4-Victory #21

With the events of that fateful rocket trip, the world was truly plunged into the Age of Marvels! But what happens when someone wants to recreate those events? That's what Ivan Kragoff wants to know. Unfortunately, that's also what Reed "Dr. Frightful" Richards wants to know, too!

***

Stark wants Ivan to know that this is his LAST chance-- he had provided this free-thinking scientist a haven for any experiments he could dream of, at a time when his home country demanded only inhumane experiments. But Stark laments that Kragoff is still all about THEORY, not APPLICATION, and Stark Industries isn't a charity. He demands results!

Thankfully, Stark is interrupted by the arrival of some unexpected visitors on his doorstep-- he sees them in a nearby monitor-- the villains of the Frightful Four! Stark sighs-- of COURSE the Avengers and 4-Victory aren't around when you need them. He warns Kragoff one last time, then leaves.

It allows Ivan a moment of reflection with the only "family" he managed to rescue from the horrors of that secret Russian lab-- Titan (the gorilla), Saturn (the orangutan), Mercury, (the baboon), and Mars (the chimp)! Stark was forcing him to recreate the Frightful Four's rocket flight, but Ivan was more interested in less... tangible... experiments-- human behavior, communal group-think. What happens to individuals when they experience trauma, and how can we use community to help each other out? Now, he's bonded more than he thought possible with these creatures, and they were about to undergo the most traumatic adversity yet...

"Truer words, and all that!" A voice calls from behind. It's Dr. Frightful, revealing himself from a packing crate. He's heard of this experiment, and he's always wondered if the cosmic storm accident had changed him (and his teammates) more than just physically. Now, Kragoff have given him the perfect lab monkeys... "And YOU will have to tell me all about it!" Frightful knocks Kragoff off, and his limp body becomes the first to be placed into the rocket ship...

***

"Scorch!" Malice yells at her little brother to stick to the plan, striking him with her invisible whips for good measure. He better lay down more cover 'fire,' or else Stark's defensive infrared trackers/lasers can pick up on Malice's invisible form. The Thing continues his one-man demolition crew, content to simply have some mindless destruction to dish out. Yeah, mindless is good-- because otherwise there's just too much to brood about.

The Frightful threesome make short work of the Stark defenses, but they're stopped by the hulking armored Iron Man, who claims that HE'S the only one allowed to pilfer from Stark, so he'd just assume have it standing. A sonic emitter nearly takes out the team, but the Thing's quick to rumble the ground. Malice tries to lash him down, but he, too, has infrared, striking back the invisi-Malice. The Scorcher tries to draw the fire, which is appropriate, but Stark also has heat-seekers, which is unfortunate. The Scorcher has to slip away, the missiles forcing him into a goose chase. Iron Man next goes toe-to-toe with Thing, but the brute's distracted by collateral damage that injures Malice, and Iron Man knocks him into of the stratosphere with a repulsor-punch. It's just Malice and Iron Man, now. So, "now that we're alone..." Is Iron Man actually putting the *moves* on Malice?! Malice is unimpressed, besides her heart lies with Frightful. "But what about HIS heart?" Iron Man notes, as Kragoff's rocket ship is launched from within the facilities. It just proves that Frightful is more interested in what interests Frightful...

Malice watches the rocket fly away as if it were all her hopes and dreams, too.

***

4-Victory is saying farewell. Electro's got his duffle bag packed, and he won't be convinced to stay. Wizard, Mole Man, and especially Fantastic Girl all wish him well, but Doctor Octopus blunders in completely oblivious, with something bearing investigation. Awkward, but Electro is used to such randomness. He's going somewhere where it's calm and safe-- the NYPD!

Doc Ock explains about the rocket flight that has just been launched, and how the Frightful Four were seen around there, and the Wizard remarks that, well, "there's no rest for the Wizard!" They all rush out in each their own fashion, but the Fantastic Girl takes a moment to rush back in, plant a kiss on Electro's cheek, and fly back out.

***

Stark's rocket has landed on Monster Isle, a perfect match to the original's trajectory. But the various Apes surround one of their fallen-- Mars, the chimpanzee, lies lifeless among the wreckage. Dr. Frightful finally emerges from a sealed, shielded container. "Interesting," is all he can remark. And where is Ivan Kragoff? 

Frightful tries to pick up the fallen chimp, but something's wrong! The chimp's body is out of phase, and what's more, it's made Frightful's body out of phase, and the two begin to merge! Aargh! The process much be painful! In seconds, Dr. Frightful is nothing more than a large chimp! A stretchable, large chimp. But, ah, he understands!

No time to theorize! 4-Victory is here!

"Whoa, the Frightful Four sure got ugly," the Wizard says, not sure what Frightful was trying to do here. Fright-Chimp explains that the it's clear there's a mental change when undergoing the cosmic transformation-- it fills you with rage! The other apes understand, and attack 4-Victory!

Titan the Gorilla has superhuman strength and durability-- more than a match for Dragon Man and Mole Man! Saturn the Orangutan has magnetic control, repulsing and controlling the Wizard's armor to bash himself around the scenery. Mercury the Baboon transforms into a two-headed snake, taking on the Fantastic Girl's four-armed Chameokid alien-form. Fright-Chimp takes on Doc Ock, his elongating body easily out-maneuvering Ock's arms.

Fright-Chimp continues to pontificate, assuring everyone that, see, it WASN'T his fault. The rocket flight must have done it! Sue's rage, Johnny's impertinence, Ben's hatred-- all of it! The Mole Man disagrees-- if Frightful is searching for forgiveness, it won't be from some lab experiment. Fright-Chimp argues not to take his word for it-- and his arms embrace Doc Ock rather than fight him, and Doc Ock becomes phased into the Fright-Chimp, too! Now, it's an Fright-OCTO-Chimp!

"And I thought he smelled bad, before," the Wizard quipped, his rivalry not letting this one go. "But at least he can probably get a date, now."  Wham! A mechanical tentacle struck him down. "Ah! Okay, that hurt."

In one corner-- the Wizard, Fantastic Girl, Mole Man, and his Dragon!
versus
the Super-Apes, featuring a Frightful-Octo-Chimp!

During the battle, the Mole Man finally realizes what's going on-- it's not the Frightful Four, it's the apes! Their confusion over the rocket flight and new powers must have disorientated them, making them susceptible to simple animal behavior, like lashing out! If he could only reach them with his empathic powers, and with Fanta-Girl's help... if only the Wizard and Dragon Man could keep Frightful busy, for now!

Finally cutting through their instinct, the Mole Man had the Fantastic Girl shape-shift into something recognizable-- their keeper, Ivan Kragoff. Titan, Saturn, and Mercury came to rest at the feet of him (her.)

But it wasn't to last! Dr. Frightful laughed... "As if you know what's REALLY going on!" His elongated chimp-hands wrapped up the other apes, drawing them into his body, too!

Now, it's the Wizard, Fantastic Girl, Mole Man, and his Dragon
versus
Dr. Frightful-Octo-Giant-MultiApe!!

The Wizard's frustrated. "Okay, now this would be getting more funny if it wasn't going to hurt us so much."

BOom, CRaSh, sLAM, pOW, ShEEsKEW! Soon, it's the Wizard, Fantastic Girl, and Dragon Man versus a Giant-Frightful-Octo-Mole-MulitApe!

SHperEW, baNG, kERplOW, bASh! Then, it's the Wizard and Fantastic Girl versus a Giant-Frightful-Octo-Mole-MulitApe-Dragon!

BAM! FWAASH! SPIKE! BIFF! Before long, the only thing standing is the Giant-Fanta-Frightful-Octo-Mole-MultiApe-Dragon-Wizard!

Frightful laughs-- and a beast such as he has become can laugh hard, indeed. But then he stops... his body's wracked with pain as before! Before long, the beast must split, and everyone is scattered, separately, around the scene!

Dr. Frightful had been in control of the transformation-- only because Ivan Kragoff was still in shock! Frightful's body is now unconscious, and Mars the Chimp reveals that he is, actually, Ivan Kragoff! The cosmic rays aboard the ship had given him the ability to shift out-of-phase, but in contact with another being, it allowed him to take possession of him. With Mars as his first 'victim,' however, their two bodies were too fused. Now, there was no longer just Mars or just Ivan, but the Ghost Ape.

And what of Dr. Frightful? They would put him in custody, of course. But, Mole Man mused, the answers, the absolution, that he vainly seeks will be more of a prison than jail could ever be.

Cover and text by Danny Wall

Comments

[Aaron]

I wonder who the new member will be.......hmmmm

[Danny]

LOL. Actually, I *wasn't* thinking that Ghost-Ape should join the team, just that it would make for a fun battle to fight chimp-versions of themselves. But a chimp that can possess others by turning them into a ape as a regular member? Hmmm.... maybe I'll have to think about that some more! Thanks for the suggestion!