by the Message Board League
[NOTE: FIRST PAGE IS LOST]
On the distant planet Aelo, the skies have suddenly turned from a pleasant orange to frightening and ominous green. Plasmatic lightning bolts strike the ground. And a bizarre rift slowly opens in the clouds.
A swarm of bright red energy beings come streaming from the tear and lay waste to the capital city in a matter of seconds.
Matter-Beam Corpsman Hubba charges into the fray. He generates an intense electromagnetic shield to keep more beings from descending, but the others are still carving up the planet.
The planet's great army opens up on the beings with weapons far beyond anything on Earth. They fight bravely for thirty minutes, until the entire planet is reduced to a smoldering mud ball.
In a fit of rage, Hubba blasts his way into the now closing rift. Inside the Matter-Beamer finds himself inside some sort of vast vessel.
A voice from behind him speaks. "Welcome."
Hubba: "You maniac, why are you doing this? The Aeloan are a peaceful people."
Voice: "Unfortunate, isn't it? Sadly, they were unprepared. Of course, none of them are prepared. A new day will soon dawn for this universe."
Hubba: "You are completely out of your mind."
Hubba charges at the stranger in the long blue coat. The Matter-Beamer's gauntlets unleash a blast equal to that of a dying sun. The stranger absorbs the blast in his right hand, then with the left he picks up Hubba.
Voice: "That was pitiful, and very rude."
Hubba: "Who are you?"
Voice: "Who am I? You really don't know? I am the harbinger. I am the one who will pave his way to masterhood of all that is. You may call me... Reg."
And, with that, Reg snaps Hubba's neck with the slightest motion of his hand and throws the corpse out the rift, onto the dead world he swore to protect.
A non-holographic Shock-Headed Peter is standing outside a cave. A mysterious figure walks up behind him.
"The rendezvous with the Rhymer went well, I presume?" the figure asks.
"Didn't expect to see you here yet." The figure waits for an answer. "Yeah," Shock-Headed Peter responds, "the fool doesn't even think that there's more than what I told him. He doesn't even know about your recruits yet. And he's even dumber believing that Victory was lost in the time stream. By the way, how is our seventh man doing?"
"Intercepting Victory's message as we speak. With luck, Victory will reconsider too." After a moment, the figure goes on. "I find it amusing that, despite all that you've seen me do so far, you still consider yourself leader of this mission, Peter."
Shock-Headed Peter was enraged. "Listen, we're equals. You know that."
After a pause, the other figure said, "Make sure that Gaul delays Zed's meeting with the Council. And bring everybody in. I want to put Mission 0900 into motion."
Velocity twelve. For those not fitted for it, Velocity eight hurts like hell. Twelve could kill someone. And Marv Velo felt as if he was about to die.
"Good... God... who's doing that... who's carrying me..." he asked to no one. But there was a response anyway.
"Open your eyes. It's me," the voice said.
Velo did. He saw a man dressed in a beautiful scarlet and blue suit. "You... I read about you in the files... but... you died..."
"Shhh..." the voice said. "I had to bring you this fast to talk to you. Otherwise, you couldn't see or hear me. I believe it's time that you told them why you're really here."
"Yeah... I believe so, too, Speck."
At the meeting:
Morpheos Konstantin: "If I may ask, are things always this... hectic around here?"
Nightwatch: "With luck, no, but..."
Agent F7: "About half our team is missing."
Beer-Drinking Lad: "Uh, don't look now, but Velo's gone, too."
A curse rises from many voices as they don't see him at the table.
Agent F7, Renegade, Gooz, Caped Cadet and Prometheus X are in the old headquarters of the Infamous Bedlam Gang. They were unable to find the bodies of Viper and the Evil Cadet.
Gooz: "It has been... a long time, old friend."
There is a pause.
Prometheus X: "Yes..." He shakes Gooz's hand.
Agent F7: "Yo, man... how did you find us?"
Prometheus X: "Someone contacted me and asked for my help."
He points to the left of him with his left hand. There is a swirl of smoke revealing Ritchie.
Both Agent F7 and Renegade have puzzled looks on their faces.
Caped Cadet: "Ummm... who is this kid...?"
Gooz: "Well... he is my son."
Caped Cadet: "Wow... I have been away for a long time... anything else I miss?"
Prometheus X: "There has been a great disturbance throughout TIME... AND THERE IS A NEW IBG TOO POWERFUL FOR YOU GUYS TO FACE ALONE. I am here to... lend a hand."
Gooz: "Okay... let's get back to the others and figure this all out."
Prometheus X raises his hands in the air, and in a bright yellow flash they are all gone.
Roster update: Rhyme Guardian, Johnny Monolith, Agent F7, Renegade, Gooz, Lioness, Beer-Drinking Lad, Disco Stave, Morpheos Konstantin, Zed, Kid Bucket, Marv Velo, Nightwatch. Prometheus X in ratings-boosting cameo.
IBG roster: Shock-Headed Peter, the Hypertime Entity, Gaul, Victory, unknown ally of Shock-Headed Peter (possibly Johnny), Viper, Evil Cadet, Lexicon, Reg.
The remaining MBL (Agent F7, Renegade, Gooz, Lioness, Beer-Drinking Lad, Disco, Morpheos, Bucket, Nightwatch) and Prometheus X are assembled.
Agent F7: "Okay, Marv Velo, Johnny Monolith, and Rhyme Guardian are missing, and Zed has gone for his meeting with the council. We're down four men, including our leader and the guy in charge of arguably our most powerful weapon. And we have seen some evidence recently to indicate the formation of a new, deadly IBG."
Gooz: "Translation: we're in deep shit."
All of a sudden, the signal that Rhyme Guardian sent from the future reaches Bucket's powers. Bucket, not fully knowing what the signal means but feeling it seems important, reaches into the future to the source.
In a blaze of light, there stands Rhyme Guardian and Johnny Monolith.
All: "Rhyme Guardian! Johnny! Where the hell have you been?!"
Rhyme Guardian: "Ummm... the future. And I met Shock-Headed Peter."
Nightwatch: "I thought he was dead."
Rhyme Guardian: "He's a hologram now. And he's pulling together some of our greatest villains to form a new Injustice Board Gang. Everything was his doing... the planting of the Evil Cadet, Albino's mind control, me disappearing into the rhyme force..."
Gooz: "Speaking of which, you still haven't told us what happened. You aren't the Rhyme Guardian we knew, although you may have his personality, powers, and memories..."
Rhyme Guardian: "Uh, yeah... Say, where's Velo?"
Meanwhile, in space, the body of Matter-Beam Corpsman Hubba drops to the floor of Reg's spaceship.
Reg: "Lackey, bring this unconscious man to the prison."
Lackey: "You're not gonna kill 'im, boss?"
Reg: "No, he may be useful. And now, set the course for Earth. I have made contact with several Earth 'villains' and will probably be joining their ranks to help in the hostile takeover of the planet."
Lackey: "Why would you, a being of such stature, want to join with lowly human people?"
Reg: "With the help they may be able to provide, I will be in a perfect position to prepare the planet for the arrival of my master... the Arch-Moderator!"
The assembled MBLers begin to conference on their next step, each offering his advice or opinion on the matter. The being calling himself Rhyme Guardian begins to form a plan, when he is slightly interrupted by the stranger, Prometheus X, stepping up in front of him, staring intently into his eyes just a few inches from his face.
Rhyme Guardian, pulling back a bit from Prometheus' stare: "Uh... hey, Pro... um... how's it hanging?"
Prometheus X, continuing his focus unwaveringly: "'It' hangs adjacent to a chronal ripple of 17 degrees to the right-angle of a blue wave-front event horizon... bylinearly speaking."
Rhyme Guardian: " Yeah... um... me too. Listen, have you ever heard of 'personal space'?"
Prometheus X: "'Personal Space'? What a quaint mortal notion..." Finally appearing slightly perplexed at what he saw. " Facinating..."
Rhyme Guardian: "Excuse me?"
Prometheus X: "Who are you?"
Rhyme Guardian: "What? Come on, Pro, you remember me, don't you?"
Prometheus X: "I remember Rhyme Guardian. You are, and interestingly enough, are NOT him... facinating."
Rhyme Guardian, suddenly appearing agitated: "Listen, I don't have time to listen to your 'cosmic babble' right now. We're on a deadline."
With that, Prometheus moved away, still continuing his unblinking scan. "As you wish... for now."
Gooz: "Okay... if we're done with all that..."
Gooz is suddenly cut off, as a horrifying scream rips through the room. The scream wails like a cacophony of out-of-tune violins, each note seemingly vibrating in concession with the alternate tempo of the other. It is thirty seconds before the MBLers notice Prometheus X's form, rigid as if in paralysis, shimmering in a translucent color spectrum previously undefined within this dimension. It is a full minute before they realize the scream is emanating from Prometheus himself.
Gooz: "PROMETHEUS!"
"Yes?" nine voices answer in unison from behind him.
Gooz and the rest of the MBLers whirl around to find nine different incarnations of Prometheus standing side-by-side, staring back at them.
Rhyme Guardian: "What the hell...?"
Prometheus V steps forward, seemingly only then noticing his surroundings.
Prometheus V: "This... isn't right."
Prometheus III: "I concur... this has already happened, hasn't it?"
Prometheus I: "Well, not to ME it hasn't."
Prometheus IX, inspecting the shimmering coma-like form of Prometheus X, the wail having died down to a quiet murmur: "Hmmm, yes, I remember all this happening as well. AND, if I remember correctly... and I undoubtedly DO..." At this the other Prometheuses grumble under their breath at the arrogance of their ninth incarnation. "...this all has to do with that Arch-Moderator fiasco."
Prometheus VI : "Something NONE of us except number ten is supposed to be dealing with."
Prometheus II: "This can only really mean one thing, you know."
All the Prometheuses nod in agreement. Each begins to circle the fluctuating tenth incarnation.
Gooz: "I don't suppose there is any need to ask what the HELL is going on, is there?"
Prometheus IV: "No, no, I'm afraid not, dear boy. Time shall flow as it should. And, yet, it's not. Hmmm, don't worry about it, we'll... I mean, 'I'... er... well, anyway, it will all be sorted out."
And, with that, all the Prometheuses vanish in a puff of illogic, leaving the rest of the MBLers dumbfounded.
Rhyme Guardian: "Why is it, every time he's involved, things just go from annoying straight to weird?"
Arch-Moderator: "Soon, now. Very soon."