by Happy Noodle Boy, Gooz and Fahrenheit 451
Hero was still lost in the void, and Beer-Drinking Lad was apparently left behind wherever the rest of the MBL just came back from.
The Meta Board League returned to the temporary MBL Headquarters, preparing to go to Minnesota and find whoever sent the Insane Rabid Militia Gerbils after them. Hopefully they would there find clues as to the prophecies made by the dying Johnny Monolith and the scrap of paper found in the old Infamous Bedlam Gang headquarters. The MBL Headquarters was actually a relatively small building containing a teleporter to the real headquarters contained in Limbo.
They began to prepare, packing supplies and getting a transport ready.
Hardy New-Born found Johnny Monolith's skull sitting on the TV with a note reading: "You're gonna need this." He smiled, knowing that the Worm had put it there, and packed the skull.
In the morning, they were ready to go to Minnesota and exited the Limbo headquarters. Hardy New-Born exited first, and stepped into the small entrance building. Sitting there, looking up at the MBL leader, was Ritchie.
HNB: "Ritchie?!"
Ritchie: "Um... Hi, Uncle Rhymer."
HNB: "Where's Gooz?"
Ritchie: "He died. He was saving someone from a house, and it was on fire, and he ran in..."
A sad look crossed over Hardy New-Born's face, and he reached down and hugged Ritchie.
The other MBLers began to come in after him. He looked up at them and said, "Gooz is dead. For, what, the third time? I shouldn't have let him leave..."
Nightwatch: "Rhymer, it's not like it was your fault..."
HNB: "He left us... if I'd have been able to stop him going, this wouldn't have happened. Listen, Agent F7, you're in charge, get them to Minnesota. I'm gonna get Ritchie settled in, and I've got some thinking to do."
Hardy New-Born took Ritchie into the headquarters, and the rest left.
"Gooz has died another time,
So I wrote this memorial rhyme."
Some time passed, and it was now noon. Hardy New-Born helped little Ritchie get settled in the headquarters. New-Born left Ritchie safe in the headquarters and walked out to the cliff overlooking Thunder City behind the headquarters.
"PRO X... SHOW YOURSELF!"
Hardy New-Born's words echoed across the land, but there was nothing.
"PRO X, GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE!"
Still there was nothing but the sounds of birds in the distance. Hardy New-Born tilted his head down and turned to walk away. A cold breeze behind him pushed him back a step, and in front of him was the stranger known as Prometheus X.
HNB: "You knew this would happen, didn't you? Make him come back! You can do it! You did it last time."
Prometheus X: "I am sorry, Rhymer, but all is how it... how it should be."
HNB: "No, you can't say that! I won't let you!"
Prometheus X: "It is not my decision to make. You have more important things to worry about now!" A cool breeze passed, and Pro X's coat swung high in the air. "Without one, they will fail! You should not worry about the Infamous Bedlam Gang reforming as much as you do..."
HNB: "What do you mean, the IBG is the cause of this mess, isn't it?"
Prometheus X: "No... in fact, without them, all shall be lost. I... have said too much."
HNB: "No, don't go!"
Prometheus X: "I must... but I will be watching for the darkness. You will know what to do. Right now... your team needs you... more then you know."
In a flash, Prometheus X was gone, but where he was, there was now Gooz's original mask. Hardy New-Born knelt down and picked it up, and he smiles.
HNB: "You will not be forgotten, Gooz... never!"
Hardy New-Born walked slowly back to the headquarters with a weird feeling in his head. He heard a voice all too clear, one that sounded like Gooz's voice.
"Take care of Ritchie for me..."
As quickly as it was in his head, it was gone. Hardy New-Born couldn't shake the feeling that Prometheus X was somehow different, when all of a sudden, a blue portal opened, and the Caped Cadet fell to the ground.
HNB: "Oh my God... Cadet, are you okay? What happened?"
Cadet: "They were waiting for us! It's more powerful than we thought... The Boull attacked. Zed opened a portal to let me contact you! They were talking about the six... they had Kid Bucket... and Hero locked up in some sort of energy bubble. I know who they're after... who the other members of the six are... YOU... little RITCHIE... and... the Hypertime Entity..."
HNB: "What? You get into the Med Lab and recover... and look after Ritchie. I have to save my team!"
Back at the government instillation, there was chaos everywhere.
Zed, who had been grabbed by Smasher, yelled, "Damn it, Smasher, what's wrong with you? Why are you trying to destroy the League?"
"I just feel like it," said Smasher, throwing Zed to the ground.
Agent F7 jumped through the air to the back of a steel desk while something exploded. Nightwatch was there.
Agent F7: "Nightwatch, what's our status?"
Nightwatch: "They captured Hero and Kid Bucket in a containment field. When Lava Dust, Fleetfoot, and Dragnet Zero went to release them, the three touched the field, were frozen, and taken off. Flintlock and J.T. Free went to find Beer-Drinking Lad. We lost contact with them after they were attacked by more gerbils. A wall fell on Natsuko, Disco Stave, the Lioness, and Digigrrl. Caped Cadet went to get help. Marv Velo, Zed, and Major Man are fighting valiantly, but I don't know how much longer we can hold out."
A voice was heard over the intercom: "Give yourselves up, League. Reinforcements will be here in minutes. Would you rather not be alive than die than like the dogs you are? Face it, League, your situation is hopeless!"
To the left of Agent F7, a light emitted from the cracks of a door. This light grew stronger and stronger until the door flew off. It flew with such a force that it took out a Boull battalion and Smasher in the process. Standing in the doorway was Hardy New-Born.
"This is no time to fear.
Hardy New-Born is here."