Horrors at the Asylum Part 4

General Summary

Before making their way through the open portal, the New Champions took a moment to establish a plan: Sandcrab stepped through first and immediately tunneled downward. Then Cypher and his lil’ robot army poured through the portal, taking up a position far removed from the Portal Bots. Wildthing jumped through the portal next and hovered high above the Portal Bots, though she quickly joined Sandcrab in the tunnel. Windwalker, Faust and Blue Wave stepped through the portal next. Finally, Nemesis and Ghost pursued quickly afterward, joining the team inside the dark and mysterious interdimensional pathway. Looking in every direction, the darkness extended without end. Behind them, the portal from which the team just entered was hovering in the air, swirling slowly. And directly in front of them, four humanoid robots stood motionless — their red eyes glowing faintly in the darkness. And behind the robots, there was another portal swirling slowly, emitting faint blue and white lights. Almost immediately, the Portal Bots started moving toward Blue Wave, but Cypher intervened, connecting through the cosmos of the interdimensional pathway to redirect the bots toward each other. Immediately, the Portal Bot that was moving toward Blue Wave changed course and attacked another Portal Bot, blasting it with electricity. Sandcrab took the opportunity to jump through the exit portal, carrying Wildthing through as well. They were both immediately transported into a high-security prison cell block...and confronted by a green-skinned woman who was making her way toward the door they’d just jumped through. She ‘ticked’ with psychotic chaos and urged them both, “Get out of my way!” Still in the interdimensional pathway, Nemesis jumped through the exit portal, but a Portal Bot targeted her with an electrical blast. Nemesis was too quick, escaping the blast and passing through the portal into the Secret Prison with Wildthing and Sandcrab. After some quick verbal sparring, Wildthing, Sandcrab, and Nemesis backed away from the chaotic, green-skinned woman and she passed through the portal and into the interdimensional pathway. Two other mutants were close behind the green-skinned woman. One of them was glowing with flames and the other was seeping with what looked like sickness. Sandcrab asked, “Are you a friend or foe of Dr. Destroyer?” They responded, “We are no friend of his, but we will destroy NexHuman and anyone who supports them!” Seeking to avoid an escalating conflict, the heroes did not attempt to intervene further. Meanwhile in the interdimensional pathway, having observed the Portal Bot’s attack against Nemesis, Ghost went to work against the Portal Bots, flying at them repeatedly and pummeling them into pieces. Cypher cautioned quickly, “Leave this Portal Bot for me,” referring to the one he had under his control. But as quickly as he said those words, the green-skinned woman from the Secret Prison appeared in the interdimensional pathway beneath the exit portal. Cypher spoke to her, “The portal you just came through leads you back to where you want to go to...” But she laughed manically in response, “You fool! I know exactly where I want to go...and I’m leaving now!” Blue Wave yelled at the green-skinned woman, “Julie, these aren’t the bad guys. Don’t hurt them!” She retorted, “I am no longer Julie. Call me Istvatha!” With that, Cypher released a blinding flash of light around Istvatha and she screamed with seething frustration, “You will all pay for this! Why would you blind me?! I am trying to escape this prison!” But even blinded she continued onward, teleporting forward into the entry portal behind the team and disappearing. As she passed, the interdimensional pathway shuddered. Blue Wave asked, “Have you ever heard of anyone called ‘Istvatha’? Windwalker quickly responded, “Oh my gosh, she is the ‘Empress of a Billion Dimensions’, shit!” But before anyone else could speak, the two mutants from the Secret Prison appeared in front of the exit portal. Cypher quickly ‘connected’ to the portals, realizing they were somehow computerized. Preventing anyone’s escape, he created a “loop” of sorts so that passing through the entry portal will bring any travelers out of the opposite portal — instead of into the NexHuman headquarters. Blue Wave stepped toward the two mutants who had just appeared, “What are you two doing here? You both have caused more hurt than anyone else in the prison. You don’t deserve freedom!” Oblivious to what was unfolding in the interdimensional pathway, Wildthing, Sandcrab, and Nemesis began walking through the prison cells, speaking with the prisoners. Will the heroes release more captives from the Secret Prison? And will those left behind in the interdimensional pathway survive their encounter with the new mutants? What will Istvatha V’han do now that she has escaped? The story continues next Wednesday at 8PM central. Watch the session video below: