Danny Hearn flew as quickly as he could over the waters of the Pacific Ocean, headed for the European nation of Mandelovia. Home of his beloved team... his family... TOMB.

He felt the wind rushing through his feathers as he flapped his giant wings. Normally, this sort of sensation pleased him immensely. But he had no time for simple luxuries now... trouble was brewing. That much was obvious. Strange things were happening... the barriers between dimensions were breaking.

After what seemed like forever, the Mandelovian coastline was in sight. Danny's wings were aching, and he couldn't continue much longer. But he kept going.

As he got closer, he noticed a black dot in the harbour. As he got closer still, the dot began to resemble a ship.

"What the hell is that, Hal?"

"It looks to be a World War 2 era Nazi warship."

"I knew there'd be trouble..."

As soon as he said this, he flew into a cloud of blackness that he was certain wasn't there a moment ago. He couldn't see... nothing but darkness surrounded him.

He slammed into something solid with a thud.

He began to plummet, something clinging to his back.

The could of blackness dissipated, and Danny noticed two red arms wrapped around his chest.

He also noticed the ocean, rising towards him at an alarming speed.

Both of these things worried him.

"The hero... the time traveller, he is... tasty fish bait, he makes..." A voice from right near Danny's ear said. Obviously the owner of the red arms.

Danny tried to twist around within his captor's grip, to get a better look at him. He managed to get into position to get a good look. It was quite possibly the ugliest thing Danny had ever seen.

It almost seemed like a man, but it's skin was a sickly red... almost like horrific scars covering it's whole body. It's face was contorted into an evil grin, it's featured barely recognisable. And it's tongue, swollen and purple, hung limply from it's thin, malformed lips.

"Flew through portal, hero did... collided with Carriel..."

"Carriel?" Danny said, short of breath.

"Lord of Hell, Carriel is. Come to Earth, paid a visit, he did. Kill the hero, Carriel will."

Danny struggled to break the demon's grip, but to no avail.

"Hal... increase my skin's density...then... fins, gills, and whale blubber," Danny said, still struggling. Hal did as instructed. Carriel looked confused.

A second later, the two slammed into the ocean, with force enough to kill an ordinary man.

The fall broke Carriel's grip on Danny. Obviously, it had been intended to kill the hero. Carriel had obviously been ill-informed when it came to the exact nature of Danny's powers.

Danny swam around in the water, searching for the demon. Carriel was nowhere to be seen.

Comfortable with his fins, gills, and whale blubber, but uncomfortable with the sudden appearance and disappearance of a demon from Hell, Danny began the swim in towards Mandelovia's shore.