Six wishes for six elements

by Malcolm Merlyn

Chapter 40

"Okay everybody. The plan is simple." Slade began as he gave them a layout of the volcano. "This volcano is one of the most active and mind you, largest volcanos on the face of this world. It erupts about three times a day all at various different locations. The only thing is, the dragons kinda get used to it's eruptions and all, so natrually, they can tell when the next eruption will occur. Normally, they will find a safe zone during each eruption but... what if there was an eruption so big that it took off a piece of the moutain where the dragons roost?"

"They fly away?" Armin asked.

"No..." Slade began. "The storms at this moutain make it so that anyone who flies too high get's a few billion volts so...."

"We explode this here moutain..." Raynor began. "And Feynaltdrog is out of business."

"Exactly." Slade began as he held up a small device.

"What is it anyways?" Sanya asked as she looked at the thing.

"A prototype explosive. A miniature nuclear device as some might call it." Slade began. "It's about a single kiloton in explosive yield.... and it looks like half of you have no clue what I am talking about."

It would take some time to explain to everyone except Jim and Medic on how the bomb would work. After that, there would still be a lot of scratching of the heads or confused glances that ran around.... whatever...

"Okay. So here's how it's going to work." Slade began. "Armin, Sanya and myself are going to find a way into the moutain the plant the device. The explosion, or explosions I should say should cause a chain reaction that wouldn't be noticed until you realize that half the moutain is missing. I should say this though. I don't know what we'll be facing down there, be it, dragons, rock monsters, etc... I don't know, and frankly, I don't want to find out. Jim... you, Steve and Medic should either cause a distraction, or stay outside and moniter anything that's going on. These overgrown lizards find out what's going on, we'll be canceled."

"And by the way you two..." Slade said as he turned to Sanya and Armin. "I suggest that you do your best not to screw up. If you comprimise me or anyone else... I am leaving you behind."

Maybe Cap should go in instead of Slade.... you know... just saying....

"But... how are you going to drop in un explosive?" Medic asked. "It's not like ve could just valk up ze moutain and throw in a bomb!"

"You're right doc. We don't do that. This moutain actually used to be a stronghold for a REALLY REALLY ancient... I don't even know actually... sounds like what I am saying comes straight out a fantasy novel and not a coloring book... but I can tell you that the moutain is that it houses a city. Well... a broken, ancient rundown city that is, but a city nevertheless. According to Lunar, the moutain's inner city was built in the moutain so that in the event of an eruption, the lava would "miss" the city."

"So... how do ve get in?"

"Ummm..... eh..... good question." Slade began. "I... THINK there's an entrance somewhere along the moutain...."

"So... you're not sure if there's even a viable route in?" Armin asked.

"Okay kid. How about I drop you in from above? You like that for a "viable" route?"

"Guys..."

"Okay..." Sanya began. "Maybe we can... make an entrance?"

"Sanya... say that again."

"We make an entrance?" Sanya asked.

"I got a solution..." Slade grinned as he looked over to some high yield explosives. "Alright... so everyone knows their roles?"

"Yeah."

"Yep."

"Ja."

"Good... then get some rest." Slade said as he looked over to Armin who was playing with a grappling gun. Imagine his suprise when he saw Armin actually use it correctly to get himself up on a tree. He couldn't have been more suprised when Armin got down with little to no effort taken.

So... how was this guy... who couldn't even run a few laps somehow a master with some device that Slade had actually made in the line of his work?

Whatever. He'll ask that later. Right now, he would need a good night's of bed rest.

"Rose?" Slade asked as he found himself in front of a mirror in a familiar house, behind him was a girl with silver hair. Her back was turned to him though that didn't really seem to matter to him at the moment. What did matter was that he looked just the way he did many years ago. Before taking a bullet in the eye, before his divorce, before Grant's death. He looked like this at that time.

"Who's Rose?" Sanya asked as she turned around. "Slade?"

That resemblance... Slade thought to himself. Did Sanya really look like how Rose did in her childhood? He couldn't remember. Actually... it wasn't that. It was that he didn't WANT to remember.

"Hey Kid.." Slade said. Heh. He even SOUNDED the same way he did that many years ago. "Where are we?"

"What do you mean?" Sanya asked as she scratched her head in confusion. "Isn't this your home?"

Okay... this is getting weird... and...

The door opened revealing this man.

"Billy?" Slade asked. But... Billy had been dead... no wait... at this point he was still alive. It would be many years later until Slade would finally kill him.

"Who's Billy?" Steve asked as he took off the mask and threw it off in digust. "Worst operation mask ever.... nice house you got here Slade."

"Thanks..." Slade said. Though truth be told, he'd never been at his original house for perhaps... more than forty years now. Jericho now lived at the place, and though he never actually said anything for rather obvious reasons, the young man had long made it clear to his father he didn't want to see him. Ever again.

"And let me guess..." Slade began as he saw another person enter the room. He would have said "Grant" only thing was... it was Armin, with a familiar grappling gun. The one Grant had used when he accepted his first and last contract.

"Why am I seeing this?" Slade asked to himself, everyone else seemed to be completly unaware to what he just said and looked at him as if he was about to say something.

Without warning... Steve began to bleed. From the eye.

"Cap... your eye... it's bleeding..." Slade said.

"What are you talking about?" Steve asked, completly oblivious to the fact that he was crying tears of blood from just one eye. Without warning, he collapsed onto the ground. A small sword lodged into that same eye.

Slade could only open his mouth in shock... and let me tell you, not a lot of things shocked him. But the image... it was familiar. He remembered this.

He killed Billy. But for good reason, his old friend had betrayed him... he deserved his death! But... did Steve deserve his? No... this had to be a dream... it had to be...

He heard the sound of someone giving out a cry of pain as he turned to Armin who had just collapsed onto the ground dead. His body was broken, as though something heavy had fallen upon him.

Slade could only take a step back, right into Sanya. He turned around as he heard the sounds of gentle weeping. He almost cried out in shock as he looked at the girl, one eye was driven out, awash with blood and crying bloody tears as the other one began to cry actual salt water.

"Slade... help...." Sanya muttered as she collapsed onto the ground. "Help...."

He tried to move. He tried to do something. But he couldn't move. He was rooted the ground. Behind him, a small candle fell to the ground, it's tiny flame licking at the curtains to a window until the flame wasn't so small anymore, until the inferno consumed everything.

That was when Slade jolted awake. He had broken into cold sweat, something that he hadn't done in perhaps years.

"It was a dream... it was a dream..." Slade said as he went back to bed, the knock on the door annoyed him slightly as he went to answer it.

"Rose?" Slade asked before he slapped himself inwardly. God damn it!

"Who's Rose?" Sanya asked. "Slade... I came to wake you up... you were sleeping... oversleeping actually..."

Morning already?

"Yeah... I'll be right out." Slade said as he got his gear, his mind continuing to race about his dream.