one night in Madripoor
Transport by plane, piloted by Cliff and courtesy of Sam and Peggy, takes the Midnight Sons to Singapore, where they then board a charter boat to get them to the island of Madripoor. The principality of Madripoor is an island in southeast Asia, located in the southern portion of the strait of Malacca, southwest of Singapore. It's capital, and single largest city, is Madripoor, which is divided between the wealthy area known as Hightown, and the impoverished, crime ridden Lowtown. These two areas represent the extreme social inequality in Madripoor. It is often described as "the place for the very rich and the very poor". There is truly very little in between.
Madripoor Was once a haven for pirates, a tradition that is somewhat continued today with it's rampant lawlessness. To add insult to injury, the nation does not permit the national extradition of criminals, so it has become a hotbed of criminal activity and a haven for international fugitives. Despite all of this (or because of it), Madripoor is one of the greatest business capitals of the Pacific rim.
These days, Lowtown is still the ultimate abyss of vice and degradation, nothing is sacred, no act too profane. In a lot of ways, it's the same today as it was a thousand years ago - as far removed from modern civilization and sensibilities as a body can get. There are no rules here. Anything goes,provided you can pay the price.
"Your contact, our informant, is the owner and operator of The Princess Bar in Lowtown by the name of Seraph. The Princess Bar serves as an oasis of elegance and style - a direct contrast to it's immediate surroundings. Frightened by Lowtown's dangerous reputation, tourists avoid The Princess after dark. At night, The Princess Bar becomes a gathering place for local residents from both Hightown and Lowtown, as well as a place for both the rich and poor denizens of the underworld to do their business. The Princess Bar is also a fine restaurant with cabaret entertainment.
"Seraph is a diminutive operative working with British MI6, providing information on Axis activities in the region. Despite her appearance, seraph is a force to be reckoned with. She is an independent woman who demands respect from all parties who enter her establishment, so please, be on your best behavior, will you?" Peggy requested.
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Once the heroes make landfall in the city of Madripoor at the docks, Sam and Peggy arrange for them all to stay in Hightown and suggest that the heroes make their way to Lowtown to the club.
When they arrive at The Princess Bar, they are asked to leave their weapons at the door by the two big, burly bouncers. Once inside, they are overwhelmed by the sheer decadence of the club. It is high end without question, marble columns, luscious gold and red fabrics hanging from the walls and ceilings, multi-tiered staircases and separated dining and meeting areas around a central circular stage. There is a large band playing swing music in the center of the club, surrounded by a beautifully crystalline-clear pool of blue water. A quick scan of the bar reveals mostly men in fine dining clothes, white jackets and black ties or full black tuxedos. The women are in their finest of elegance, despite intuition revealing that most of them are "ladies of the night".
A diminutive woman with short cropped blonde hair that stands approximately 3'3" approaches the Midnight Sons and welcomes them to the club, asking for them to join her in an adjoining room, away from prying eyes. This is the owner and operator of The Princess Bar - the operative known as Seraph. She is also a double agent working for an ancient force-of-nature known as "Romulus" and is acting secretively as Wolverine's 'Handler'. She still talks down to him and scolds him as if he were a child, much the way she behaved when they were last in each other's company 2 years prior, when she Wolverine and Cap worked together to rescue a young Natasha Romanoff from the clutches of the Hand. Seraph takes the Midnight Sons into a private room overlooking the club and asks how she can be of service.
Still retaining the photograph taken from the Zemo home at The Grey Mountain Concentration camp, Fury presents it to Seraph and asks if she recognizes the man photographed.
"I know the man holding the book, his name is Satokata Matsu. He is a Japanese who frequents the club. I saw him on the night of the photograph. I remember he was meeting with a quartet of individuals looking to make a trade. They had the book, and he brought something locked inside a metal case for exchange. I did not see what was traded." Seraph answered in full.
"Who were the men he was making the deal with?" Wolverine asked.
"They must be new to Madripoor, as I've never seen them before. There was a large bearded man, and an attractive brunette woman, both of European descent. There were two other men; who appeared to be of middle-eastern heritage, and another man who kept his features hidden with a wide-brimmed hat. It was evident, however, that he was hiding what appeared to be burn scars of some sort." Seraph answered.
"Do you know where we can find Matsu now?" Fury asked.
"I do not know. But, I am sure the quartet of men he met with were minions of the Hand."
"The Hand?!" The Rocketeer asked.
"The Hand is an order of supposed mystical ninjas who are heavily involved in organized crime and mercenary activities, most often centered around assassination plots. The Hand covets power above all other objectives. They are primarily based in Japan, but are heavily represented here in great numbers right here in Madripoor." Wolverine began to explain.
"The sect was founded in the 16th century as a secret society of Japanese nationalist samurai but were soon co-opted by the Snakeroot, an ancient ninja clan which serves a primordial demonic being known only as 'The Beast of the Hand'. Members of the Hand are rumored to be practitioners of powerful occult magic. There have even been tales of Their vanquished enemies being brought back to life as servants of The Hand." Seraph added.
"Where are the Hand based out of here in Madripoor?" Fury asked.
"Bèi yiwàng de guāng si. An ancient temple on the outskirts of Lowtown where the streets meet the jungle rumored to lead deep underground." Seraph says, using the Mandarin name.
"The Japanese call it: 'Wasure rareta hikari no jiin'. The temple of Forgotten Light." Wolverine translated.
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On the Ground floor of The Temple of Forgotten Light the Midnight Sons are met with a cadre of Hand Ninjas, 8 in total, who attacked without warning and do not speak. Once defeated, each of them begin to dissolve into a slimy goo. The heroes then descend to the first sub-level of the Hand fortress.
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Seated cross-legged in the center of the chamber is a man dressed in a green gi with gold trim. He is a younger man, but has the face of one who has faced many men in many battles and lives to tell the tale. Surrounded by a group of individuals dressed in silver samurai attire, the man addresses the Midnight Sons without standing: "I see that you have bested the fodder upstairs. They were merely an exercise to test your worthiness. My name is Singen Harada of the clan Yashida. You are my test. I have trained these samurai of silver as my personal guard, combining the techniques of the Hand with the ancient art of the Katana passed down to me by my father, and my father's father before him. You shall not pass."
The group of silver samurai moved in on the group, as Harada surveyed the enemies for the strongest adversary. Choosing Wolverine.
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The 2nd sub-level housed Bloodscream and Roughhouse.
Bloodscream is a gaunt aged looking character with almost chalk white skin. Bloodscream has been hired by the Hand to act as a bodyguard. He is an immortal seeking death.
Roughhouse is a large burly bearded man dressed in a brown ill-fitting suit. He is easily mistaken for Cairn, the man Seraph claimed to have spotted at the club.
They are accompanied by 5 followers of Ba'al, a group of pseudo-vampires.
Bloodscream and Roughhouse are the individuals who picked up and delivered the Death walkers to the Princess Bar. The Deathwalkers, as immortals themselves, actually hold the key that would grant Bloodscream his desired final death. Bloodscream reveals that the Hand intends to perform a ritual that would make all of the Hand members immortal, thus they would be completely unstoppable. They are able to convince him to reveal the location of the Necronomicon Ex Mortis, and assist them against the Hand, as the book could be used to rid him of his immortality.
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Within the 3rd sub-level chamber lies the leader of the Hand, the High Ninja known only as Jonin. In 1941, in a confrontation with Wolverine and Captain America, Jonin was beheaded in battle by the displaced aforementioned Canadian berserker. Miraculously, despite that fact, here he stands. He is surrounded by a group of Ninja in white attire. These are the members of the Dawn of the White Light -- burgeoning mutants who have trained in the ways of the Hand.
"アメリカ人は何と言っていますか?歴史は繰り返す.リバティの歩哨は再び彼のカナダの雑種で私の玄関口を汚します.今回は,しかし,私はあなたのために準備ができています.私はこの瞬間を2年近く待っていました.頭を悩ませている私は,誰もが一生のうちに少なくとも一度は経験すべきだと信じている経験をしたいと思います.私の信者があなたに光を見せることを許可します - What is the American saying? History repeats itself. The sentinel of Liberty once again sullies my doorstep with his Canadian mongrel. This time, however, I am ready for you. I have been waiting for this moment for nearly two years. Being beheaded I'd an experience I believe everyone should experience at least once in their lifetime. Allow my followers to show you the light." Jonin speaks.
When Wolverine defeats Jonin once again, Jonin speaks again: " あなたの男性はあなたの時間を無駄にしています.儀式はすでに始まっています.すぐに手は永遠の光線を浴びることになります.あなたが今日ここにこぼした血は無駄になります.以下のデスウォーカーの助けを借りて,手は地球上で最も強力な力になるでしょう.ナチス政権によって引き起こされた死は,不滅の手に続いて続く暗闇と比較して青ざめます.来て.私たちが権力を握るとき,あなたの終わりを満たします- you men are wasting your time. The ritual has already begun. Soon the Hand will be basking in the rays of Eternity. The blood that you spill here today will be in vain. With the assistance of the Deathwalkers below, the Hand shall be the most powerful force on Earth. The death caused by the Nazi regime will pale in comparison to the darkness that will follow in the wake of the Immortal Hand. Come. Meet your end as we rise to power."
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The 4th sub-level is the final chamber where the Deathwalkers are conducting their ritual. The four of them are garbed in dark robes and a pentagram is drawn on the floor in blood. Within the center of the pentagram is a bound male figure, bald, green, stripped nude and bleeding from an open wound in his chest. This is The Vision - Aarkus, the destroyer of evil. The sacrificial victim is still alive at this time, but it's obvious he is in peril. Fury interrupted the ritual with an attack on the Deathwalkers, who turned their attentions to the Midnight Sons and retaliated with all manner of magical defensive maneuvers. They are all of few words other than the occasional hissed "how dare you!!" Or "You will regret this transgression!"
Lichido, the de facto leader of the Deathwalkers, clutches a tablet he attempts to keep safe at all costs. This is the Talisman of Kamar-Taj - the source of their power. Unbeknownst to the Hand, they have been double-crossed. The Deathwalkers ultimate goal is to bring about the death of all humanity, including the members of The Hand. When this is revealed, Bloodscream who has banded with the Midnight Sons, once again switches sides, thinking that this may mean his own end as well.
Once the battle has subsided, the Midnight Sons focus on the retrieval of the Necronomicon. Although the Deathwalkers are impossible to interrogate, as they don't respond well to torture being practically immortal. However, the Midnight Sons were able to cleverly milk information from Bloodscream.
"Satokata Mitsu is currently working as a freelance agent for the mystical land of K'un-L'un. He will have to secure passage back to that city. Only a supremely powerful magician would be able to open a gateway to that mystical realm outside of the short window that only opens every ten years." Bloodscream declares.
Suddenly, something rather miraculous happens.
The air around the Midnight Sons begins to warp as a series of lights cause disorientation and dizziness. There is nothing any of them can do to prevent what is happening. They are suddenly lifted from the ground they stand on and shot like useprojectiles through a tunnel of strange and mystical energies. They all see visions of their own lives from childhood to present day. They see flashes of moments from past lives and images from far flung futures. Their minds are bombarded with visions of unknown lands with purple trees and orange seas and they shrink to the size of an atom and watch the beginning of the universe as they fade to blackness.