by the Message Board League of writers
[NOTE: FIRST PAGE IS LOST. Gooz went into an alternate reality, where he found the son of his alternate self, and Smasher lost his powers and quit. Marv Velo, Morpheos Konstantin and Johnny Monolith have joined the team, and Rhyme Guardian has temporarily left, placing Gooz in charge as leader. Lone Survivor has joined the Matter-Beam Corps and now calls himself by his real name, Zed.]
The lights are back on. The team stands shocked. Caped Cadet is passed on the floor. Gooz bursts into the room.
Gooz: "What just happened? Is everyone okay?"
The room is silent. Everyone has their eyes looking at Gooz. Gooz turns and sees Caped Cadet passed out on the floor. Gooz runs over to his good friend. "Little buddy... you okay?"
Caped Cadet: "...Ummm... I... what... a traitor! One of us is a traitor..? But who...?"
Everyone is silent, but the eyes are all looking at Gooz.
Gooz: "What...? Guys, you know me. I would never... not again. I am in full control now."
The room stays silent.
Gooz: "You guys... don't trust me? Well, then maybe I shouldn't be here!"
Gooz turns and starts walking out of the room. Caped Cadet follows him.
Caped Cadet: "Hold on, man... you can't leave!"
Gooz: "I can't lead a team that doesn't trust me. Even if I have to do it alone, I will find out who the traitor is!"
Cadet: "You know I'm not going to let you search alone."
Gooz: "IS ANYONE ELSE WITH US?"
For a moment, the room is silent. Kid Bucket and Zed walk toward Gooz.
Kid Bucket: "I guess I'm with you guys."
Zed: "Me too!"
The four leave the room in search of the traitor. This leaves Beer-Drinking Lad, Disco Stave, Grow Worm, Nightwatch, Albino Chameleon, Agent F7 and Renegade in the control room.
Agent F7: "Guys... maybe we should go with them. I trust Gooz. He would never betray us... again... would he?"
Albino Chameleon: "I'm not sure what we should do... but I don't trust GOOZ at all!"
Nightwatch: "Come on, he saved us all!"
Gooz, Caped Cadet, Zed and Kid Bucket are now on the search for information leading to whom the traitor might be.
Gooz: "Kid Bucket, can you use your powers to try and see what the future might hold? Can you see if this is all true?"
Shock-Headed Peter: "Agent F7, are you trying to stomp all over my right to free speech? Trying to chuck me out of a string which, I believe, is open to postings from all those registered on it?
"Hell, no, I won't go! You guys need the occasional slap in the face to bring you back to reality, before you decide to download yourselves onto the computer entirely. We don't need any more viruses on the net."
"My rights and thoughts have been rejected, but considering my attitude, it was to be expected..."
Johnny Monolith: "SHP, this isn't a Bill of Rights thing. You just want attention. I think you'd argue black was white if it got people mad at you. Oh, by the way guys, can anyone join the MBL? I have my own cape..."
Gooz: "Yes, Johnny, everyone is welcome to join. Just post up your powers and contribute to the ongoing story."
Agent F7: "Okay, SHP, I will exercise some free speech. You are a paranoid little shit who needs to learn some confidence in yourself so you don't need to seek attention from others. Why keep trying to piss people off here if you don't like the thread? Sort your life out man.
"Well, this is one of my favourite threads. The current roster seems to be: Gooz, Zed, Cadet, Disco, Bucket, Beer-Drinking Lad, Grow Worm, Nightwatch, Albino and Renegade. Well, maybe it's time to get rid of the people who don't post here any more. I haven't seen the Worm anywhere for ages now (and he's never contributed to this thread), Renegade hasn't been seen, and Nightwatch is neglecting the thread. Oh, and Beer-Drinking Lad. And where the hell is Disco? I miss his addition to the thread. I think no one will care if we get rid of the Worm and Renegade (no one used them, anyway). Beer-Drinking Lad is quite a good character, so I say keep him in. The problem is Disco and Nightwatch. I like them both, but where are they? 'Watch is my Brit buddy, and Disco is one of the funny things in the MBL. Come back, people! I will miss Rhyme Guardian, so come back soon, leader!
"And remember, everyone -- let's keep the humour in the MBL. Don't make it too serious. And all gang up on people who insult us (just trying to start a row!). On another note to Kid Bucket, I read your comments in Nightwatch's golden age thread, and I agree, some posters are ignored by the "big guns." I feel ignored, and I've been around for at least eight months, if not more! People don't recognize me as one of the oldies, but that's because I limit my posting. Ah well... Oh, and where's Pro X? I miss him more than anyone... (well equal that of 'Watch and Disco)!
Johnny Monolith: "I think it would be rude of me to try to add to the story until I'm officially on the team. Here are my powers, anyhoo...
JOHNNY MONOLITH
Origin: Born in a volcano, Johnny was sent to infiltrate Hawaiian society by the natural spirit of that area, to find the source of pollution. Rejected and feared by the populace due to his ten-foot stature, his skin of pure rock and large glowing red eyes, Johnny eventually fell in with the Hawaiian mafia, the Tikia, working as a hired goon. Through this he learned that Redshack Corporation, funded by his employers, were dumping toxins nearby. Taking on Redshack, he found that it was run by a mysterious benefactor with too much power for one man (or monster) to take down. He needed some powerful friends.
Powers: Rocky skin, lava blood, strength and affiliation with plants. Also, if in Hawaii, Johnny will instantly regenerate any wounds.
Wears specially adapted trench coat and fedora.
Marv Velo: "After this (mis)adventure, there should be a recruitment drive. You could title the thread 'MBL Recruitment Drive' so people would understand what the thread's about.
Gooz, Zed, Caped Cadet, and Kid Bucket are now in search for the traitor.
Gooz: "Kid Bucket, can you use your powers to see who the traitor is?"
Kid Bucket: "I'll try, but I'm not, y'know, sure and all if my powers will... will work right."
Kid Bucket uses his powers to see into the future. There is a bright light show, and a round picture opens above his head. It is a vision over their heads of a shadowy figure. Around him on the floor are bloody dead members of the MBL. There are only four members of the MBL missing from the vision: Caped Cadet, Gooz, Kid Bucket, and Albino Chameleon. One of them must be the traitor, but who? Kid Bucket's eyes open bloodshot, and he falls to the ground in pain, which drops the vision.
Gooz: "Are you okay, man?"
Kid Bucket: "Yeah. Sorry I couldn't keep the portal vision open."
Gooz: "It's okay. You did good."
Zed turns with his gauntlet glowing at Gooz, Kid Bucket, and Caped Cadet. There is a mad look in his face. "One of you, or Albino, is the traitor, and I'm not taking my chances. I'm going back to the HQ and telling the others."
At the Seven Senses Headquarters, where the MBL is staying until they get a new headquarters, Nightwatch, Agent F7, Disco Stave, Beer-Drinking Lad, and Renegade are training two of the new recruits, Marv Velo and Johnny Monolith. The new recruits are here to replace Grow Worm and Rhyme Guardian in their absence. Zed, Gooz, Kid Bucket, and Caped Cadet walk through the door and tell them what they found out.
A few hours have passed, and things have cooled down a little. Gooz walks down to the meeting room and starts looking at information on the two new recruits. He thinks to himself that maybe one of them is the traitor, but, no, he knows the truth of who the traitor might be. A portal opens up, and a shadowy figure walks out.
Gooz: "It's you -- you are the traitor!"
The figure: "Correct, but there is nothing you can do now! I AM TOO POWERFUL!"
Gooz: "We should have never trusted you after what you did! I'll stop you here and now!"
The figure: "NO... YOU KNOW HOW MY POWER GROWS WITH TIME! REMEMBER, WHEN WE WERE IN THE SEVEN SENSES, I WAS ALWAYS THE MOST POWERFUL BECAUSE I COULD GAIN POWER WITH TIME... AND NOW IT'S TIME FOR THE DEATH OF THE MBL!"
Gooz: "I knew it from what Kid Bucket saw. The traitor couldn't have been Caped Cadet, because he made the distress call. Couldn't have been Kid Bucket, because he has been through so much with the MBL. And in my heart I knew I was not the traitor! And that leaves only you..."
Before he can finish, a portal opens around him, and he falls through.
The figure: "Ah, Gooz, you will be trapped in that nice little parallel world for a long time."
The figure walks out of the shadows to show his true form: Albino Chameleon.
"I SHALL KILL THE MBL... HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!"
Roster update: Gooz, Zed, Cadet, Bucket, Beer-Drinking Lad, Albino. Nightwatch and Disco have been bumped to reserve. Grow Worm is out. Johnny Monolith and Marv Velo are the newbies.
Rhyme Guardian suddenly teleports into the control room where Albino Chameleon has just taken out Gooz. The MBL leader looks at the traitor without speaking. He doesn't quite comprehend what is happening... a souped-up Albino, and he heard something about Gooz in a parallel world as he teleported in.
Albino suddenly leaps at Rhyme Guardian, attacking him with all his force. I may not be able to defeat him. He seems far more powerful than usual, thinks Rhyme Guardian.
Suddenly, the other MBL members who were still in the headquarters barge in.
"Rhymer!" Bucket yells, but he then ducks to avoid a blast from Albino.
"I'm back and ready to kick some tail,
'Cause the MBL will never fail!"
Rhyme Guardian releases a rhyme energy burst that throws Albino into the hallway. Albino quickly recovers and lunges forward at Rhyme Guardian. With both hands ablaze with pure energy, he strikes Rhyme Guardian in the chest. The impact drops Rhyme Guardian to the ground. The energy envelops him, forcing him to live through billions of alternate lifetimes.
Albino turns his attention toward Kid Bucket, who has sprinted down the hall. Albino pursues him to the meeting room, where Kid Bucket, Caped Cadet, and Zed stand ready.
Cadet: "Why? Why are you doing this?"
Albino: "Simply because I can." He simultaneously fires at Zed and Kid Bucket. Zed quickly puts up a force field to protect himself. Kid Bucket ducks below the beam and leaps for Albino's legs. He catches him just below the knees, knocking him over.
Cadet: "Zed, contain him." Zed creates an energy cage around Albino. Cadet: "We want to help you, Albino. You don't have to do this."
Albino: "You insipid fool. My mission cannot be hindered by such nonsense. Release me now."
Cadet: "See, you don't even sound like yourself."
Albino: "Things change." Albino reaches out and absorbs the energy cage. He then fires at Zed, trapping him in a state in which he is forced to live through the final days of several dead universes.
"NOOO! You twisted sonuva..." Kid Bucket charges at Albino. As he runs, he peers into the far distant future to find a weapon. He pulls a handheld railgun from the 23rd Century. He pulls the trigger.
Bucket's gun has no effect, as the blasts are simply absorbed by Albino.
"If you're gonna pull that trick, use the right weapon," Albino sneers at Bucket.
That seems to mean that there IS a weapon that can defeat him, Bucket thinks as he dodges another blast. If only I knew the right one.
Cadet and Bucket wrestle him to the ground, and the battle continues.
Meanwhile, Rhyme Guardian is enduring the mind-blowing experience of living multiple lifetimes at once. Focus, rhyme god, he thinks to himself. You can get out of this... there's a way.
He almost doesn't want to know how to get out. But he does. He can let himself be absorbed into the rhyme force. From there, he may be able to return home. Or he may not. He's never tried it before.
He can barely concentrate through the searing agony of what he is experiencing, but he manages to pull himself together and blasts himself with his own rhyme force power.
Meanwhile, Zed is experiencing the final days of several dead universes. He can barely maintain his sanity. He focuses all his energy on the gauntlet, trying to let it get it home... if it can.
As Zed witnesses the death of a universe for the millionth time, he senses something strange around him. He can barely make out a white shape. It reaches out to him. He reaches back.
Suddenly, he finds himself back in the meeting room. An exhausted Caped Cadet smiles back at him.
Cadet: "It took everything I had to reach you."
Zed: "That was one very convincing virtual reality he created."
Cadet: "That's the problem. Those weren't virtual realities. Somehow he has connected to those other realities."
Zed: "My God. All those people... erased."
Cadet: "You have to help Kid Bucket defeat him."
Zed turns to see Kid Bucket firing a very large gun at Albino, who simply laughs it off. Kid Bucket reaches into the future to find newer and better weapons. None of them seem to work.
Zed raises his force field and flies straight toward Albino's chest. Albino steps out of the way with amazing speed, and Zed crashes into the wall.
Albino: "You can't defeat me. I am immortal. He made me so."
Cadet: "Who? Who made you immortal?"
Albino: "Ha. Wouldn't you like to know. Trust me, he is coming. A force unlike anything this universe has ever..."
Albino turns his attention to Kid Bucket, who has pulled a strange-looking gun from the future. "A temporal projector? You intend on defeating me with that?"
Dear God! Cadet realizes that that is what he must have used to warn the MBL in the first place. Everything is happening as he said it would.
Kid Bucket: "You forget, I can alter time myself."
Albino fires a blast that stops in mid-air, between Albino and Kid Bucket. The blast then begins to grow into a large, white oval. "That, my friends, is pure antitime. A force so powerful it can destroy time itself."
Kid Bucket tosses the projector to Cadet. "Go ahead -- warn us again! This time be a little more descriptive, will ya!"
Zed tries to contain the antitime in a force field, but he only slows it down.
Albino stands triumphant. But behind him stands Agent F7. Undetected, he launches a jump-kick at Albino's back, knocking him into the antitime rift.
Inside the rift, Albino cries out, "Fools. You honestly think I would wield a weapon that I couldn't control?" He holds out a hand, and the rift begins to shrink.
This is it, Cadet thinks. He will destroy us all, just like before, unless I do something.
Cadet drops the projector. "No, Bucket, this time we end this. I think I can stop him. My powers should be able to counteract his."
Cadet runs for the rift, but before he can jump in, he sees Kid Bucket enter the rift.
Inside the rift, Albino and Kid Bucket are struggling. Albino seems to be winning, until suddenly an army of alternate Kid Buckets appear. The rift begins to spasm as millions of Kid Buckets appear. The rift explodes in a violent storm of energy. Zed manages to throw up a shield to protect Agent F7, Caped Cadet, and himself.
As the energy wave subsides, they look to the epicenter to see only one body lying on the floor: a silver being.
Disco Stave walks into the room. "Sweet Gandhi's ghost! What is that?"
Zed: "The rift exploded and took all the Kid Buckets and the traitor Albino into God-knows-where."
Disco Stave: "But I thought Albino was on our side!"
Agent F7: "We'll explain later."
The silver being on the floor groans and regains consciousness. As he wakes, he lets out a violent shriek and passes out again.
Meanwhile, Rhyme Guardian has disappeared into the rhyme force from the alternate reality he was in. His consciousness is absorbed into the all-powerful force.
A blast of rhyme force energy explodes in the MBL headquarters, and, when it subsides, there stands... the Dark Rhymer. He looks like Rhyme Guardian, but a bit older and with a flashy new costume.
Rhyme Guardian sees the silver being on the floor. He vaguely recognizes the people around him. The previous Rhyme Guardian's memories begin flooding back into him.
"Rhymer...?" Agent F7 asks.
"Umm... I think so," the new Rhyme Guardian replies. "Who -- or what -- is that?"
"We don't know," Cadet replies.
Suddenly, the silver being wakes up again. He shrieks once more but seems to regain control.
"Um... who are you?" Rhyme Guardian asks.
"I... I think I'm Kid Buckets," the silvery dude answers.
"You mean Kid Bucket."
"No, Kid Buckets. I can hear all their voices inside my head."
"My God... all the Buckets were absorbed into one being," Cadet says.
"Okay, then, but where's Albino?" Zed asks.
"This new being is a whole lot of guys,
Absorbed into one with silvery eyes."
"HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HAH!"
All eyes turn toward the source of the laughter.
"What's so funny?" asks Kid Buckets.
"He must have snapped under all the pressure," offers Agent F7.
"You fools... hee hee..."
Zed walks over to Caped Cadet. "Hey, are you okay, man?"
Cadet stops laughing and turns an evil eye toward Zed. "My good fellow, you should have trusted your original instincts and killed this League when you first arrived." Cadet continues, whispering, "For they are just so much fodder with which I can destroy this universe and millions of others. Our friends who have just returned from these dimensions have seen my power. And look, my poor Zed, Dark Lord Rhymer is back with such potential for violence. Soon I will return Gooz from the little vacation I sent him on, and we will begin his transformation back into Dark Gooz. As for our newcomers, Johnny Monolith and friends, I don't know what their stories are. I was unable to detect their presence in this scenario. No matter, though. They are easily destroyable."
"WHY?" yells Zed. "You're our friend -- our ally."
"Friend? Ally? The reality-shaping powers once lost to me are why. You losers boo-hooed and tried to console me, but not one of you tried to help me get my powers back. FRIENDS? You people are not friends. You were all glad when I lost my powers. You were all jealous of me. Tut, don't speak, Zed. Your explanations are lost on me. All I want now is to see the destruction of this world, this universe, just as I -- ahem -- the Caped Cadet in your universe helped to destroy yours. You must admit, my use of Albino as a pawn was quite a touch, wasn't it? Hopefully, your violent roughhousing killed that insufferable boor. His mind was so easy to control and manipulate. As is yours, of course. Did you truly think that a race of omnipotent beings would entrust you with some power ring bauble to patrol a universe which isn't even yours? Go ahead, try your little Cracker Jack ring."
Zed envisions a titanium cage to surround Cadet with. The ring sputters with energy and fizzles out.
"HA HA HA HA. Excuse me, I mustn't laugh, but you heroes are so laughable relying on your accessories and physical prowess. AH AH AH, the rest of you back off now."
The advancing heroes stop and back up a few steps.
"You can't say I'm not a sporting fellow. I will give you a chance to regroup, not that it will do you any good. I'm off to retrieve my little friend, Viper. When we return, with the help of my eventual proteges Lord Rhymer and Dark Gooz, and any others I wish to add to my ranks, we will destroy this universe as we see fit. And you, poor, poor little Zed, the sad outcast little Lone Survivor, I will enjoy making your greatest fear come true. Your will witness your failure up till the last millisecond of this universe's dying shudders. HA HA HA HA HAH!"
With that, Cadet fades away into oblivion.
"I will NEVER go to the 'dark side,' Cadet. I may be different, but I still feel and think the same," says Rhyme Guardian.
"Really?" Cadet asks. "Even now, you're contemplating the idea of the power I can give you. You are tempted, so very tempted."
"Bullshit."
Cadet merely lets out a laugh at Rhyme Guardian's uncharacteristic profanity.
"And Gooz..." Cadet muses. "Gooz will be my sweetest victory. He was so sure that the darkness within him was gone, that he was worthy to be the MBL's second-in-command. It will be a pleasure to prove him wrong."
"You'll have to go through us to get to our friend," Rhyme Guardian says.
"Really? Well, I'm the only one who can get him out of that little dimension he currently resides in. You need me to save him." Cadet chuckles.
A look of pure rage and hatred crosses over Rhyme Guardian's face.
"Why would Cadet betray his friends?
He turned evil to suit his own ends."
After Caped Cadet is gone, the heroes look at each other, some in rage, some confused.
"Rhyme Guardian? What shall we...?" Kid Buckets whispers.
A sudden noise startles everybody.
"What now?" asks Zed.
"It comes from the trophy room!" says Disco Stave, and he starts to run.
"Disco, wait!" Rhyme Guardian, fearing their enemy's return, follows his young friend.
In the trophy room, lots of souvenirs have fallen in a mess on the floor. Disco Stave reaches out for the light switch, but, before he can turn on the lights, a strange glowing emerges from the mess. Rhyme Guardian's eyes pierce the darkness as he prepares a blast of rhyme force.
"WOW! What a ride!" a female voice says, and in the glow a female body takes shape. Some sparks fly around, and a girl in a white costume steps out of the light. She reaches out, and a small flame pops in the air. "What, you guys never discovered electricity?" she asks.
Disco Stave finally turns on the light without a word. Rhyme Guardian looks at the girl, but through his anger he only sees a new menace. "Who are you?" he asks in a deep voice.
"My God! It's you! I finally made it!" the girl shouts, and throws her arms at Rhyme Guardian.
"I said, who are you?" replies the leader, avoiding the arms.
"But, Rhyme Guardian, why? Oh, of course! You don't know ME! I'm Lioness, and I come from... well, a parallel dimension. I made a portal and came to find you! Not very original, am I?"
The girl looks around, smiling. Zed and the others have joined Disco and Rhyme Guardian, but none of them smile back.
"You see, in my world, you... well, this is difficult to say, but you are all fictional characters. Some cool guys write about you on a message board. I've been reading about you for a while, now, and I've been trying to reach this place through my portals." She looks around and notices the mess she has made. "Er, sorry about this. Let me fix it for you." She waves a hand at the mess, and things start popping and jumping back in place until everything looks tidy again.
"I've been so proud of you, fighting to make a better world, and I thought I could join you. I admire you all, especially you, Rhyme Guardian! And I wanted to... to..." She looks at them again, but all the faces show is lack of trust. "Never mind. I'll just leave the way I came. I knew I wasn't good enough for the League."
Rhyme Guardian's eyes have been hidden in the shadows all the time. The rest of the team waits for him to pass judgement. They certainly need all the help they can get, and the girl seems to have potential, but after so many traitors they feel wary.
"Goodbye, I guess," whispers the girl, and she turns around and waves her hand again. Another glow appears, and she's about to step into it, when...
"Wait," says Rhyme Guardian, putting his hand on her shoulder. "To hell with Cadet and the others! This is what they want, isn't it? They want us to lose faith in everything and everybody. We can't let them win." He turns around and looks into his friends' eyes. Zed nods, and Rhyme Guardian goes on, saying, "Let's start again. What's your name, girl?"
"Lioness, my leader!" says the new hero, radiant. "Here's Lioness reporting for duty!"
At that very moment, Morpheos Konstantin, Marv Velo and Johnny Monolith are conversing in the terminal room.
Johnny: "Do you get the feeling we are being sidelined? We've had no training and keep get thrown into these grudge matches. Are we being allowed to contribute?"
Velo: "They are very busy people, my friend. Perhaps this is on-the-job training."
Morpheos: "In any case, I am happy to stay 'sidelined,' as you say. I would prefer to avoid the limelight. In fact, light of any sort."
Johnny: "We should show them we're capable. If we pulled up some files on some old villains..."
Velo: "Do you have clearance?"
Johnny: "I'm a member. Surely that gives me clearance." Johnny's eyes glow even brighter, and the computer reveals a slew of files.
Morpheos: "Fascinating. How is that done?"
Johnny: "I'm related to silicon. And it owes me a favor. Ah, here we are. 'CaddyJack,' golf-playing monkey... what the?"
Morpheos: "He must be from the sixties..."
Johnny: "A great deal of use... Ah, here we are... 'Lexicon'... I think he was an electrical villain of theirs from the early nineties."
Morpheos: "Yes, he killed a few members."
As the files open, a sinister voice begins counting down from five, getting louder and louder. An alarm sounds.
Velo: "What in all the...?"
Johnny: "Oh no..."
Morpheos: "YOU CRETIN! I remember now..."
"Three...."
Morpheos: "LEXICON WAS MADE OF ELECTRICITY!"
"Two..."
Morpheos: "NO CONVENTIONAL PRISON WOULD HOLD HIM!"
"One..."
Morpheos: "THIS ISN'T A DATA FILE!"
"Zero."
Johnny: "Crap."
Agent F7 and Lioness are walking along the corridor toward the terminal room.
Agent F7: "On the left is the trophy room. By the way, you have really nice eyes."
Lioness: "Thanks. Now, where's the monitor room?"
Agent F7: "And you must really work to get a body like that."
Lioness: "Look, will you stop?"
Agent F7: "What? Don't you like me? I'm not ugly, am I?"
Lioness: "I wouldn't know. You're wearing your Rupert Murdoch mask today."
Agent F7: "Oh yeah. Hmm. Well..."
Suddenly, a blast of electricity comes out the terminal room.
Agent F7: "OH, CRAP!"
Lexicon slowly begins to materialize in front of the computer screen.
"Yesss... freedom...." he sneers, and the three new MBL members in front of him catch his eye. Suddenly, all metal objects in the room begin to electrify, and an electric field starts up in the room. The three are thrown to the floor.
The rest of the MBL are at the door of the computer room.
"Damn," Rhyme Guardian says under his breath.
"Um, Rhyme Guardian...?" Bucket says. "You're the veteran here. Mind tellin' us what's goin on?"
"Later," Rhyme Guardian says. "But now, DUCK!"
An electricity bolt fries the air above them.
Rhyme Guardian runs into the room, rhyme blast at the ready. Lexicon, still groggy, doesn't wish to battle the MBL right now and disappears into a nearby powerpoint. A loud profanity escapes Rhyme Guardian's lips.
Later on, when Rhyme Guardian has called a meeting of the entire MBL, they are gathered around a table in the conference room.
"The bastard Cadet is still at large, as is Lexicon." Rhyme Guardian shoots a glance at Morpheos, Johnny, and Velo as he says this. They know better than to argue with an angry rhyme god.
"And, uh, Rhyme Guardian..." Beer-Drinking Lad says, "...there's still the matter of what happened to you. You're not the same Rhyme Guardian we knew before Cadet sent you away."