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Interlude – Business As Usual

It was a large building set in the middle of an alternate version of New York City, where five men are gathered to discuss a merger. But this is was not your typical merger, this was a merger of all the factions of time, future, present and past.

They bought and sold time with impunity.

To them time was a commodity to be bought and sold as they saw fit. It looked like a typical fortune500 board room, with all of its charts and a table that allowed all of the members to see what the other was doing, to question, to pry, to subvert, it was big business on the largest possible scale imaginable. In the seat at the front of the table was a handsome man. The man had dark wavy hair, and his head shaved on the side. He wore a t-shirt, which set him apart from the rest of the member's.

"Greetings boyz, name’s Marcus Immortus. As you all know my old man is much the head boss of all time. The reason I called you all here – as I know you are all asking yourselves at this moment in time –" he laughed at the little joke softly to himself, in spite of the dire situation that faced him and the four others "is to discuss a possible merger. A safe guard against The One Who Comes, or for anyone else attempting to subvert time. As you well know, time travel paraphernalia has been leaking out everywhere, and every punk and overnight organization has a time machine of one kind or another. We have to crack down!" Marcus Immortus slammed his fist down on the board table. He looked in the direction of European looking man, with a black suite and an orchard on the lapel. Marcus Immortus smiled devilishly. "What’s with the version of you with the fixed face, huh?"

Doom glared at Marcus, but was not surprised at the comments of the youth, who seemed to be in his early twenties or so.

"Curb your tongue! I will not tolerate such effrontery, no matter what your heritage may be."

There was a man dressed in a typical Armenian business suite, which was slightly balding and wore a mustache, which was unkempt. Next to him was the Warlord Kang who was dressed in the familiar purple armor, distinct from those who wore suits, as if he wanted to let the assemblage know that he would be Kang no matter the meeting place. Sitting next to Marcus Immortus was a man in a black trench and spiked blond hair, he wore dark glasses and seemed to have a mystique about him.

"Also," said Marcus, "I would like you all to meet the newest member to our cross time faction. He is called the Divided Face, and has brought together an enormous power-base, and may prove helpful to our cause."

"What can one such as he bring to our ranks? We already have the TVA, the Cross Council of Dooms, and my own council of the Kangs? I do not see need in adding this … into our ranks."

"Marcus grinned mischievously and pushed his hair back. "Kang! Kang! Kang, The TVA has not been the same since they were the victim of a little raid, and you and Doom are so busy trying to conquer each other that I needed someone trustworthy. Not to mention the fact that the guardian of the omniverse, Roma, is involved, and as is Thanos, who is seeking the widowed rose." The room grew quiet as Immortus spoke the Mad Titan’s name, and the artifact that could give him control of the omniverse. "This meeting is over," Marcus said crisply, "let me know what you want to do, because if you’re not with me you’re against me. And you know what happens who are against me…" He smiled crookedly, let his threat hang in the open for a moment or two.

As everyone cleared away, Marcus Immortus still sat by himself, with his feet on the table and a cigar in his mouth.

"Hello Marcus," came a voice from behind him

"What do I owe to this pleasure?" he said, as he took his swivel chair and turned it toward where the voice was coming from. A beautiful women with deep brown eyes and her hair pulled back stood before him, she wore a white dress, like those from the ancient time of Greece. "Its not everyday I’m visited by the guardian of the omniverse, Roma."

She looked at him with a hint of sadness. "Perhaps you are as good as a reason as any to avoid loving them. How is your father?"

"Good, good," he said as he took off his sunglasses and took some steps toward her. "So besides your other duties, how is everything mom?" And he kissed her on the cheek, gently.

"Very well, my son."

And she turned away.

"Is that any way to treat your flesh and blood, you could give a guy a complex, and I could suffer some kind of disorder, where I get angry and take over all of time," he smiled awkwardly.

"So how is the one you have chosen to purloin the Holy Grail? The only instrument which will allow for a being to wield the widowed rose without being destroyed, if memory serves of course."

"And it does as always, Roma. And the chosen one is doing nicely," he said. "And what of you and the doomed one, its come to my knowledge, that you want him to sit by your side, and are willing to go to any lengths selfish mother very selfish … sometimes you make me so proud."

"I do not construct the Timelines, I’m merely the guardian," Roma says as she tried to hold back tears, and restrain her voice from shaking when she tried to speak, her brief words on the subject matter.

"Is that why you altered the Timeliness … to save him?"

Roma was silent.

"Is that raw nerve I hear dangling mother?"

"Let us begin," she said.

End of Interlude

THE HOLY GRAIL, AND THE GARDEN OF GOOD AND EVIL

Portent, Century and Justice Peace remained behind, to look for Nathaniel Richards who had mysteriously vanished. Although he had bitten Portent in the neck it did not matter, Portent was not just a vampire, he was something more, he was an anchor between gods, and the mystic runes would easily protect him, not to mention when he bled that his system would be cleansed completely.

He signaled for Justice Peace and Century to look for Richards as he could be very dangerous if not found, but the Kindred were beginning to stir and it would not be much longer before they were dealing with Luna and the rest of her hoard.

Century attempted to reassert control over the time stream, but found himself wavering, Portent and Peace were bowled over by a time quake, and Century was wavering as he attempted to stop himself from being devoured by the worm hole which was placing an unimaginable amount of strain on the white haired warrior. His physicality seemed to be defying reality as time distorted all around him, but even with his staff firmly planted in the ground, and every muscle straining to its fullest he could not with stand, the wormhole which exerted the pull of a mini-black hole. Thanos’ globe seemed to glow red hot as if it were preventing the rest of Myrdia from being devoured, and with a bolt of energy, it pushed century through, the aperture, lest all of Myrdia follow suite, time was beginning to move at its normal ebb and flow, and the Kindred were soon free.

"We must warn the rest," said Portent with the Kindred right behind them. Peace began firing shots from his standard TVA pistol, but large holes were quickly filled, as there terrible ability to reform reminded Portent just how deadly the Kindred could be.

Thanos sphere intercepted the Kindred decapitating a couple and completely atomizing some more. Portent and Peace took advantage and used the time wisely to get to the castle where the rest of the Timeless were. Although he was loathed to do it he had no choice he had to leave Century and Richards at least for the moment.

As Portent and Peace made their way through the castle catacombs there was a rush of wind and Portent was gone.

Justice Peace gave no hint of emotion and continued to where the rest of the Timeless were.

The rune warrior had recognized her aura immediately and knew that if he did not confront her, that she would most likely kill Justice Peace. Using his preternatural speed he simply looked for the proper moment and confronted her seeming to vanish before Justice Peace’s human senses.

Luna stood before him, the epitome of desire her emerald gaze capable of reducing any other to a quivering state of helplessness.

She smiled sardonically, her tongue moving across her lips, her body like a rapture, with the tight leather, fitting snugger in some areas and looser in others.

She looked at him, like she would devour him on the spot, but instead spoke something strange.

"I’m sorry," she said.

"Surely you know that one who is shackled by Chaos and Order can never love any one."

There was no hint of emotion as he said this.

Luna embittered spoke in anger, "Your love is like shackles to me! I must have you or …" then a wicked smile crossed her face "… I must kill you. Surely no one has ever brought you such pleasure as I."

"If you killed me perhaps I could love you, the only thing that may free me from my mind, which constantly feeds images that are terrible and captivating. When I was held captive by Chaos and Order, I was filled with images that no mortal man was meant to see, with images meant to drive me mad, to a new state of awareness."

Thanos sphere interjected. "Prepare to enter the time stream, the next phase of the plan begins."

Portent was suddenly taken from where he stood, leaving an embittered Luna, who cried but a single blood tear.

Power is a quality that must be cultivated and nurtured. It is a reward that to be earned through intellect and patience. It cannot be gained and held through chance, In the wrong hands it will only prove destructive. These thoughts went through Thanos’ mind as he was in the heart of Cain’s Castle, and the entitiy Vlad Tepes was standing over a depowered Cain.

"Greetings, lad," said the Mad Titan. "It appears all the intelligence I have gathered has bore fruition … once again."

Dracule, Vlad Tepes who now holds the power of the Old One, was holding his double edged sword, ready for battle, and from his pallet came but a single drop of blood, falling to the fallen Cain, and hitting him on the cheek. Cain’s vampirac tongue greedily slurped it up, and was immediately empowered, his form growing, and his limbs in positions that seemed twisted to mortal men. And his eyes that had hunger in them burning with a passion.

Cain ripped the sword from his form with ease and stood a dreadful figure to behold his pale skin, and baldpate, which had an enormous network of veins, that seemed to be flooded with vital force, as they breathed with new life. His eyes were gray, like a wolf, but whether it was his vampirac nature or the traits of a long extinct race that once lived in the Garden of Eden, so very long ago.

"Nano-technology and that single rivulet of life force has rejuvenated me, and given me new strength, it will make me more then a match for those gathered." Dracule despite his new strength was flung aside by an unseen force, as Cain used the powers of the forbidden, which had not been used since the on his person powers, which were lost to most vampires and only those of a most ancient could use remember or even wield.

Blade moved with unnatural speed, as he made a leap that would make the most gifted athlete green with envy. With his Japanese blade drawn, he prepared to decapitate the vampire before he could use his powers on the rest of the assemblage. But was plucked out of the air, by a hand that was not bound by physical laws.

Cain’s elongated fingers wrapped around Blade’s throat as he was held aloft by the world’s first killer.

"I am a god!" He commanded and smiled demonically.

"Well in that case I’m an atheist!" And he used a spin kick to knock Cain back a few steps, and into a wall.

From Cain’s fingers tips came projectiles that shot forth at Thanos and the rest of the Timeless. But Thanos did not move as they inched ever closer, and stopped just short of his body. And the finger tips merely fell to the ground, harmlessly.

"How?" Was the only word that came the first murderer.

"Force field," smiled Thanos

"I am truly immortal, nothing can kill me, I have the mark of god himself, and all here will be drained of their life force!"

Thanos grinned as a charge of light from his belt struck Cain, who was immediately fell toward the ground.

Cain struggled but could not move his body, which was completely paralyzed. Thanos put his hands behind his back, and smiled. "You are indeed immortal but such things can become a curse as well as a blessing. You will wish to die but be unable, perhaps in a thousand years or so I may return," said Thanos, who held his foot on Cain’s head, and was slowly applying pressure. "I learned of a way to combine mysticism and science, it is called the Mage particle. And I used it to create a virus; it is nearly as old as the virus which created your decrepit lot.  Your blasphemies have been weighed, your sins counted, you have been found wanting… such irony! On my own world I too was the first murder, perhaps your creator even forsaw this, and sent me to deliver retribution."

Then the Mad Titan took not of something that was … out of the norm. "Where is Portent and Century?" asked Thanos.

Doctor Victor von Doom turned as Kindred overwhelmed them from all directions. "Thanos we are under attack what is your plan of defense?" he commanded, releasing an onslaught of golden yellow energy.

Continued in Tales of the Timeless #16!  Be sure to also check out our Cosmic Union Continuity Reference Page and Protectors of the Universe Reference Page for other stories in this continuity.  And don't forget to send some comments below!