Bolivia.

"Together again, " the henna-haired Apokaliptian known as Knockout said, lounging in the passenger seat of the battered military surplus jeep. The driver did not reply. Knockout sighed.

"I said- "

"I heard you the first time, " Bane grunted. His hands clenched on the wheel. "Stop talking, please. "

"So polite. "

"So fed up. "

"I do not force you to listen, " Knockout said, running a gloved hand through her hair. "Besides which, I am merely trying to pass the time. "

"By being annoying? "

"By flirting. "

"Stop it. "

"Are you uncomfortable with women, Bane? " Knockout asked, her tone sly. Bane turned, his features impossible to read behind his black and white mask.

"No. Are you? "

"What is that supposed to mean? "

"Nothing of importance. We- " The jeep groaned as it rumbled over a series of fat roots. Around them, the jungle hissed in warning. The jeep 's engine exploded in a geyser of sparks, debris and oil. Bane cursed and dove from the vehicle. Knockout laughed and stood, spreading her arms.

"At last! Something more exciting than interminable travel! "

Issue # 13

'SINNERS BOUNTY ' (Bungle in the Jungle, Part One)

With a hearty battle-cry, Knockout leapt over the jeep 's windscreen, landed lightly on the hood and bounded off, hurtling in the direction the blast had come from. She crashed through the trees, her fists lashing out, shattering them like glass.

Bane rose to his feet and brushed himself off. He looked at the damaged jeep and shook his head. "Morillo, " he grunted.

"Don 't call me that, " Plunder said. The mercenary was clad in his usual blue and silver outfit, a heavy rifle slung over his shoulder and an even heavier looking pistol pressed to the back of Bane 's head.

"Identity issues? "

"Personal space. "

Bane looked in the direction where Knockout had gone. Crashing sounds emanated from the close set jungle foliage. Birds screaming. Monkeys chattering.

"Automated weapon? " he said.

"Several. I wasn 't sure which road you 'd be using, " Plunder replied. "The Brain is offering a lot of money to make sure those three end up dead. And I don 't like to share bounties. "

"Ah, " Bane lowered his hands and spun, swatting the gun out of Plunder 's hand and driving a fist into the mercenary 's gut.

"Ghu-uhf, " Plunder choked, as he fell onto all fours on the ground. Bane squatted, head cocked.

"I do not play. Remember that, " he said. He raised a fist. "The next one goes through your skull. "

"Muh-my bounty- "

"No bounty, " Bane said, opening his fist in front of Plunder 's face and revealing a silvery globe. The globe pulsed and a tiny, digital image of Mockingbird shimmered to life.   

"Hello, Plunder, " Mockingbird said, in its distorted, cacophonous voice. "We are happy to see you. You responded exactly as we predicted, upon your hearing of the bounty we placed. "

"You placed- "

"Yes. We-or, rather, the Brain-have placed a bounty on several members former members of the Society of Sin. " Mockingbird 's features shifted into what might have been a smile. "And you, along with Bane and Knockout, will make sure that it is NOT fulfilled. "

Somewhere quiet. Remote.

The bulk of the machine was bare wire and cable, sprawling from the confines of a splayed steel torso. Inside, amongst the sputtering cables, brief flashes of the light of a welding torch flared, illuminating things.

"Toy. Nothing but a toy. " The voice was mechanical. Querulous.

"Oui, but a delightful one, nonetheless, " another voice, harsh but warm. Then, "I take it we are abandoning this project as well, eh? "

"Garbage. "

"If you say so, " the second voice sighed. "You are being quite harsh with yourself, lately, if I may say so. "

"You may not. "

"D 'accord. "

"Don 't take that tone with me. "

"D 'accord. "

A mechanical sigh. "Fine. I apologize. "

"Apology accepted. Let us begin again, yes? "

"Yes. Let 's. "

A hairy hand grasped a handful of cable and the bulky shape of a beret-wearing gorilla hauled itself out of the guts of the inert machine. Strabbed to his broad back, a skull-shaped cylinder rested in an improvised sling.

"I will admit, a giant robot is a tad, well, cliché perhaps? " Monsieur Mallah grunted, rubbing his lips with a wide paw.

"Tradition, not cliché, " the Brain countered.

"Hh. " Mallah gave a wheeze that might have been a laugh. "Who was this one for again? "

"The Ultra-Humanite, I believe. "

"Of course. I hould have guessed. "

Bolivia. The jungle.

"This is dumb. "

"Yes, " Bane said. He wrenched a low hanging branch free and tossed it aside. "So it is. "

"Really dumb. Unnecessarily dumb, in fact, " Plunder continued, cradling his rifle as he followed Bane.

"I agree. "

"Really? "

"No, " Bane said. "Quiet now, or I 'll rip your left arm off. "

"Why my left? "

"Would you really like the answer to that? "

"No. Not really, " Plunder said. He shifted his rifle. "I hate working with women. "

"I am hardly a woman, " Knockout said, her hand bursting through the foliage to latch onto the back of Plunder 's skull. She yanked the bounty hunter up into the air and looked up at him, a smirk coiling on her features. "You tried to kill us. "

"We-ell & "

She shook him. Hard. Plunder clawed for his pistol. Knockout took it from him and hurled him against a tree. She looked at Bane.

"Pop his head like a pimple. "

"No, " Bane said, crossing his arms. "We 'll be needing him. "

"Who says? "

"Mockingbird. "

"Fah, " Knockout said, swiping a hand in a gesture of dismissal.

"Nonetheless, " Bane countered.

"Truly? "

"Ostensibly. "

"Fah. "

"Yes. " Bane reached down and hauled Plunder to his feet. "Stand up straight. "

"Is she going to hit me again? "

"Technically, I haven 't hit you once yet, " Knockout said. She brushed at the patches of ash and dirt that covered her form. "Though I should. Those toys of yours stung. "

"Did their job, though. " Plunder snatched up his rifle. "I hate you both, just so you know. "

"The feeling is mutual, " Bane said. "Nonetheless. "

"For an addict, you 're quite erudite, " Plunder grumbled. Bane shrugged his massive shoulders.

"I like to read. You have a map, yes? "

"I have a lot of maps. "

Bane cracked his knuckles. Plunder hurriedly dug a square device out of his coat. He placed it carefully on the ground and tapped a button. A three-dimensional holographic display hummed to life. Plunder prodded the image gently.

"Here, " he said. "It 's an old HIVE base, apparently. The Society of Sin-or, at least these three members-took it over about three months ago. Ousted the previous owners in a typically gory display. They 're hiding. '

"From? " Knockout asked.

Plunder shrugged. "Who knows? They 're paranoid whackjobs, as far as I can tell. " He looked at Bane, who was stroking his chin thoughtfully.

"It 's not paranoia when someone is really out to get you, " Bane said, after a moment. "The Brain is not known for tolerating failure well. "

"I thought the bounty thing was just a scam? " Plunder said. Bane clapped his hands together.

"You didn 't know that when you came out here though, did you? "

Not far away.

The base had seen better days. The organization known as HIVE had once had bases world-wide; but, in recent years, they had begun allowing some of them to fall into disuse and disrepair as the HIVE leaders turned their attentions inward. Such was the fate of HIVE-B06.

A fate, in many ways, worse than death.

Of course, HIVE-B06 had new masters now, ones who would ensure such.

"Such delicious &fear, " the woman clad in green and black purred, her fingers stroking the air. Boiling, screaming images swooped and squirmed at her touch, images that radiated from the minds of the men and women cowering around her, their forms prostrate on the ground. Some still wore the remnants of black and yellow HIVE uniforms, the rest were naked.

"Must she? " the pink creature muttered, turning its burning gaze on the tall man clad in red and yellow seated nearby. They both lounged on a viewing balcony above the scene of torment below. "I thought we had killed the last of them weeks ago, yes? "

"Not quite. Besides, it keeps her busy, " the tall man said. He fiddled with the innards of a doll, rerouting wires and soldering circuits. "The less attention we draw, the better- "

"Bah, " Plasmus waved a hand, scattering hissing droplets of pinkish matter. "We should not be hiding. "

"And what would you suggest? "

"We crush that upstart Brain in his jar, of course! " Plasmus raised his fists for emphasis. "But no, instead, you, Hougan, would have us skulk in this ramshackle base- "

"To be fair, it wasn 't ramshackle until we got through taking it from its previous owners. "

"Regardless, why do we just sit? "

"Personally, because I needed the vacation. As far as I 'm concerned, you two followed me. " Hougan sat back, running a hand across his bald pate. His feathered headdress and mask sat nearby. He grabbed it and slid it on as he stood. "Phobia! " he barked.

The woman whirled, eyes narrowed. "What? " she hissed.

"Enough. "

"I say when it 's enough, Droom! No one else! " Phobia snarled. She raised her hands. Hougan tapped his headdress.

"Don 't try it. My helm protects me from your psychic prying, witch. Now settle down. All the moaning is making it hard to work. "

"Work? Work? Hah! All I see is you playing with one of your dolls! " Phobia cackled, striding towards the stairs, her cloak snapping at her heels. Hougan watched her come and smirked.

"A very special doll, actually. One that will enable us to come out of hiding, I believe. "

"Ha! " Plasmus barked. "Finally! " Hougan ignored him and swept up the doll he 'd been working on.

"Ever since I received word that our former leader has decided that we are loose ends needing to be tied up, I have been working on this. " He held up the doll, an innocuous looking thing.

Phobia peered at it, and smiled slowly.

"Is that- "

"Quite, " Hougan said. "With this, the Society of Sin shall do unto the Brain, before he does unto us- "

"Too late for that, boys and girl! " a gurgling, gulping voice that seemed to come from everywhere at once spurted. As one, the exposed pipes that coiled across the ceiling and walls of the HIVE base exploded, spraying rusty water everywhere.

The water swirled and began to congeal into the gigantic shape of a woman. With a gesture from one liquid arm, a blast of filthy water hammered into Phobia, driving her off the walkway and into the rising waters below.

At the same time, the blast doors that had sealed the base off from the jungle outside exploded inward, revealing three garishly-garbed figures. A bald, hulking man in green. Another man, clad in blue, his eyes hidden behind a cobalt visor. And a flame-haired woman, clad in red and yellow.

 The water-woman glanced at the newcomers. "Right on time, kids. " She then smiled down at Hougan and Plasmus. "Hail, hail, the gang 's all here. The Masters of Disaster have come to collect on the Brain 's bounty & "

Another blast of water sent Plasmus and Hougan sprawling.

"And the Society of Sin is about to be all washed UP! "

TO BE CONTINUED

Next issue: The Masters of Disaster! The Society of Sin! And the Secret Six (all three of 'em!) to the rescue! Be here in thirty for 'WATER PRESSURE '!