Rush Club Finale: Human Rites!

After his battle with Gunship, War Machine was knocked out and taken prisoner by the Locomotive Breath, the leader of a group of armored thrill seekers called the Rush Club. Jim then wakes up and discovers that he is chained up in a dungeon. With his GPS system scrambled, he has no idea where he is. However, he easily breaks free from his bonds and prison. Once outside he is surprised to see that he was being held in side a castle. With his GPS back in operation his computers inform him that he has been transported to Tblunka capital of the Baltic country of Slorenia.

His scanners quickly detect Locomotive Breath observing him from a nearby tower and heads over there to confront him. However, the leader of the Rush Club explains that he has not brought War Machine there to fight, but for help. After War Machine defeated Gunship, Locco shut down the Rush club and turned his allies over to the local authorities. This is because he needed War Machine’s help with a matter in his homeland. Removing his helmet, Locco reveals that he is a near immortal mutant with an affinity for machines named Laslo Magzel. He created the Rush Club because he had grown bored with immortality and used his knowledge of machines to build new and more deadly suits of armor. After seeing War Machine in action, Laslo has been inspired by the hero’s altruism and wants to use his powers as a force for good and put an end of the civil war that is tearing his homeland apart.

War Machine doesn’t buy it, but Lazlo convinces him to come and see the atrocities that are being committed in Tblunka. He shows them how the Targoth — genetically engineered slave drivers — are being used to terrorize and subjugate the Dudak minorities that live in this region on behalf of the Slorene ruling class.[1] Seeing this horrifies War Machine who comes to the aid of the Dudakians who are being herded into one of the camps. Destroying the tanks and slaughtering the Targoth, War Machine learns that the creatures are the products of genetic experimentations done on the Dudak prisoners. War Machine realizes that the situation here is just the thing that WorldWatch was formed to stop and asks Locomotive Breath to take him to a satellite uplink so he can contact them and get more resources.

Meanwhile, at the Tblunka Parliament Building, the nation’s defender Black Brigade meets with the Supreme Commander of the Tabissara ruling council to report on Locomotive Breath’s return to the country. Black Brigade suspects that Locco has returned in order to regain access to the Program and brought the American War Machine with him.[2] The Supreme Commander tells Black Birgade to destroy Locomotive Breath and deal with War Machine in any way they see fit.

While in Santiago, Chile, Sheva Joseph is on a mission to investigate human rights violations on behalf of WorldWatch. There, she has met with newspaper reporter Jorge Mantone who has been investigating strange goings on in the area. He has agreed to show her part of the old city that has been made a no-go zone to everyone. They discover that the place is in ruins and as they poke around, a picture frame on a wall in a ruined building catches Sheva’s eye. Brushing the dust off the frame she is shocked to see that it is a Nazi swastika. Before they can make any sense of things, they are caught by some guards.[3]

Back in Tblunka, after being unable to establish communication with WorldWatch, War Machine agrees to press on with Locomotive Breath anyway. Laslo takes the abandoned Winter Palace, insisting that — despite the fact it appears deserted — is the hotbed for all the atrocities being committed in the country. Upon arriving outside the castle, the pair easily deal with the guard before being ambushed by Black Brigade and his army of cyborg drones. Rather than help War Machine fight off these new foes, Locomotive Breath runs into the castle, abandoning his ally. Black Brigade tells War Machine that he was being used by Loco. Jim is well aware of this and knocks out Black Brigade before pressing onward into the castle. He gets down into the dungeon where he witnesses Locomotive Breath recover the Eternal Triptych, a source of great arcane power. Loco explains that after he was cut off from the Program, he needed another source to restore his power and used War Machine to help him gain access to the mystic artifact after it was lost in the Winter Palace a short time ago.[4]

War Machine tries to stop Locomotive Breath from opening the Triptych but is too late. Unfortunately for Laslo, however, the power of the Triptych is too much for him to handle and he is seemingly disintegrated by the mystical image. This also causes the room to collapse on them. When War Machine finally digs himself free he is confronted with Black Brigade again. He says that both Loco and the Triptych were destroyed in the explosion that collapsed the room, then knocks Black Brigade out before taking off for home. However, moments after War Machine has departed energies swirl together and merge with a new human host causing the entity known as Ember to be reborn![5]

Later, Jim Rhodes is in Germany waiting to take a flight back to America. He takes the time before his flight to give a call to the Scarlet Witch at Force Works HQ and tell her about his recent activities in Tblunka since the group has been active in that region recently. He then calls Ranald Jeffries at WorldWatch to apologize for his sudden absence and to see what’s been going on since he was gone. His call has come at a good time as Nick Fury has come to the office and has demanded to see Jim.

Recurring Characters

War Machine, Locomotive Breath, Black Brigade, Volkvhy, Targoth, Sheva Joseph, Ranald Jeffries, Nick Fury, Scarlet Witch, Ember

Continuity Notes

1. For more on the civil war going on in Tblunka, see Force Works #4-5.

2. The Supreme Commander’s true identity is not revealed here. Force Works #11-12 reveal that he Volkvhy, a Tblunkan folk hero who has sustained his life using the Program, a device that absorbs the life forces of others. This has made him virtually immortal.

3. As we’ll discover in War Machine #15-17, a group of Neo-Nazis are using a time machine to send back modern day weapons so Nazi Germany can win World War II, thereby changing history.

4. This is another reference to Force Works #4-5.

5. Ember’s previous host, Pavel Chenklo, was seemingly slain in Force Works #5. Per Marvel Atlas #1 it is unclear if Loccomotive Breath died here or became the new host for Ember. Whatever the situation became a moot point since Ember was seemingly slain for good by Ultron in Avengers (vol. 3) #20.

Topical References

• The narration refers to Germany as “United Germany” in this story. That’s because at the time of this story, East and West Germany had just been reunified 5 years prior to this story’s publication. That said, “United Germany” should be considered a topical reference as we now just call it Germany.