by the Message Board League
Roster: Rhyme Guardian, Gooz, Agent F7, Disco Stave, Caped Cadet, Marv Velo, Johnny Monolith, Lioness, Nightwatch, Zed, and Beer-Drinking Lad.
Infamous Bedlam Gang roster: Shock-Headed Peter, Lexicon, the Hypertime Entity, Reg, Gaul, Viper, and Evil Cadet.
The MBL is gathered all together in the headquarters, except for Gooz, who has just disappeared, and Kid Bucket, who is flickering in and out of our reality, and it may be that the Hypertime Entity is the only one who can save him, and Ritchie has just been kidnapped also. Gaul has disappeared, and no one is sure whether he is with the MBL or the IBG. Velo was just about to explain who Speck is. The IBG also contains an unknown agent of Shock-Headed Peter who may or may not be Johnny, and a former MBLer turned bad called Victory.
Velo says to the blurry figure standing next to him, "It's okay, now. You can let go."
The figure disappears altogether.
"Well," Rhyme Guardian says, "who was that?"
Velo: "Is. He's still here. You just can't see him. It's painful for Speck to slow down enough for us to see him."
Rhyme Guardian: "Speck? He was an ally of the Seven Senses. But he died."
Velo: "I know. At least, he appeared to. I don't know the details yet."
Rhyme Guardian: "Great. More confusion. And we still need to get around to Ritchie's kidnapping."
Velo: "Kidnapping? Good Lord -- Bluestar's already put Mission 0900 into effect..."
Somewhere else, a man is holding a hero in a chokehold. A dark robed figure stands next to him.
"I am the Crimson Bluestar! How dare you defy me?"
The man throws the hero down. He looks to the robed figure next to him. "Well?"
The figure jumps in front of the hero. "The judgment has been passed. There is no bail, and the sentence is death, to be carried out immediately."
And with that, the hero called Crimson Bluestar died. But he knew something that no villain did. He knew that no one would beat his former friends. He knew that no one would beat the Meta Board League.
Somewhere in Limbo, in the headquarters of the Infamous Bedlam Gang, the room is filled with darkness. The Hypertime Entity sits as if waiting for someone. Behind him is a bubble with Ritchie asleep in it. Alarms start to flash all over the place. The room is filled with red sparks, and a figure appears out of thin air. The figure is leaking with energy. He floats above the floor, making eye contact with the Hypertime Entity. Energy flows back into the person's body, and he lands on the floor. The room is once again filled with darkness. The figure walks toward the Hypertime Entity. Out of the shadows he is revealed to be Gooz.
"YOU MADE THE BIGGEST MISTAKE OF YOUR LIFE WHEN YOU TOOK RITCHIE!" says Gooz.
"NO... IT IS NOW TIME FOR MY VENGEANCE! YOU USED YOUR POWERS TO LOCK ME IN HELL. FOR TWENTY-FOUR HOURS THAT PASSES HERE ON EARTH... A WEEK PASSES IN HELL. I SPENT MUCH TIME THERE BECAUSE OF YOU!" says the Hypertime Entity.
There is silence. The two continue to look each other down. Gooz has been reaching unknown power levels, and the Hypertime Entity is one of the greatest villains the MBL have ever faced. Ritchie is locked up behind them.
The two power up and get ready to attack.
Reg sits in his command chair and slips on Hubba's Matter-Beam Corps power gauntlet. "Ah, yes, that feels much better now. Lackey! Any progress on those scans?"
Lackey: "Negative, sir. We still have no idea what happened. The entire universe just seemed to..."
Just then the view screen activates.
Reg: "My lord?"
Arch-Moderator: "How proceeds our plan?"
Reg: "Well, my lord. My pawn IBG is in the final stages of preparation to elliminate the MBL. Except..."
Arch-Moderator: "Yes?"
Reg: "My lord, a minor complication has occurred. The Hypertime Entity has kidnapped Ritchie, and somehow this universe's Gooz has attained power levels unlike any of the others."
Arch-Moderator: "I see. Still, the boy must be dealt with. Gooz is of no concern. Have the other transdimensional beings been rounded up yet?"
Reg: "No. So far, only the Hypertime Entity, Cadet, and Ritchie are within our grasp."
Arch-Moderator: "The others cannot be allowed to interfere."
Reg: "Umm, my lord?"
Arch-Moderator: "What is it?"
Reg: "We just experienced a quake in space-time. Were you behind it?"
Arch-Moderator: "No. It was the Cosmic Mediator. He seeks to remove me. We must hurry." The screen faids to black.
Reg tightens his gloved hand. "Soon."
Meanwhile, languishing in a cell in the MBL Headquarters he was thrown in God knows how long ago, Johnny Monolith receives a visitor.
Agent F7: "Monolith."
Monolith: "Wow, company."
Agent F7: "How could you do it? I mean, all this time you pretended to be our colleague."
Monolith: "Listen, at first I was faking it, but eventually, in a bizarre kind of way, I got to enjoy being a good guy. Let me out. I promise, I'll do all I can to pants the IBG."
Agent F7: "Well, I'm sure you could give us the skinny on Shock-Headed Peter's mental process, I mean, you ARE him."
Monolith: "Sort of. I think when I was cloned I became his polar opposite. You know, drawn to light where he is to darkness. I'm, like, the anti-pestilence."
Agent F7: "Sounds a bit contrived."
Monolith: "Oh, please. We're fighting a guy called Evil Cadet, an energy guy from the future, my evil twin and the Arch-Moderator? We have members who are rhyming gods and a guy called Disco Stave? How contrived do you want it?"
Agent F7: "Well, how about there being another traitor in the MBL?"
Monolith: "I don't know who that might be... but I have an idea."
A man is walking down the streets of Thunder City. His name is Patrick Walker. In the past he was also known as Smasher of the MBL. Some time ago, he lost his powers and then quit the MBL. He feels as if something is not right. All during the last few days there have been little quakes, and weird things have started to happen. He remembers his time with the MBL, and he knows something is up. If only he had some way to help, he thinks.
There is another quake, and the ground rumbles. He knows this time that something is different, that somehow this might be the end of the world. If only he could somehow help.
In the skies above Earth, we see a large ship, and a huge figure exits the ship and descends to Earth. The Arch-Moderator is here.
The roster: Rhyme Guardian, Gooz, Agent F7, Disco Stave, Caped Cadet, Marv Velo, Johnny Monolith, Lioness, Nightwatch, Beer-Drinking Lad, Zed.
Infamous Bedlam Gang roster: Shock-Headed Peter, Lexicon, the Hypertime Entity, Reg, Gaul, Viper, Evil Cadet, Victory, unknown agent of Shock-Headed Peter that may be an MBL traitor.
The Meta Board League, in its headquarters, notices a signal on the monitoring equipment. Nightwatch runs to the computer.
Nightwatch: "Uh, Rhyme Guardian, we got trouble, of the big variety..."
Rhyme Guardian: "What is it? Cat in a tree again?"
Nightwatch: "It's... uh... Shock-Headed Peter, Lexicon, Gaul, Viper, Evil Cadet, and Victory, clearing a path through the city straight toward us."
Rhyme Guardian: "Shit."
Within moments, the Infamous Bedlam Gang appears outside the MBL building, which had formerly been the old headquarters of the world-famous Seven Senses. Agent F7 runs to the battle, Johnny Monolith in tow.
Rhyme Guardian: "Agent, can we trust that guy?"
Agent F7: "I think we can."
Rhyme Guardian: "We don't have time to lock him up again. And he did help rescue me from the future. We'll talk about this later."
They all run outside and come face to face with a collection of their greatest villains.
Shock-Headed Peter: "Ah, the mighty MBL, led by the mighty Rhyme Guardian."
Before Shock-Headed Peter is done, a teleportation doorway opens up near the entrance of the MBL Headquarters, and out tumble Gooz and the Hypertime Entity, still battling.
Shock-Headed Peter: "Entity... so good of you to make it. And now, if my timing is correct, the second last member of our little group should be here any moment now."
As he is saying this, Reg's spaceship passes through the clouds and descends toward the ground.
Shock-Headed Peter: "Ah. Reg."
Rhyme Guardian: "Second last? There's someone else?"
Shock-Headed Peter: "That's really bothering you, isn't it? Our secret member... is it a traitor in your midst? Ha."
"The battle for supremacy is just about on,
Who will win? Right or wrong?"
The battle begins. The skies start to grow dim. The sides are drawn. Gooz and the Hypertime Entity both hit the ground with a large crash. Gooz gets back up to his feet and sees Viper.
"You... there's no way you can be here... I..." says Gooz.
"IT'S CALLED A HEALING CHAMBER. YOU SHOULD TRY ONE OUT SOMETIME," says Viper.
Viper grins with an evil look on his face. The ultimate battle between the IBG and the MBL shall be now. The fight starts, and punches and energy bursts are made. The skies grow black, and the air grows thick.
"Ummm... who turned out the lights? It's only four o'clock," says Agent F7.
All heads turn as a huge figure lands on the former Seven Senses Headquarters, destroying it.
"Yes... he's here... he's here... our master has arrived... the Arch-Moderator is HERE!" screams Reg.
"SILENCE, YOU FOOL." The Arch-Moderator blasts Reg with an energy fireball, and Reg is now no more than ash. The MBL stands assembled, ready to fight him.
"Oh, shit. This is just what we needed," says Rhyme Guardian sarcastically.
As the skies turn green and plasmatic lightning begins to strike, on the streets of Thunder City the assembled IBG and MBL stare in awe as the godlike figure raises his mighty hand.
"I AM THE ARCH-MODERATOR. THIS UNIVERSE WILL BE CLEANSED."
Shock-Headed Peter and Rhyme Guardian in unison say, "Like Hell." Both men glance in amazement at the other.
"BUT FIRST, I REQUIRE A NEW HARBINGER."
The Arch-Moderator fires an energy blast that washes over the IBG.
"THE CHOICE HAS BEEN MADE."
As the energy wave subsides, the MBL looks on. The IBG has been transformed. Each stands in battle formation with an unholy red fire burning in their eyes. Except for three. Shock-Headed Peter lays bloody and broken on the asphalt street. The Evil Cadet stands completely unchanged.
A hideous dark shape appears behind the IBG and slowly comes closer to the MBL.
Gooz: "God, no."
Zed: "Anybody but him."
The figure cracks a hideous grin. "Yes, 'brother,' it is I." Viper raises his arms to the sky, and the clouds part like a bloody wound. From this gaping pit, a flood of pure energy beings pour from the heavens.
Viper, speaking to his mentally enslaved IBG, says, "Kill them."
Evil Cadet looks around at his 'colleagues' and, not liking what he sees, teleports away in an act of pure cowardice. He returns to the IBG Headquarters to collect a few of his things. As he runs down the hall, a strange feeling comes over him.
He feels it radiating from down the hall. As he draws closer, he recognizes the feeling. It is ambient hypertime energy, the same energy that he passed through to enter this universe.
Inside the room, he sees a young boy asleep in a cage. He reaches out and warps the cage's reality, aging it to nothingness.
The boy awakens in a stupor. "Huh? Whass goin' on?"
Evil Cadet picks the child up in his arms. "Come, child, we have a universe to save."
All people are different. Some are good, some are evil, and some are a little of both. Patrick Walker is just getting home from a long, hard day of work at the precinct. He knows something is wrong. Somehow he feels the end is near. He wonders why it has become dark in the middle of the day. All of his life he has done what is right. With superpowers or not, he has always been a hero.
There is another tremor. He feels the ground shake again. He doesn't fear the end but only wonders how he can help. Help all of the people he has loved: his girlfriend, his friends, his former teammates in the MBL. He knows that he might not make it through the fight if he goes.
The man formerly known as Smasher wonders to himself what one powerless man could even do, how he could help. He has a strange feeling that he is needed. For some reason, he knows that he must go. He doesn't know how, but for some unknown reason he has a sort of connection with his ex-teammates, and he knows where to find them.
He leaves to help his friends, but will it be for the last time?
As the MBL and IBG battle at his feet, the Arch-Moderator watches as his legion of energy beings carve up the city.
Suddenly, a strange shape appears just at the edge of his peripheral vision. A dark force envelops him. The Arch-Moderator finds himself floating in an ethereal void.
Arch-Moderator: "Your tricks won't save you. I have destroyed countless universes. I know your every move."
The void folds in on itself in four dimensions before him. An essence seems to radiate from the fold. The Arch-Moderator begins to laugh.
Prometheus III appears from the fold. "Only a twisted creature such as you would find the deaths of so many funny."
Arch-Moderator: "All will be remade in my image."
Prometheus III: "Such a truly twisted universe would not deserve existence."
Arch-Moderator: "Bah. It is this universe and others like it that no longer deserve to exist. They serve only to perpetuate their savagery. Just take a look beyond your own self. This universe was boiling with evil and violence before I arrived."
Prometheus III: "Violence is a sad byproduct of freewill."
Arch-Moderator: "I intend on eliminating that."
Prometheus III: "By eliminating freewill?"
Arch-Moderator: "No. By eliminating existence. With no one around to cause pain, there will be no pain."
Prometheus III: "That's insane. You will be erasing all that is good in the universe: love, friendship, compassion. Just look at those people fighting at your feet. They volunteer their abilities and very lives to safeguard these things."
Arch-Moderator: "They struggle in vain."
Prometheus III: "What could have caused you such pain that you would destroy everything to escape it?"
Prometheus III reaches out and touches the Arch-Moderator. A flood of images tears through his every fiber. In an instant, he feels the anguish and pain of a thousand generations on a thousand different worlds. He feels it as family members are killed before him, he finds himself bound and sold into slavery, he feels his very limbs torn asunder. In countless ways, countless times, his very being is stolen from him.
Prometheus III tears himself away from this beast. He touches his own face to find a strange substance. Blood. His blood. Red and sticky, and strangely sweet smelling.
Arch-Moderator: "You should understand better than most why this must be done."
Prometheus III: "Ye... No. There... is still... hope. Hope never dies. You were a man once. You must have hope, Buddy Sca..."
"NEVER SAY THAT NAME."
A burst of energy rips through Prometheus III's body. His ethereal essence is shredded like tissue paper. His corporeal form drops to the street.
Rhyme Guardian spots the body first. "Dear God..."
"Rhy... Rhyme Guardian..." a voice calls from behind him.
He turns to see an old friend. "Nightwatch, old buddy. I'm glad you're here. We can use all the help we can get."
Nightwatch staggers forward, a thin trickle of blood running down his right arm from a nasty gash in his shoulder. "It's gone, Rhymer. It's all... gone."
Rhyme Guardian: "What's gone?"
Nightwatch stands before him, his eyes wide and red and sore, the kind of soreness that comes when one has run out of tears.
Rhyme Guardian: "Nightwatch. Come on, man, what's gone?"
Nightwatch: "Europe's gone. All of it. Just gone."
Rhyme Guardian stands speechless.
Rhyme Guardian is stunned at Nightwatch's news. "Gone?"
Nightwatch: "Yeah... all of it, gone..."
They both reel in shock from such destruction.
The entire MBL is in battle with the IBG, led by the mind-controlled Viper.
All of a sudden, a four-dimensional time warp explodes into the battle. The ten Prometheuses tumble, unconscious, to the floor. The Arch-Moderator stands above them.
Rhyme Guardian wonders what sort of being is able to get the jump on Prometheus X, let alone his nine duplicates as well.
The Arch-Moderator raises his fist, but before more destruction can occur, a white light appears above the Arch-Moderator.
Arch-Moderator: "Rob..."
"The MBL and IBG are engaged in battle,
All may be slaughtered like mindless cattle."
The MBL and the IBG are locked in mortal combat. Viper stands watching the destruction he has helped to cause. The death and mindless destruction. Two figures approach Viper. One is the otherdimensional twin of Viper, known as Zed, and the other is the man known as Gooz, who has all but lost his life to Viper's murder spree. Gooz is surging with power from all of his cells, sparks flying from his eyes.
Zed looks pissed off and uses his power glove, dark red sparks flying around him. "Two versus one. The odds look better for us."
"TWO... A FUCKING ARMY CAN'T STOP ME! I AM A GOD!" says Viper.
Viper places his arms in the air, and the sky thunders and lighting strikes in a circle around the three. Fire consumes around the three like a cage. Both Gooz and Zed look at each other then back at Viper.
"LET'S SEE WHAT YOU GOT!" says Viper.
Zed uses his powers to hit Viper with powerful energy blasts, razor blades, energy spikes and everything else he can think of. Gooz also hits Viper with a powerful blast of energy. The smoke starts to clear, and all that is seen are two red eyes, and a large shadow spike slices Zed across the chest, and Zed falls to the ground. Gooz uses his powers to try and warp the ground around Viper, but it doesn't work, and Viper gives Gooz a strong roundhouse kick and a backhand punch that sends Gooz right into Zed.
"Oh my God. He has never been this powerful... how are we going to stop him?" says Gooz.
"I-I don't... kn-know," says Zed, holding his chest in pain. "What about your p-powers... you almost killed him last time. You have to power up to... to that level again!"
"I'm not too sure how I did that last time. I think it has to do with my anger. Viper could have killed both of us just now, and he almost did. Now it is time to stop him, and his master, the Arch-Moderator!" yells Gooz.
Gooz's power levels increase like never before. His body can't even hold up. Energy is rippling out of his body from all sides, and now Gooz turns into a man of pure energy. Gooz walks right up to Viper, and they stand face to face.
"Now," says Gooz.
Viper has a look on his face like never before. It is a look of fear. Gooz hits Viper with a full blunt assault, and there is a huge explosion, and Viper is battered and bloody on the floor.
"Yeah, man, you did it! You finaly put Viper down for the count!" says Zed.
"I DON'T KNOW WHAT IS HAPPENING TO ME. I CAN'T KEEP MY FORM. I AM FADING AWA..." says Gooz.
"What... no, Gooz -- where are you?!" screams Zed.
The smoke clears, and there is nothing. Then, out of nowhere, a blue light blinds Zed, and two figures appear. One is Gooz, and he is helping another who looks like he is in pain. It is... Kid Buckets.
"Oh my God," mutters Zed.
"He should be okay. I just saved him from the time stream. I don't know how long I can keep myself together before the energy in me spreads out all over the world, and I will be no more. But, before I die, I will use all my power to stop the Arch-Mod," says Gooz.
Gooz heads toward the Arch-Moderator
"No! WAIT!" yells Zed.
The Cosmic Mediator and the Arch-Moderator stand off against each other. All of a sudden, they disappear into a weird flash of light, along with Gooz and the Prometheuses.
Rhyme Guardian turns to Nightwatch. He used his rhyme force healing powers, pushing them to the limit. Nightwatch seems to be getting better, but Rhyme Guardian has no time to stick around and make sure the job is done.
He looks at Kid Bucket. He knows Gooz has stabilized him, but all the Buckets inside still needed to be separated, and only the Hypertime Entity could do that.
Rhyme Guardian begins to envelop himself in rhyme force energy. He hears warnings shouted to him from his teammates, but he barely hears them. This sort of thing has a tendency to make Rhyme Guardian disappear into the rhyme force. Before anything like that can happen, Rhyme Guardian throws himself into the Hypertime Entity, combining the energies of the rhyme force and hypertime.
HyperRhymer: "I've combined the two most powerful energy forces in the world. I think I've fucked up some serious stuff. I don't know how long I can keep... CONTROL. I AM IN CONTROL NOW. ALL WILL BOW BEFORE ME. THAT FOOL RHYME GUARDIAN HAS MADE ME MORE POWERFUL THAN EVER... man, that was weird."
Control of the dual being seems to be slipping between the two.
HyperRhymer: "Bucket, I think I can separate your inner selves. Jump into the energy field I'm radiating, enter hypertime."
Meanwhile, Disco Stave, Caped Cadet, Marv Velo, Lioness, and Beer-Drinking Lad are having a hell of a time keeping Gaul, Victory, and Lexicon at bay.
Disco Stave, dodging a power blast, says, "Velo, could you give us an energy field to bottle these guys up? The playing field's too big." Suddenly, Steve is whacked on the back of the head and slumps, unconscious.
Johnny Monolith: "Quiet, you fool..."
Marv Velo: "Oh, God -- Johnny Turncoat once again betrays us."
Johnny Monolith: "Wrong, I'm afraid. My wayward clone is not in control anymore."
"Shock-Headed Peter?" Marv Velo aims a blast but is knocked out by Gaul from behind.
Johnny Monolith: "After the monitor put paid to my other body, I decided to rehouse my spirit in this one. Monolith was always my contingency plan."
Cadet: "Come on, Pinheaded Peter, you've got to help us stop the Arch-Moderator! It's in your interests."
Monolith/Shock-Headed Peter: "Why? I am currently in control of the Cosmic Mediator and, soon, the entire rhyme force. You see, when my alter ego let Lexicon out..." Shock-Headed Peter/Monolith parries a force blast. "It was always my intention Lexicon would die in the rhyme force, spread across history. Now, every single human being has a little bit of Lexicon's energy, and I control Lexicon! This is why all your members seem to betray you. And now I'm using the world's latent psychics to manipulate the Arch-Moderator. Soon, all time and space will be my playdoh!"
Cadet aims a careful blow, which Shock-Headed Peter catches. "As long as one remains to resist you, you shall never win!"
Shock-Headed Peter throws the Cadet almost a mile. "Resistance is, well..." He stops and smiles at himself. "Pretty bloody pointless."
But from behind comes a noise, a man powering up an almost antique energy extraction cannon. And then a voice.
Smasher: "I disagree."
KABLAM!
On a parallel world, one that has been destroyed for months. This is the dead world that was once the home to the MBL member known as Zed. The Hypertime Entity laid waste to this world with the help of the Dark MBL. A blue portal opens high above the ground, and four figures fall to the ground and hit hard. They are the Cosmic Mediator, the Arch-Moderator, Gooz and the Prometheuses.
"HOW HAS SOMEONE BROUGHT ME HERE?" demands the Arch-Moderator.
A figure walks from the smoke-filled air.
"Remember me? Now you will be defeated!" says Evil Cadet.
"YOU...? BWA-HA HA HA HA... HOW DO YOU THINK YOU CAN DEFEAT ME?" says the Arch-Moderator
"Not me... him!" says Evil Cadet.
Ritchie steps out from the shadows with a blue glow in his eyes.
"You will never hurt anyone again," says Ritchie.
Ritchie shoots the Arch-Moderator in the head with a blue blast. The Arch-Moderator falls to the ground, hitting hard. The Arch-Moderator puts his hand to his face and feels something strange.
"BLOOD...?"
Blood trickles down the Arch-Moderator's face as he stands up. "INSOLENT WHELP."
He returns fire on the young Ritchie, who throws up a quick shield that barely protects him.
"You son of a--!" Gooz hurtles himself at the Arch-Moderator. His energy levels still peaking, he launches a frontal assault. The Arch-Moderator reaches out and grabs hold of Gooz. Energy begins to spark out of Gooz's body and radiates up the Arch-Moderator's arm.
"THANKS." With this newfound power, the Arch-Moderator fires at the Cosmic Mediator. The energy impacts around him in a blue ripple. Using Gooz's souped-up reality-altering powers, he folds the universe around the Cosmic Mediator, sealing him in a pocket universe.
The Arch-Moderator looks at Evil Cadet and the assembled Prometheuses. "AND SO IT ENDS."
In hypertime, Kid Buckets says, "Where in the hell am I?"
He spins around in nothingness to see a red dot in the distance. In the blink of an eye, he advances on the shape. "I see..." He floats just alongside the vessel. It is the Arch-Moderator's ship, which travels through hypertime to reach each universe.
"Okay, this has to be useful somehow. If I can take over this thing, I might be able to stop the Arch-Mod. But I can't do it alone. I need to go get help."
Kid Buckets reaches the front of the ship, which is poking through into the MBL's universe. He heads for the opening but can't push through. "Come on! I hate this crap."
As he floats near the opening, he can see the others fighting the IBG. A strange aura radiates around two of them. "Hmmm. Maybe."
He extends his mental reach through hypertime. Through it, he can feel those that have traversed through hypertime. He focuses on two friends.
"What the hell?"
"Where am I?"
He turns around to see Lioness and Zed, who is dressed in his long, black coat from his Lone Survivor days.
Kid Buckets: "You are back in hypertime. Only we can stop the Arch-Mod's ship."
Lone Survivor: "Excuse me? What the fuck are you talking about?"
Lioness: "Who?"
Kid Buckets realizes that he pulled them from the past, from the first time they crossed universes. "Listen, I am from your futures. A godlike being known as the Arch-Moderator is trying to destroy all the universes. This is his ship. If we can take it over, we might be able to stop him."
The two timelost travelers stare at each other. Lone Survivor slowly reaches for his gun.
Kid Buckets: "I know both of you. I know you are heroes, some of the best. I... hell, everyone needs your help." He turns to Lone Survivor. "Zed -- yes, I know that's your real name -- you know better than anyone what it is like to lose an entire world. If we don't act quickly, everyone that ever existed will share that fate." He turns to Lioness. "Lioness, you have traveled so very far to meet your favorite heroes. Believe me, you are fully qualified to stand among them. I need your help now."
Lone Survivor pulls his hand away from his gun. "Yes, I will help you. No one should ever have to go through what I have. I will help.
Lioness: "Heck, this is the kind of stuff I always dreamed of. Time to go save the universe. Not bad for a first mission."
The three set out to find an entrance to the Arch-Moderator's ship.
The bloody battle rages on. Nightwatch is in pretty bad shape, Cadet was knocked a mile away, Rhyme Guardian is having some problems with the Hypertime Entity, and Johnny Monolith is having an identity crisis.
Johnny Monolith/Shock-Headed Peter gets up and shakes off the pain from the cannon blast from Smasher. "You really think that ancient weapon can hurt me?"
"No, that is not what it's for. It will only make you weak," says Smasher.
"What?" says Shock-Headed Peter/Johnny Monolith.
"Yeah... you feel it, do you?" says Smasher.
Johnny Monolith/Shock-Headed Peter falls to his knees and starts to sweat.
"Yeah, and about that hurting-you thing -- that's what the guy behind you is for..." says Smasher.
Johnny Monolith/Shock-Headed Peter turns around is punched across the face by Zed.
"Ahhh... that felt great. Now to do something I havent done in a while," says Zed.
Zed takes his power glove off and grabs Johnny Monolith/Shock-Headed Peter's head from both sides and starts to drain Shock-Headed Peter's energy.
"AAARRRGGGHHH..."
The deep cut on Zed's chest heals itself but leaves a nice scar in the area where he got sliced by Viper. Johnny Monolith/Shock-Headed Peter's eyes go up into his head, and a light goes out of Johnny Monolith's body and into the air. Zed lets go of Johnny Monolith's body, and it falls to the ground.
"What happened?" says Johnny Monolith.
"Jonny, that you?" says Zed.
"Yeah... but I feel... well, drained," says Johnny Monolith.
"I'm not really sure who you are, but what happened to Shock-Headed Peter? If that was that guy's real name," says Smasher. Before he finishes, a light starts to swirl around his body, lifting Smasher into the air. "Oh, shit!"
The light looks like it is about to go into Smasher's mouth, but it stops in mid-air. The light gets formed into an oval shape and is launched into space.
"Okay... what just happened?" says Smasher.
"Oh, that would be my fault..." says Caped Cadet.
"Cadet, you're okay?" asks Zed.
"Yeah, and I don't think we have to worry about Shock-Headed Peter no more for a longgg time. When he knocked me that mile, I sort of regained some of my old reality-warping powers. I made the air around Shock-Headed Peter's spirit as strong as steel and sent him for a little trip to deep space," explains the Cadet.
"Good job, Cadet. I wonder how the others are doing? This is bad... very bad," says Zed.
As Kid Bucket floats around in hypertime, he begins to feel a strange sensation. He hears a strange voice echo around him: "Bucket... don't be afraid... all your inner selves are being separated and sent to their own hypertimelines..."
Bucket: "Rhymer...?"
Rhyme Guardian: "Yeah, it's me. I combined the Hypertime Entity's and my power sources, the rhyme force and hypertime, possibly the two most powerful energy sources in the universe. It was kind of easy. The Hypertime Entity is a living embodiment of hypertime, a being of pure energy. And when I enveloped myself in the rhyme force, that's what I became. So I can use the rhyme force to push us into hypertime, as long as I stay in control. It's all getting more and more ominous with every minute, so we don't have much more time to defeat the Arch-Moderator and the IBG."
Kid Bucket: "Doesn't becoming part of the rhyme force... well, kill or mutate you into another person?"
Rhyme Guardian: "Not anymore. Since I disappeared into the rhyme force and came out... different, I've been able to move through the rhyme force at will. And when I combined it with hypertime, I was able to come here. Now, hurry and get into the ship. They need you in our world."
Bucket, Lioness, and Lone Survivor made their way around the ship, searching for an entrance. They finally found one, and tumbled in.
In the weird ruined planet place, Gooz and the Arch-Moderator wrestled together. Normally, the Arch-Moderator would be too powerful for anyone, but now Gooz was abnormally powerful.
The Prometheuses opened up a pocket dimension and pulled through it the Cosmic Mediator.
Evil Cadet pulled Ritchie out of the line of fire and encouraged the boy to use his powers to help.
"Can the MBL win this time?
I don't know, but here's a rhyme."
On a ruined planet is the hero's last hope to defeat the Arch-Moderator. The last hope of the universe is in the hands of five. Prometheuses, Gooz, the Cosmic Mediator, the Evil Cadet, and a little boy named Ritchie are Earth's last hope.
Gooz keeps the Arch-Moderator on the ropes while the Cosmic Mediator gets his strength back.
"NOW..." says the Cosmic Mediator, "...THE TIME HAS COME."
"YOU... HOW?" says the Arch-Moderator.
"YES." With that, the Cosmic Mediator starts to pound on the Arch-Moderator. The Cosmic Mediator strikes the Arch-Moderator with major blows that make the ground shake. The Arch-Moderator hits the Cosmic Mediator with a fireball into the chest, which sends the Cosmic Mediator crashing down.
"YOU WERE NEVER AS POWERFUL AS ME!" says the Arch-Moderator. Before he finishes, a blue force field covers his body, and then Gooz smashes right through the Arch-Moderator's chest, leaving a large hole in it. Gooz sends a powerful energy burst into the Arch-Moderator's arm, breaking it off. "How... this is not possib..."
Before he is done, smoke covers his body, and all of the Prometheuses hold hands around him. "HE WHO SHOULD NOT BE... HE THE KILLER OF WORLDS... HE IS DESTROYED."
The Arch-Moderator falls to his knees in pain. "How...? This can't be... I cannot die. But it's no matter. Your world is doomed! My ship will destroy not only your's but all worlds when it self-destructs after my..."
The Arch-Moderator falls to the ground, dead.
The Prometheuses, the Cosmic Mediator, Evil Cadet, and Ritchie watch with nothing they can do as Gooz's energy body starts to disperse.
"Daddy! No, you can't go away like mommy... you can't!" Tears start to run down Ritchie's face, and Prometheus X pulls the boy toward him.
"I'm sorry, but there is nothing that I am able to do... this time. My hands are tied. I am sorry, my friend," says Prometheus X.
"It's okay. I knew this day would come someday... again... right when everything was just getting perfec..." And Gooz is gone. The only thing of him remaining is a mask he was wearing, which falls to the ground. Ritchie picks up the mask and holds it close to his body.
"No..." cries Ritchie.
Prometheus X opens a portal to our world. Ritchie walks through.
"How about you, Cadet? This might be your chance for redemption," says Prometheus X.
"No, I must go my way," says Evil Cadet, dissapearing into thin air.
Prometheus X walks through the portal, leaving only the Cosmic Mediator on this world.
The Cosmic Mediator walks over toward the dead body of the Arch-Moderator and puts his hands over the Arch-Moderator's body. Energy transfers from the body of the Arch-Moderator to the body of the Cosmic Mediator, who stands up, surging with power.
"THEY THOUGHT THEY COULD DESTROY SHOCK-HEADED PETER, BUT THEY WERE WRONG... DEAD WRONG."
Somewhere far away is the hideout of a man known as the Warlord. It is a cave-like place, and there is a man chained up on a big X-shaped structure. It is Gooz.
"THE SIGNS HAVE STARTED. DARKNESS HAS FALLEN. SOON, THE FOUR HORSEMEN WILL RIDE... AND THEN THE APOCALYPSE SHALL OCCUR... TOWARD THE YEAR'S END..." says the Warlord.
In hypertime, Kid Buckets, Lioness, and Lone Survivor have been wandering around the Arch-Moderator's ship for an hour without stumbling across anyone.
Lone Survivor: "You needed our help for this?"
Kid Buckets: "Just stay focused."
They have already crossed through seven large rooms that seem to have been built for storage, presumably where the energy beings were kept until needed. Finally, they reach a locked door.
Lone Survivor: "This had better be good."
Lioness: "What's your problem?"
Kid Buckets: "Lioness, if you will do the honors..."
Lioness performs an energy disruption spell, blowing the fuses that maintain the electric lock. The door clicks open. Kid Buckets enters first. Inside, he finds two men fighting. One is Reg's Lackey, and the other is a badly injured Hubba. Kid Buckets recognizes the MBC symbol on his tunic, identifying him as a Matter-Beamer.
Kid Buckets lunges at Lackey, knocking him over.
Lackey: "Fool! No one can stop this now. The end is near."
Hubba: "He's been going on like that for an hour now."
Kid Buckets: "What do you mean?"
Lackey bursts into uncontrollable laughter.
Lioness: "Umm, this doesn't look good."
The others walk over to the panel she is looking at. The only thing on the screen is a number counting down: 25... 24... 23...
Kid Buckets: "Oh, shit!"
"Bucket."
Kid Buckets: "Rhymer?"
"You must not let it explode. If it does, hypertime will be destroyed."
Kid Buckets: "Wait a minute. If it was that easy, then why didn't the Arch-Moderator do it already?"
"Beats me. He's a villain. They always do things the hard way."
Kid Buckets: "Anyone know how to work this thing?"
Hubba: "I have dealt with various forms of technology throughout the universe. I can give it a try."
Lackey uses the distraction to his advantage and runs out the door.
Kid Buckets: "Stop him!"
"On it." Lone Survivor rushes out the door after him.
The numbers continue counting down: 18... 17... 16... Things aren't going well.
Hubba: "I think I know how this operating system works. But, without my Matter-Beamer power glove, I can't override the password."
On the lower deck, Lone Survivor rounds a corner just in time to see Lackey get in an escape pod. He runs back up to find the others. "That little twerp just bogied out in an escape pod."
Kid Buckets: "Rhymer, you still with us?"
"Yes."
Kid Buckets: "What happens if this explodes outside of hypertime?"
"That universe will be destroyed, but no others."
Kid Buckets: "Hubba, can you pilot this thing?"
Hubba: "Sure. That wheel up there works just like a plane's."
Kid Buckets: "All we need is a universe to dump this thing in."
Lone Survivor: "Fine. Set it for mine. I will pilot it in. You all get out of here."
Meanwhile, on a completely different alternate world, an evil dictator schemes on a battlefield.
Baron Wasteland: "Lickspittle?"
Lickspittle: "Yes, your mightiness?"
Wasteland: "How many cyborg soldiers are there here in all?"
Lickspittle: "Um... five million, sir."
Wasteland: "And they're fitted with psychic power caps?"
Lickspittle: "Yes, sir. They can all read and destroy the mind of anyone within fifty yards, sir."
Wasteland: "And molecular disintegrators?"
Lickspittle: "Yes, sir."
Wasteland: "Cortex eliminators?"
Lickspittle: "Yes, sir."
Wasteland: "Bicentennial discombobulators?"
Lickspittle: "You just made that up!"
Baron Wasteland disintegrates Lickspittle. "Silence! So, my army is complete. Soon I will invade every other alternate world! No one has the power to stop me! Ha ha ha!"
A shadow falls over the army.
Wasteland: "What's that?"
CRUNCH.
Rhyme Guardian: "Well, we found a place to land. Now... Ew. Did we land on a bunch of insects?"
Kid Bucket, Lone Survivor, and Lioness pop back into hypertime just in time to miss the blast.
Bucket: "Rhymer... I hate to think of what happened to that universe just there."
Rhyme Guardian: "There didn't seem to be any life forms there that we could see. Anyway, we don't have time to worry about that. I'm having trouble keeping control here, what with me being combined with the Hypertime Entity."
Bucket: "Um... I think I need to be sent back home to the battle now."
Both Bucket and Hubba are enveloped with combined rhyme force/hypertime energy and sent back to the battle. The HyperRhymer then sends Lioness and Lone Survivor back to the times that they were plucked from. Finally, he himself returns to the battle on Earth.
The HyperRhymer lets out a scream, and the two beings are separated.
Hypertime Entity: "How DARE YOU invade me like that!"
Rhyme Guardian: "Um... I think I made it mad."
Rhyme Guardian and the Hypertime Entity engage in battle, destroying everything in their wake and causing a hell of a mess.
Beer-Drinking Lad: "Does it bother anyone else that possibly the two most powerful members of the MBL and IBG are now trying to beat the shit out of each other? I mean, that can't be good for anyone near them."
He doesn't have time to finish as he dodges a power blast from Lexicon. The MBL are engaged in fierce combat with the IBG, but they seem to be doing all right, as the IBG have lost some of its numbers.
Agent F7 and Hubba watch as the two titans above beat the living shit out of each other.
Agent F7: "Well done, Hubba. I knew you would see the right way."
Hubba: "Well, Shock-Headed Peter was a good guy in the future, but it seems you were right. How the hell did you get to the future before Rhyme Guardian to tell me what to do?"
Agent F7: "You know me. I have a finger in every pie."
Hubba: "And why did you tell me to imprison Rhyme Guardian?"
Agent F7: "It made sense, didn't it? He found out what he needed to know about Shock-Headed Peter and Johnny Monolith, right?"
Hubba: "Hmm. So, what now?"
Agent F7: "The second phase of the plan. We've got to help Gooz and Prometheus!"
Hubba: "How?"
Agent F7: "Let's get Disco Stave. He's more powerful than you think. He was a Seven Senses member too, you know!"
Smasher, Zed, and Caped Cadet are revelling in their victory, but Cadet feels uneasy. "You know, guys, I have to admit it was great for my powers to kick in when they did, but, to tell the truth, I've been trying little warps in the last few seconds and am coming up with nothing."
"Well, maybe it was just a miraculous fluke," says Smasher reassuringly.
"Maybe, but I've thought about when I was flicked through the atmosphere all those miles. I thought I was dead -- a goner! The only thing I could think of was that I was going to die without having the proper chance to put an end to the reign of terror my doppelganger has caused in all of this."
"Believe me," interjects Zed, "I know the feeling, what with Viper being an evil parallel version of me."
"That's what's weird, though," continues Cadet. "When I thought of the Evil Cadet, it was as if I had some momentary mental connection with him. I could see his past, his thoughts of things that had occurred in his life, and they were exactly like everything that has happened in my past. I'm not talking similar here, either. I mean EXACTLY the same."
"Are you sure you weren't just in shock from such a tremendous swat and impending death?" Smasher asks.
"No, my friend. I'm positive. I've never been more positive about something in my whole life."
"This is too strange," says Zed. "I didn't tell anyone this, because I thought I was mistaken, but I was positive that the Cadet from my world, the evil MBL version, perished in battle. I saw it with my own eyes."
"Hey," chuckles Smasher nervously, "are you two sure you're not just feeding each other's little ghost stories here?"
"NO!" snaps Zed. "I'm sorry, but there is one way to find out some information here. Cadet, do you mind if I make a scan of your brain with my ring?"
"Will it hurt?"
"No, you won't feel a thing."
"Okay, go ahead."
Zed probes Cadet's mind with a thin beam of unearthly green light. A look of concern falls across his face.
"What's wrong?" Cadet asks nervously.
"The strangest thing. The mass of your brain has been decreased by 2.9 percent. The electrical activity occurring in both lobes has greatly increased to compensate for the loss of the matter."
"You're not serious!" scoffs Smasher. "How do you know this?"
"Unfortunately, I'm deadly serious. When I first came to this universe and was admitted as a member of the MBL, I crosschecked the League databases on all of the members and their associates. There are very thorough medical records on each of you."
"So what does this mean?" Cadet yells worriedly.
"I'm not sure, my friend. One thing I am sure of, though, is that we must find the Evil Cadet and sort through this mess."
"What about the others?" asks Smasher.
"I believe they are holding their own, and we have a teammate who is in serious jeopardy here."
"It's really that bad?" says Smasher.
"I'm afraid it is. With the highly increased activity in Cadet's brain, he will eventually drop dead from an aneurysm or worse."
After tracking the last location of the Evil Cadet, the trio of heroes proceed to search for him.
After fading from the scene of battle, Evil Cadet finds himself alone on the desolate ball of mud that used to be his planet. He is very confused. Why did he help the MBL and Ritchie fight his teammates? He remembers the glory of the destruction he and his MBL cohorts caused on this dead planet.
Somehow it doesn't seem real, though. All of his memories from here seem like a story told to him by someone else. He remembers no girlfriend. He remembers nothing of his teenage years, those that are supposed to shape a person for the rest of their life. He doesn't even remember why he chose a path toward evil. He just knows that he has always been quick to embrace that path.
And why does he feel envy, an almost physical pull, when he thinks of his twin from that other version of Earth? Then there are these snippets of memory or fantasy. He sees very brief visions of saving the planet Earth. This can't be true, though, because he has always felt the need to destroy Earth. He sees visions of the hysterically good Gooz and Albino Chameleon on a broad, sandy beach.
He experiences momentary bouts of depression with these visions, as though he has lost something. What can he have lost, though? Why does he feel almost incomplete, as though something is missing? He was going to use his reality-warping powers to help defeat the Arch-Moderator, but they disappeared on him for a brief moment, as though someone else was using them, cutting off his access to these powers for a brief moment. By the time he realized his power had returned, the Arch-Moderator was defeated.
Evil Cadet is walking around the dead city, which was apparently once his home on this dead world, when he feels that familiar pull, the pull he feels when he has the visions. There are no visions this time, though, and he realizes that he has earlier felt the pull this strong very recently, when he was in close proximity to his other self, Caped Cadet. He follows the direction of the pull as it gets stronger and stronger.
Rhyme Guardian and the Hypertime Entity continue their titanic battle, causing mayhem and destruction. The other members of the MBL hold off the IBG and seem to be getting the upper hand. Cadet, Zed and Smasher are looking for Evil Cadet. Prometheus X is watching over little Ritchie after Gooz's supposed death. Gooz is imprisoned by Warlord. Evil Cadet is somewhere, reflecting on... stuff. Hubba and Agent F7 are searching for Disco Stave -- it's hard to find someone in the midst of battle. The Cosmic Mediator/Shock-Headed Peter's location is unknown. Europe has been completely obliterated.
Agent F7 finds Disco Stave lying on the floor, unconscious. "Wake up, Steve! We need you!"
Silence.
"Damn it, Steve! Wake up!"
Still silence.
"HELP!" yells Gooz.
The sound just echoes throughout the hideout of the Warlord, but there is no answer. Gooz just waits, thinking that somehow he has his body again, he knows not why. He wonders why the Warlord has him and why he keeps talking about the Four Horsemen and the end of the world.
"THE TIME IS COMING... SOON," says the Warlord.
Marv Velo stands holding his stomach and coughing up blood.
"It took all I had to take out Victory, Speck... I... ugh..." Velo passes out.
The MBL, almost defeated, stands in triumph over the IBG. Nightwatch is injured, but has recovered thanks to Rhyme Guardian. Disco Stave and Velo, however, may not be so lucky.
Rhyme Guardian and the Hypertime Entity continue their titanic struggle, until Rhyme Guardian has an idea. He pulls the Hypertime Entity into the rhyme force, and tries to reach the connnection he felt in the force last time. He feels it. Rhyme Guardian drags the Hypertime Entity in and out of the rhyme force, each time into a new hypertimeline. The Hypertime Entity is an embodiment of hypertime energies, so if Rhyme Guardian does this enough, he should be able to make the Hypertime Entity's connection to hypertime unstable enough to keep him flickering between universes, never staying long enough to cause any damage... if Rhyme Guardian succeeds.
"HELLLPPP!" shouts Gooz, but still there is nothing.
The smoke clears, and the IBG has been defeated. Velo, Nightwatch, and Johnny Monolith are all in pretty bad shape. Gooz is apparently dead. Cadet, Zed, and Smasher have had no luck in finding Evil Cadet. The battle is almost finished. All that remains are the two titans who are fighting over hypertime, Rhyme Guardian and the Hypertime Entity. A bright light covers the land, and both men disappear. The remaining MBLers watch in amazement, and only one man remains: the hero known as Rhyme Guardian.
Rhyme Guardian: "The WAR has ended."
Beer-Drinking Lad: "It looks like the MBL wins again!"
Rhyme Guardian: "'The MBL wins again'... does it look like we have won? Europe has been completely obliterated. Millions have died. Our fellow member Gooz has fallen. Velo is just holding on to life. Does it really look like we have 'won'?!"
Beer-Drinking Lad: "Ummm... no, I didn't mean it like that. Oh, God, I need a Bud."
Rhyme Guardian: "I'm sorry, but from this point on, the Meta Board League is disbanded."
Sometime later, Rhyme Guardian calls a Meta Board League meeting involving everyone. Even the elusive Prometheus X shows up, young Ritchie at his side, in an unusual display of emotion. The government had donated a disused army base as a temporary headquarters for the team.
Rhyme Guardian: "There are many issues to discuss. My 'disbanding' of the MBL... it may have been a hasty decision, but we still need to discuss the future. The death of Gooz... there is no body, but some sort of memorial needs to be arranged." His voice wavered as he said this, but he kept going.
"Nightwatch and Velo still need to recover. I used my healing powers on them, but their injuries were so serious, I couldn't heal them completely. Disco Stave is in a coma down in the med lab. My healing powers weren't enough to revive him from unconsciousness, and we don't know whether he'll survive. And Europe... oh, God, I can't believe a whole continent has just been wiped out."
Tears appear in several MBLers eyes, but Rhyme Guardian restrains himself from crying.
"While I was gone a little while ago, the issue of a second-in-command arose. And then... you're all probably wondering what happened to me when I disappeared into the rhyme force. Well..."
Rhyme Guardian pulls off his mask to a gasp of shock from his colleagues. "Yes, I'm not the same person you knew. In the rhyme force, I felt several pulls toward other hypertimelines. The force is open to all of hypertime, not just this universe. When I disappeared in there, the disruption caused several Rhyme Guardians to fall into the rhyme force from different hypertimelines, each enveloped within his own power.
"We knew that, if we combined our power, we would be able to return home. But we didn't know which home. We disappeared into hypertimelines randomly, and I ended up back here. But I've retained my old memories and personality, strangely enough, so the change is purely physical." The other Leaguers are enthralled by this story.
Rhyme Guardian: "And now, the issue of my second-in-command. Both Agent F7 and Gooz have proven to be worthy and more than up to the task. So I've decided to appoint them joint second-in-command. Any objections?" There are a few nervous and confused glances, but no one says anything.
Rhyme Guardian: "Good. Now, we can finish this later. Everyone, retire to your quarters for now."
The tragedies have taken their toll on even Rhyme Guardian... especially Rhyme Guardian, and even he couldn't keep up the calm facade forever. He walks slowly back to his quarters, stopping for something to eat. When he gets to his room, he isn't all that surprised to find Prometheus X there waiting for him.
Rhyme Guardian: "You know Gooz and Agent F7, Prometheus. Do you think I made the right decision?"
Prometheus X: "You followed your heart. For someone like you, that's probably always the right decision."
Rhyme Guardian: "Thanks. If you'll excuse me, I need sleep. Lots and lots of sleep."
Prometheus X: "Of course".
Rhyme Guardian has left the meeting room, and only a few MBLers remain here after the meeting. Agent F7, Kid bucket, Smasher, Zed, Caped Cadet and the mysterious stranger known as Prometheus X.
Agent F7: "Oh, man... this is worse than I thought. Rhyme Guardian is really starting to lose it."
Zed: "Yeah, but can you blame him? He has been through a lot! I know how it feels to lose so much, and I took things the same way he has. He'll be okay. Trust me."
Kid Bucket: "Yeah, but he just made Gooz co-leader. Gooz is g-gone. The Rhymer knows that..."
Pro X: "Maybe so, but stranger things have happened. I can't feel his presence, but perhaps somewhere he is alive."
Zed: "No, no one could have survived what he went through. At least he was able to take out Viper before he... was killed."
There is silence. No one says a word. Two shadows cover the table from both ends.
Zed: "What the fuck...?"
"WE ARE DEATH AND WAR, AND WE SHALL BE YOUR DEATH..."
Coincidentally, Caped Cadet is transported out of the room in a blinding flash of light. Instantaneously, he ends up on the floor of a darkened, dusty room. He hears sounds nearby, apparently the winding down of some large machine.
"Who's there?" he asks nervously.
"You know who I am, and, even though it's not well lit, I think you can guess where you are," replies a familiar voice. At the sound of this voice, Caped Cadet jumps into a defensive position. "I didn't bring you here to fight," reassures the voice. "I know you felt my presence when you were here before with Zed and Smasher. But, like myself, you were afraid of this meeting."
"Okay," admits Cadet, "I was afraid, but so were you. I could feel you evading me, too, when I was here before."
"Yes, I was. You must admit the reason is both baffling and terrifying. And I'm sure you know the reason as well as I do."
Cadet's eyes have been quickly adjusting to the gloom as the stranger quickly steps into a better lit part of the room. It is the Evil Cadet. "Yes, I think we are two halves of the same whole."
"I agree," sighs Evil Cadet with relief. "I'm sure that Shock-Headed Peter found me in my vulnerable state after our separation and brainwashed me, preying on the evil of which I obviously am."
"No, you may be made up of our bad qualities, but you definitely displayed our heroism when you helped us to defeat the rest of the IBG."
"Yes. Deep down I felt it was wrong, and I was having severe troubles seeing our comrades being beaten and terrorized."
"I've been thinking," adds Caped Cadet. "We must have become split in two when we used our reality-warping powers to bring Gooz back to life when he died from his stint as Dark Gooz."
"I agree," says Evil Cadet. "It explains our power only being available to one or the other of us intermittently."
"I guess the only question now is -- how do we remerge?"
Evil Cadet replies, "I have a feeling that Prometheus X may be the only being who can help us with that."
That said, the two Cadets enter the pandimensional transporter and return to their Earth to get the help of Prometheus X.
Meanwhile, Gooz rattles at his chains for what seems the millionth time since he was imprisoned in this dark chamber. "For the love of God! Can anybody hear me?"
Suddenly, Gooz hears the rattle of chains, but they are not his. "Who's there? Is somebody there?" He strains his eyes but can't see more than two inches in front of him through the penetrating dimness of the chamber. "Is somebody else he--"
"Don't you think we've had just about enough out of your piehole for the last two days?" a deep, gruff voice bellows.
"There are more than the two of us here?" Gooz questions curiously.
"Who said that?" replied a mellow, feminine voice. "I just said we've heard enough from you for the last two days."
"But I'm so happy to hear other voices," squeaks Gooz. "It's been so lonely."
"You don't think we know that?" questions a low raspy voice.
"I'm sorry," replies Gooz. "But if there's a bunch of us, maybe we can figure on a way to get out of here."
Suddenly, a voice breaks the air that has the qualities of claws across a chalkboard and broken glass underfoot. "The only thing to happen if we get free is that we'll feast upon your entrails, meat!"
A cold sweat breaks across Gooz's forehead as he instantly realizes that this creature means to kill and eat him, but also that the other voices just so happen to have come from the very same spot that this last voice emanated from. What was going on here? Suddenly, the creature, which sounded no more than ten feet away from him, begins to thrash at its chains with no abandon. Gooz realizes that, if this thing does get loose, he could be in horrible trouble. Gooz's terror overwhelms him as he thinks he can feel the creature's breath a mere foot away. His bladder lets go.
The End