fighting in the regular arena. Best wishes.”
Grandmaster waved his hand, and I appeared in the combat arena- a domed, circular area, 44 meters in diameter by 5 meters tall. The arena was surrounded by a Galactus-level force field that not even the Grandmaster himself could break out of if he didn’t control it. I sat waiting. And waited and waited and waited.
The arena was barren, no features at all, just a domed space with a dirt floor. I waited. The air started to shimmy in front of me and a girl appeared. Moonchild. At the same time that Trips materialized in the arena, a medium-sized wooden box appeared near the edge of the force field. I had no idea at the time how much trouble that box would be.
I raised my force field and eyed Moonchild waiting for her, or was it him, to make that first move. Moonchild stared at the sky, looked at me, looked at the box, looked at the sky, looked at me and looked at the box. Moonchild jumped into the air, with a foot coming toward my face- that’s when the white noise hit my brain. (fight results here).
I found out later that Grandmaster had dropped a Psi-Scrambler Wave Generator into the arena, in the box. It put out a stream of high frequency beta waves that filled the mind of anyone with Mental powers with the loudest radio static ever.
“That was dirty,” I said returning to the infirmary. “And yet a reality you may face. A hero has to be ready for anything, expect everything and nothing, at the same time. You really don’t know, even if I inform you ahead of time, what someone’s motivation and end game might be. Many malevolent beings mask their intentions and abilities, hoping to take others unaware. You will be fighting others such as they, as we further your training.” I just started at him.
“For example,” he continued, “When I say the name Doomsday, you know you will face a creature of violent malevolence, with no rational thought- a killing machine. There is no questions as to his motivations or his goal.” “Right,” I said. “But what of Magneto? Erik Lenshierr of Earth?” I shrugged my shoulders.
“Correct,” he said, “depending on your purview, Magneto is either a dangerous villain, or a freedom-fighting hero. He has liberated many who have been enslaved or oppressed, but at the same time has killed multiple times in his defense of mutant-kind. You will learn what needs to be done, when it needs to be done, and to whom it needs to be done. But so far you have made tremendous progress. I dare say, I am proud of you.”
The complement caught me off guard. “Thank you Grandmaster.”
“Very good. Now to your next task. You know of the legends of Aesir?” “Thor and Odin?” I asked. “Yeah” “And what of the eldritch energy that empowers them?” GM asked. “Well,” I said, “I guess every kid wants to believe in magic, but as you grow up you figure out that it’s not real.” “Correct,” he said, “magic is not real. But what some call magic, is just science that has not been discerned yet, often from another realm.”
“Asgard?” “Yes, he replied, “Asgard. And from Asgard, the most wanton of Asgardians, Loki Laufeyson.” Grandmaster corrected himself. “I suppose wanton is not an accurate term. He is not necessarily malevolent in his actions, just rash, selfish, impulsive. He is driven by jealously of his brother Thor, and always moves to take shortcuts to get him to the goals and rewards that he believes are rightfully his.”
“He can be shortsighted, imprudent, and foolish. But take care- he is a creature of great eldritch capability. His powers include Enhanced Senses, Image Protection, Thought Casting, as well as energy or force bolts that can nearly rival your own. He would rather run than fight if a contest turns against him. He has no remorse about killing if it moves him closer to his goals. In short, he will do anything and everything to accomplish his plans, even if it means killing innocents, or his own family members.”
“You will spend the next week studying the history of Aesir to prepare you for a fight with Loki. But all the study in the world cannot prepare you for the treachery you may find waiting.” I swallowed hard.
