"New Enemies, old friends" tales of the Atomik Punk, part 3

The 5^th Column was on the move. Independence Port seemed to reverberate with their incessant propaganda of world domination. Like hybrid cockroaches, the 5^th Column seemed to thrive in the chaotic aftermath of the Rikti war. To the Atomik Punk they were just another insect waiting to be squashed. Massacre9 had described their activities in detail weeks before his disappearance. The Mek Men and Hover Bots created by the former Nazi scientist Vandal were on Massacre’s hit list of priority targets. The 5^th Column was arrogant even by other villain’s standards and the Atomik Punk set his sights on their disruption. He made his presence know by dropping in on secret meetings and sending members to the hospital. Soon the 5^th Column was concentrating their efforts to destroy the Punk. Ambushes were common and nighttime meetings were heavily guarded. With Massacre9 missing the Atomik Punk needed to recruit some new friends to the cause.

It didn’t take much persuasion to get the magical fire blaster D’ Monique and the mysterious MartaSpahn in on the action. They like many of the Heroes of Paragon had their share of run-ins with the Column. Through the teams network of city contacts they were able to stay on top of the Columns activities. Nighttime raids and street rallies were crushed and a drop in recruitment was reported by the Paragon Times. After several weeks the 5^th Column’s major bases in Paragon City had been compromised and the Column was forced to regroup. Regrouping was something the 5^th Column was good at. They had perfected it for over 60 years and with it came revenge.

The first wave of attacks came on the morning of September 19^th 2004. Atomik Punk was in Talos Island when he was ambushed by a group of Mek Men, Valkyries, and Nacht Elite and about a dozen Raserei Elite soldiers. Civilians caught in the crossfire ran for their lives when the explosions started and the Atomik Punk began smashing metal and bone. He would make them pay. In minutes it was all over. Smoking scrap metal and robot debris littered the once quiet street and all the Elite soldiers were dead or wounded. The Punk quickly contacted D’ Monique and warned her of this latest scale of ambush. No sooner had she hung up the phone when a dozen Steel Valkyrie hovered into sight on her roof top penthouse in Founders Falls. As the rockets smashed and detonated through the French doors, MartaSpahn swooped across the room and shielded the couple from the explosion. The Penthouse was destroyed and from the wreckage a crackling sphere of electricity emerged as Elite soldiers circled the debris and the Valkyries prepared for another volley. MartaSpahn extended is arms and released electricity jolting and stunning the would be assassins. Fire and Brimstone erupted from D’Monique’s hands melting circuits, wires, metal and skin. The Valkyries combusted and dropped to the ground and the Elite soldiers were dead.

With more attacks probable, the group decided to regroup themselves in Talos and make plans for even more raids. It was obvious the Column was lashing out like a wounded animal and they needed to press the advantage and not give them anymore time. With the help of the hero Bastion, the group formed a task force bent on the Columns destruction. Task Force Titanium included some new muscle. The infernal Ms. Hellfire, a Gypsy orphan raised by demons in search of her former slave master here on earth and the mighty Merozan, a super strength tanker who was a tremendous anchor for the team. With Merozan around, the task force would be unstoppable! The location of several 5^th Column bases was given to the team and over the next 24 hours Task Force Titanium reeked havoc with the Columns supply lines, bases of operation and super soldier programs. Finally when the last base was infiltrated deep in Independence port it was all over and Vandal was killed. The Column was shattered into smaller disorganized bands and in the next few months a darker threat was looming dubbed “the Council”.