posted
Arachne soared above the streets of New Metropolis. She looked at the young man racing across the rooftop beside her and sighed. After a bit of a mishap with a borrowed flight ring, Dragonheart had decided to cross the city under his own steam. Arachne had offered to carry him, but the look on his face at her suggestion was all the answer she needed. It wasn’t that she particularly wanted to carry him… she wasn’t a skycab after all. It would have been a little faster, though.
Not that the teen was doing too badly on his own. He leaped off the rooftop, right arm extended before him. A thin grappling line shot out from his wrist band, connecting with a nearby building. In a fluid motion he was swinging across the street, the wristband on his other arm already being brought around to fire off another line.
You have to admire the kid’s spunk, she thought, her eyes focusing back on the Omnicom that she carried. According to the display, they were almost at the site of one of the temporal disturbances, deep in the heart of Legion World’s financial district. Arachne hated this part of the planet. It wasn’t that she disliked money, exactly. She just wasn’t fond of how it changed people, and how ruthless the moneymakers could become. It was power of a different kind, and power didn’t always bring out the best in people.
She signaled to Dragonheart, and then joined him on a rooftop overlooking Legion World First National’s home office. It was one of the planet’s largest banks, and seemed like a logical place for a villain of the past to suddenly show up when arriving in the thirty-first century. The pair crossed to the ledge and looked down at the office building. Arachne scanned the nooks and crannies of the building as best she could, but not knowing who to expect might make it a bit difficult to find them unless they happened to be really obvious.
Dragonheart removed a pair of binoculars from his utility belt and focused in on a shadowed overhang in front of one of the side entrances. He had thought that he had seen… yes, the glint of sunlight on metal. Specifically, the glint of sunlight on an arrowtip. Artemis. Replacing the binoculars, he leaped forward off the ledge, leaving a confused Arachne behind. Rather than use grappling lines, he began to leap from balcony to balcony, an acrobatic ricochet that would get him quickly to the ground.
Cursing under her breath at reckless youth, Arachne followed a heartbeat later, using her flight ring to bring her down after the Crusader. She barely heard the rocket sound before being struck from behind. The impact pushed all the air from her lungs, and although stunned she was just able to control her descent enough that the impact with the ground was less painful than it could have been.
She looked up to see what looked like a metallic fist circling around in the sky above, propelled by its own mini-rockets. The fist shot downward, swiveling around at the last instant to reconnect with the outstretched arm of a large armored figure. A vaguely familiar figure. “Stanobot?”
The robotic figure stood up straight, metal chest almost puffed out with pride. “So you know me, Arachne,” he said. “Well, I shouldn’t be surprised. After all, I am one of the LMBP’s greatest adversaries!” He looked around, almost as though waiting for some form of musical fanfare. When none appeared, he looked back to Arachne.
Arachne considered bursting the mandroid’s bubble in regards to the whole “greatest adversary” comment, but instead just said, “It’s the duty of every Legion World Security Officer to keep on top of potential threats.” Yeah… that was diplomatic enough. Crujectra would be proud. “What on earth are you doing working with a criminal from another time?”
“Let’s just say that we have common interests, my dear,” Stanobot replied. “Don’t concern yourself with that, however. You have much more deadly things to worry about.”
From behind the hulking form stepped three females. To the casual observer, they looked like any other woman that you might run into on the streets of Legion World. If you looked into their eyes, though… that was where you could spot the difference. There was an intelligence there, certainly, but there was something else. Something cold. Something… inhuman.
They were Nanobots.
Meanwhile, Dragonheart was engaged in combat with Artemis. He had been able to get close enough to her where she couldn’t use her long range weapons, like her arrows and daggers. Artemis wasn’t limited to her weapons, though. She was trained in a variety of martial arts. Dragonheart, however, was trained by the greatest physical combatant of his world: his father, the hero called the Red Dragon.
He risked a look to see Arachne leaping about, trying to evade a trio of female attackers. They looked harmless enough, but he would have to assume that there were more to them than what met the eye. Watching in the background was a large, robotic figure. He looked more menacing.
“Do you require any assistance, Arachne?” he asked, blocking Artemis’ blows.
“Depends,” she replied, dodging and weaving as the Nanobots advanced on her. “Do you have anything in your bag of tricks to stop a robot?”
“Trade partners,” he said, somersaulting backward to take himself away from Artemis and over to Arachne. She, in turn, leaped away from her attackers to replace Dragonheart in his fight against Artemis. Dragonheart reached into his utility belt and withdrew a small dart. He quickly inserted it into the launching device for his grappling wire and took careful aim at Stanobot.
“Hey, you don’t really think a little dart can stop me,” Stanobot said in disbelief. “Look at me, man! I’m a big armored guy! There’s no way that thing’s gonna get through me!”
Dragonheart fired, and the dart flew through the air. As it crossed the distance to its target, the point opened up, forming a sort of suction cup. When it struck, it firmly attached itself to Stanobot. Suddenly, the armored villain began to shake, electricity arching up from his armor. At the same time, the Nanobots began a similar dance. Suddenly, a ghostlike man crawled from the chest of the robot. Once out of the robot, Stan Biercht became solid. The geeky man fell to the ground, stunned from the shocking attack.
Making sure that the Nanobots were not moving, Dragonheart crossed to the villain and handcuffed him. He patted Stan on the shoulder. “I wasn’t actually trying to pierce your armor, dude.”
He turned to see Arachne just as she finished securing a frustrated Artemis against the wall of the bank, held motionless by the LMBPer’s psionic webbing. She nodded appreciatively at the subdued form of Stanobot. “Neat trick,” she said.
Dragonheart shrugged, pleased that the older hero seemed impressed. “I can’t take full credit for that. It’s a little system disruptor that I developed with our tech guys back home.”
“Speaking of home, we’d better check in with LMBP Plaza and see how the others are doing.”
-------------------- Some people are like slinkys: not really good for anything, but they bring a smile to your face when you knock them down a flight of stairs
From: Penthouse atop Levitz Hall, LMBP Plaza, Embassy Row, Legion World | Registered: Jul 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
“Okay, remind me again why we are searching the sewers?” Lady Crujectra asked as she and Spellbinder floated above the churning sludge below them, held aloft by flight rings. One would think that by the thirty-first century that sewage would be processed in a much less… aromatic method. However, if something isn’t broken, it often gets overlooked.
“I think we drew the short straw,” Spellbinder replied, adjusting the environmental processing unit that covered her nose and mouth. The device filtered out any unpleasant odors and fumes that were around her, and allowed her to breath more or less clean air. Too bad there wasn’t a matching goggle to go with it.
“Well, at least we knew what we were getting into when we arrived here. Imagine the villain’s surprise when he or she popped up in the midst of all this?”
“It wasn’t all it was cracked up to be, let me assure you,” a deep voice said from out of the shadows, echoing against the stone walls of the sewer. From out of the darkness came a small cylindrical object, which exploded a few feet from the heroines. The force of the blast threw them against the wall. Momentarily stunned, the women were unable to react before an energy net formed over them, pinning them in place.
Spellbinder looked at the royal LMBPer through narrowed eyes. “I thought you were supposed to be a telepath?”
Although the answering look on her face was probably enough, Crujectra said, “Give me a break! I was a little distracted by our surroundings!”
From out of the shadows stepped a ridiculously over-muscled man, dressed in combat fatigues. His face sported a macabre set of tattoos, and his numerous pockets bulged with a variety of guns and weapons. Behind him stood the robed figure of the Black Mage, who looked a little the worse for wear thanks to his new environment. “Don’t blame yourself, pretty darlin’,” the muscle man said, tapping the headband he wore with a meaty finger. “Psi-dampener. Keeps pretty little things like yourself from poking around inside my head.” His mouth widened into a perverse grin, and his eyes roamed appreciatively over the forms of the two women before him.
“Believe me, Bannata Commando, the last thing I want to do is crawl around inside that cesspool of a mind,” Crujectra replied, a look of disgust on her face. She turned her head slightly toward the captive sorceress beside her. I don’t suppose you can get us out of this energy net, can you? It seems to be sapping my strength a bit, and I’m finding it difficult to focus my powers.
Spellbinder bit her lip. This might hurt a little, she thought, and tapped into a ley line. Granted, her own stored energy might have been enough to break free, but there wasn’t a huge amount available, so the ley line seemed a better solution. In retrospect, the resulting explosion of force must have looked fairly cool, especially when the Commando and Black Mage were flung back against the wall. It was probably just as well that the heroines were already braced against a wall to start with. It only felt a little like being hit in the stomach by a steel girder. Cool beans.
“Do your powers always do this sort of thing?” Crujectra asked, stretching out aching muscles.
Spellbinder raised her hands before her. “Hey… not my fault. Blame the screwy magic in this dimension. My powers rock back home.”
Lady Crujectra reached out a hand, and the limp forms of the Bannata Commando and Black Mage were lifted from the ground. A surge of power sent the Commando’s weapons flying away from him. The Commando appeared to be unconscious, but the Black Mage’s eyes were wide open and filled with fear. “You know, you don’t seem so scary. I thought you were a big bad wizard?”
Spellbinder looked at the man speculatively, and then her eyes opened wide in surprise. “You can’t access the magic of this dimension, can you?” The look in his eyes was all the answer she needed. “Sucks to be you,” she smirked. “Back home, most magic users have to draw magical energy from the environment around them. Many are able to store up some of that energy, but only a limited amount. Our boy here isn’t able to store large amounts, nor can he tap into ley lines. He probably showed up here with his powers more or less depleted, and without being able to access the energy here he hasn’t been able to recharge.”
“I wonder how Bannata Commando managed to find him so quickly?” Crujectra mused.
The air was suddenly filled with buzzing, and Crujectra’s eyes widened in horror. Before she could react, the pair were overrun by thousands of bees, swirling around them like a living tornado. A telekinetic cocoon was all that kept the bees at bay, but the constant buzzing was making it difficult to concentrate. The psionic wall of force began to falter, and the bees got closer and closer.
Within seconds, the bees backed off, revealing the unconscious forms of Spellbinder and Crujectra. A man stepped from the shadows, a look of evil on his handsome face. He knelt beside Crujectra, grabbing her by the hair and bringing her face close to his.
“Long time no see, beautiful,” the Red Bee said triumphantly.
-------------------- Some people are like slinkys: not really good for anything, but they bring a smile to your face when you knock them down a flight of stairs
From: Penthouse atop Levitz Hall, LMBP Plaza, Embassy Row, Legion World | Registered: Jul 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
Cobalt Kid began to stir, his eyes clenched tightly shut. Why were his arms stretched out so far? It was almost painful. He didn’t so much mind being tied up, so long as there was a pretty girl involved.
“Cobie?”
He opened his eyes at the sound of Crujectra’s voice. Somehow he had the feeling that this dream wasn’t going to go exactly according to plan. “Hey, Crujeckie. What’s up?”
“Well, dear, at the moment we are.”
Cobalt Kid looked around him and sighed. Definitely not going according to plan. He was strapped to a huge machine of some sort. There was a large, cylindrical section in the center. Spellbinder appeared to be strapped to that part. Spaced out around that were smaller cylinders, each one holding a different captive: one for him, another for that seeress… Oracle? And on the third one was some guy that Cobalt Kid had never seen before. The trio formed a sort of triangle around the center cylinder.
The machine was in the center of some kind of asteroid or something, although since he was breathing he supposed there must be some kind of environmental thing happening. All around them was the vastness of… space? No, not space exactly. The panorama seemed to be fluctuating, shifting. There was something vaguely familiar about it.
“Cobie dear, I realize you just woke up and everything, but can you kinda focus over here,” Crujectra asked, patience struggling against desperation. She was chained up nearby, an inhibitor collar around her neck. “There’s something you need to know.”
“Now, now, Crujectra,” a mocking voice sounded from behind the machinery. “Don’t make the poor boy think too much. You know it’s not really his thing.”
Cobalt Kid’s blood ran cold. He would know that voice anywhere. His eyes narrowed, a look of anger crossing his face. “Red Bee,” he said through gritted teeth. The villain walked calmly around to stand before Cobalt Kid, stopping just behind the Psyonian princess. He reached out a hand and gently moved it along the curve of Crujectra’s shoulder, almost as though caressing a lover. Cobalt Kid growled in anger, muscles straining against his restraints. He fought to access his magnetic powers, and could feel them just under the surface, but frustratingly beyond his grasp.
“Don’t you touch her, you bastard!”
Red Bee laughed, squatting down beside Crujectra and resting his chin next to her face. She turned away, seemingly in revulsion, but for an instant her royal training failed her, and Cobalt Kid could see the fear in her eyes. There were few things in the universe that scared Crujectra of Psyonia: this man who had single-handedly almost destroyed the LMBP was at the top of that list.
“You know the really funny thing, Cobie old pal?” Red Bee asked, an evil grin on his face. “Crujectra here isn’t even part of the plan. I just grabbed her ‘cuz I could. It doesn’t hurt that she’s pretty sweet to look at, of course. And the fact that it’s eating you up is just priceless.”
The Shadow Queen came out from behind the machinery, moving slowly to stand near to the Bee and Crujectra. “Do not forget, little Bee Man, that your little games are of no consequence here. Do not lose sight of our grand design.”
“Your grand design?” Red Bee scoffed, barely dignifying the Queen’s presence with the slightest turn of his head in her direction. “You may be getting something out of this, Shadow Queen, but don’t even try to suggest that this attack was your idea.”
Cobalt Kid could hear something else behind the machine. Faint at first, but slowly growing louder. At first he thought it was ticking, but as it grew louder he realized that it was squeaking. Comprehension hit him with a brick-like force. No wonder this place seemed so familiar to him. This was the End of Time!
From behind the machine came a cloaked figure, his robes swirling around him as he moved. He pushed back his hood to reveal a face that Cobalt Kid never thought he would see again. The figure had the head of a mouse. A very large mouse.
“You are correct, of course, Red Bee,” he squeaked. “The one pulling the strings in this little puppet show is me… the Time Mouse Trapper!”
-------------------- Some people are like slinkys: not really good for anything, but they bring a smile to your face when you knock them down a flight of stairs
From: Penthouse atop Levitz Hall, LMBP Plaza, Embassy Row, Legion World | Registered: Jul 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
“The Time Mouse Trapper? Are you certain, Brainstorm?”
The teenage telepath looked incredulously at Arachne. “Do you honestly think I could make up something like that? I swear that just before this Shadow Queen woman disappeared with my sister, I caught a glimpse into her mind. And what I heard was ‘Time Mouse Trapper.’”
Arachne sat across the conference table from Brainstorm, her head cradled in her right hand. This was just getting worse and worse. Slowly she opened her eyes. “The Time Mouse Trapper is one of the LMBP’s oldest super-villains. He was the master of time, and the LMBP managed to thwart many of his plans in the past. We learned not too long ago that he is an alternate reality version of LMBPer Lash Lad. In our last battle, the Trapper was split into two beings: the alternate Lash and his mouse essence. The Time Mouse Trapper was left powerless at the End of Time.”
“Maybe not so powerless as we were led to believe,” Beagle Boy said solemnly.
Dragonheart stood up from his chair and began to pace back and forth along the room. “Powerless or not, it would seem that this mouse guy has taken our friends.” He stopped his pacing and turned to face the assembled heroes. “So how do we go after him? Do you guys have some sort of time platform or something?”
Ten minutes later, as the heroes stood in the midst of an abandoned laboratory, Dragonheart realized that it was definitely in the “or something” category. Sitting atop a platform in the center of the laboratory was five large glass spheres. Completely transparent, the spheres appeared to be empty except for a control panel that rested atop a thin cylindrical mount. Almost afraid to ask, Dragonheart said, “What did you say those were again?”
Beagle Boy coughed self-consciously. “Errr… Time Balls.”
“Right. So, these balls are capable of time travel?”
Arachne moved closer to the docking platform. “The Time Balls were created awhile ago, as part of our efforts to track and defeat the Time Mouse Trapper. They worked… more or less… but it was decided that time travel was too risky, so the laboratory was shut down and the project mothballed.”
Brainstorm straightened, a look of determination on his face. “Will your balls get us to my sister?”
“Let’s just say that they’re our best chance,” Arachne replied.
“Are the five of us going to be enough?” Dragonheart asked.
Arachne thought about it. Powermax and Brainstorm were definitely heavy hitters, and she and Beagle Boy were no slouches either. Dragonheart may not have had powers, but he was a force to be reckoned with regardless. They were up against the Time Mouse Trapper, though, plus who knew how many villains he had gathered at the End of Time. Her mind made up, she turned the “L” insignia on her flight ring. If they were going in, they were going in with guns blazing.
-------------------- Some people are like slinkys: not really good for anything, but they bring a smile to your face when you knock them down a flight of stairs
From: Penthouse atop Levitz Hall, LMBP Plaza, Embassy Row, Legion World | Registered: Jul 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
“I don’t get it,” Cobalt Kid said, watching the Time Mouse Trapper pace from side to side, wringing his hands (paws?) together in anticipation. “I thought your powers were gone. How did you do this?”
“I suppose I can spare the time to tell you how you came to be here, Cobalt Kid,” the Trapper said, clasping his hands behind his back and strutting along, his thin tail poking out from under his robes from time to time as they shifted with his movement. “When you LMBPers abandoned me at the end of time, you thought me powerless. By your standards, I suppose, I was. My command over the chronal energies of the universe was weakened, and my personal stores of power were small. Too small to free myself from this prison. Ironic, isn’t it? The Master of Time trapped at the End of Time?
“I had to hoard my energies, drawing what I could from the universe to replenish me. It was a slow ordeal, to be sure. After months I had enough to break free of my prison, but to do so would severely weaken me again, and I would once again be at the mercy of the dreaded LMBP.” He stopped next to the Shadow Queen, who looked at him with what at first seemed to be lust, but Cobalt Kid decided it was greed. “It was then that I began to hatch my scheme. I would need to gain far more power than I had before I could take on your team. And I knew how to get it, but I would need help.
“First I selected the Shadow Queen. Her magics would help me focus my diminished powers, getting as they say “more bang for my buck.’ And she had knowledge that would assist me. Knowledge of other dimensions, where more resources could be gained. When last you saw her, you had left her to die in her castle as the Psyonian Twins foiled her plots in your “Shadowspell’ mission. I was able to use some of my stored energy to pluck her from the timestream milliseconds before her death. She was, as you can imagine, most grateful.”
He then moved over to the Red Bee. “And then this eager little beaver came to my attention. During the attack on Takron-Galtos during your ‘Infinite Crisis,’ the Red Bee was able to escape. I knew that his help would be a huge asset in completing my plans, so I offered him a chance to join me. Would you believe he wants next to nothing in return? Well, he wants you of course, provided you survive the fate that awaits you. Oh, and I told him he could keep young Crujectra.”
Red Bee wrapped his arms possessively around Crujectra, oblivious to the princess’ squirms, his full attention on Cobalt Kid, eager for his reaction.
“Together we built this machine. It has served two purposes in my plan. The first was allow me to reach through the fabric of time and space, to a dimension that the Shadow Queen found. I manipulated the events that occurred at Crusaders’ Citadel, causing the Time Thief’s powers to falter and rip open the hole that brought the New Crusaders and Villains Inc to this reality. I needed a few of them to power the machine for it’s next purpose.”
The Time Mouse Trapper looked up at the machine, practically drooling at the thought of what was about to happen. When it appeared that he wasn’t coming back any time soon, Cobalt Kid said, “Excuse me, Trapper. You want I should come back later, or are you gonna finish your story before you start humping this thing?”
Spellbinder, who had been laying quietly, listening to the events unfolding around her, rolled her eyes. These LMBPers were definitely not like the New Crusaders. Didn’t they take anything seriously?
“Forgive me, young Cobalt. I wasn’t aware you were in such a hurry to meet your doom.”
Cobalt Kid snorted. “Please. I see my doom more often than I see most of my friends.”
The Time Mouse Trapper scowled, which wasn’t easy since he was, you know, a mouse. “Hello! Gloating over here.” Waiting to make certain that he was the center of attention again, he continued. “Getting these players into our reality was the first part of the plan. Once here, I would need to collect whom I needed. For that, I enlisted the assistance of a few LMBP foes. Foes who were available, that is. That bitch Whordru never did return my calls. Anyhoo, I needed to collect a few people in order for my plan to proceed.
“You see, there is one thing in the universe that can restore me to my former glory. This machine will draw it here, powered by Spellbinder’s command of this reality’s wild magic and your own natural magnetic powers. It will channel the Time Thief’s own power over chronal energy, which is far inferior to mine, of course, and will be guided by Oracle’s ability to sort through the possibilities of time.
“Once it is here, my machine will trap it while I draw it’s power into me, and then I will rule the universe!” With that he struck a dramatic pose, throwing his arms up into the air and laughing maniacally. It probably would have look more impressive without the big mouse ears.
Shadow Queen placed a hand on Time Mouse Trapper’s arm. “We will rule the universe, you mean. Do not forget our bargain: in exchange for my help, you promised to reward me with power and restore my youth.”
“Yes, yes, of course. You will get what is coming to you, my dear.”
Cobalt Kid frowned, one question nagging at his mind. “What exactly are you bringing here, Trapper?” he asked, not entirely sure he wanted to know the answer.
“You mean you haven’t guessed, Cobalt Kid?”
Red Bee sneered in Cobalt Kid’s direction. “His brain runs on impulse drive, Trapper.”
“With this machine, I shall capture, kill and bleed dry none other than… The Entropy Spinach!”
-------------------- Some people are like slinkys: not really good for anything, but they bring a smile to your face when you knock them down a flight of stairs
From: Penthouse atop Levitz Hall, LMBP Plaza, Embassy Row, Legion World | Registered: Jul 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
The five Time Balls shook violently as they cleaved through the Iron Curtain of Time, having left Legion World far behind them. It was certainly crowded in them: the New Crusaders was a large team, but Dragonheart had never seen this many heroes in one place. Each Time Ball held nearly one dozen heroes, each one either an active LMBPer or one of their reservists. Each one had gotten the Arachne’s general alarm, and each one had raced to LMBP Plaza to offer their assistance.
And what an array of people they were: Kid Marvel, Dev-Em and the Boy With Ultra Powers; Abin Quank, Pagan Lass and Lash Lad; Lightning Lad, Nightcrawler and Saturn Girl; MightyFanBoyMan, Shadowplay In Candlelight and Seahorse; the Man From Carggg, Raging Bull and Eryk Davis Ester. There was many more, each one apparently from a different planet, representing some of the universe’s most widespread races.
Of course, as Dragonheart was pressed up against the glass of his Time Ball, he wished that some of them were a little smaller. He winced as Lardlad fell against him yet again as the Ball was rocked by another time quake. Mearl Dox was doing her best to keep the ride smooth, but apparently there were limits to even 31st Century technology.
He didn’t care how rocky the ride was, so long as they reached the End of Time… in time.
-------------------- Some people are like slinkys: not really good for anything, but they bring a smile to your face when you knock them down a flight of stairs
From: Penthouse atop Levitz Hall, LMBP Plaza, Embassy Row, Legion World | Registered: Jul 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
Spellbinder screamed as the machine drew wild magic through her, raked down abused channels of power deep within her. It shouldn’t be possible to do this without her assistance, but little had made sense to her since arriving in this reality. The best she could do at the moment was try to survive the ordeal.
Cobalt Kid hadn’t been certain what role he was going to play in this nightmare. He hadn’t thought that his magnetism would be used as a power source, and he was right. His power was being used to hold the thing together. Whatever power was coursing through Spellbinder, it was taking everything he had to keep the machine from exploding apart. Not that he had any more choice in the matter than the young sorceress did: his power was being accessed by the machine itself, drawn from him against his will. As before, he could feel it, bubbling just below the surface, just beyond his grasp. It was so close…
The Shadow Queen had mounted the machine standing equidistant between Oracle and the Time Thief, arms raised out beside her, palms extended toward the pair. Her magic was bridging the gap between the two, joining them together as one. Spellbinder’s magic would bring the Entropy Spinach here, and would hold it captive while the Time Mouse Trapper overtook it, but it was the combined efforts of Oracle and the Time Thief that would find it.
The asteroid shook again as the machine bucked against the forces crashing through it. Crujectra was amazed that it hadn’t exploded and killed them all. Crujectra’s attention was jerked upward: just above Spellbinder, the air began to distort. Small at first, the field began to grow, larger and larger. Bolts of lightning arched out of it, and colors swirled around inside it, a kaleidoscope of energy that threatened to overtake them all.
And then it began to appear: a huge shape, dark and bulky. As it began to take shape, it became more defined. Rounded on the bottom, wavy on the top. Crujectra had never seen this before, but she had heard stories. Finally it became clear enough to make out its features. It looked like an eyeball. A huge, single eyeball. On top of it was a large, wavy mound of what looked like spinach. The eyeball rotated from side to side, most likely taking in its surroundings. It was probably fairly disoriented, and unless she was mistaking the look in its eye, it kinda looked pissed off.
Time Thief and Oracle sagged in their restraints as the Shadow Queen lowered her arms, their part in the plan done. The witch stepped shakily down off the machinery and moved off to the side. She didn’t entirely trust the mouse, and she wanted to be certain that she could keep an eye on him.
The Time Mouse Trapper laughed gleefully as the Entropy Spinach attempted to shift its position but found that it couldn’t. The Trapper’s machine appeared to be succeeding in holding the being. The Trapper reached his hands upward toward the captive entity. Suddenly, an energy trail arched between the two Masters of Time, and the transfer of power began.
Then a loud crack sounded, and the Trapper spun around in time to see five bubbles appear on the asteroid. Within seconds, over fifty heroes poured out of them, looks of grim determination on their faces. Howling with anger, the Time Mouse Trapper reached out with the energy that he had just absorbed. From various times and places he plucked allies who would keep the LMBP busy until he could finish the transfer of power.
Before the LMBP appeared Stanobot and the Nanobots, the Seven Seas, the Bannata Commando and Villains Inc. He would have brought more, but to do so would require more attention and more power. They would have to be enough.
The Shadow Queen raised her hands above her head and shouted an incantation. A dome of arcane energy fell over the Trapper’s machine.
And then all Hell broke loose.
As one the assembled heroes surged forward. Fat Cramer led an assault on the Nanobots, joined by the likes of Raging Bull, Midnight Son, Foxy Roxy, Space Tart, Freekinos, Sketch Lad, Outdoor Miner, Kent Shakespeare, Rtvu2, Loser Lad, Lucien Lad and Dev-Em.
MightyFanBoyMan grew to giant proportions and leaped upon Bannata Commando, and was joined in his battle by Jailbait Lass, Rockhopper Lad, White Raven, Poverty Lad and Caliente.
The Seven Seas found themselves set upon by the Boy With UltraPowers, Powermax, Lash Lad, Saturn Girl, Seahorse, Duplicate Man, Dragonheart, Arachne, Beagle Boy, the Man From Carggg, Eryk Davis Ester, Faraway Lad, Galadhran, Lad Boy and Lil Rhino.
Twister, Artemis and Marionette were horrified to be attacked by such heroes as Monkey Eater Lad, Mearl Dox, Icefyre, Polar Boy, Gigglebot Girl, Omega Man, Kid Marvel and Shadowplay in Candlelight.
The Shadow Queen sagged wearily as her mystic shield came under attack by Lightning Lad, Abin Quank, Varalent and the Emerald Eye, Maxx the Sorcerer, Pagan Lass, Invisible Brainiac, Lardlad, Iron Rat and Disaster Boy.
The Red Bee watched the battle with interest, his hand still placed possessively on Crujectra’s shoulder. Suddenly the air was filled with smoke and the stench of brimstone. Nightcrawler had teleported within the magical shield, and he hadn’t come alone. Carrying Brainstorm and Prince Mykel along with him had nearly been too much for him, but they would be necessary.
“Get away from my sister!”
As one, Brainstorm and Mykel reached out, and a wave of psionic force crashed into the startled Red Bee. The villain was thrown backward across the ground. Turning to Crujectra, the pair again let loose a surge of power, and the inhibitor collar burst apart. Re-energized by royal fury, Crujectra rose to her feet, and the telekinetic trio turned toward the Time Mouse Trapper’s machine.
“No!”
As the Trapper howled in fury, the three heroes threw everything they had at the machine. Explosions rocked the asteroid as the machine was torn apart piece by piece. Brainstorm reached out for his sister, Mykel took the depleted Time Thief, and Crujectra reached out to Cobalt Kid. The three captives were pulled to safety as the remains of the Trapper’s machine exploded outward. The Shadow Queen was felled by a piece of the wreckage, and without her to feed it power, the shield was overcome by its assailants.
The LMBP and New Crusaders, having overcome their adversaries, stood in silent awe as the Entropy Spinach, no longer held captive, fought back against the Time Mouse Trapper. It was as though the universe itself moved as wave after wave of chronal energy burst outward from the battle. Reality seemed to bend around the tiny asteroid, and the stars at the End of Time winked in and out of existence.
Then, it was over. The Time Mouse Trapper fell to the ground, his body hitting the asteroid with a sickening thud. The assembled heroes held their breath as the Entropy Spinach turned its attention to them. “Uh oh.” A wave of chronal energy washed over them all, and the universe faded from their sight.
-------------------- Some people are like slinkys: not really good for anything, but they bring a smile to your face when you knock them down a flight of stairs
From: Penthouse atop Levitz Hall, LMBP Plaza, Embassy Row, Legion World | Registered: Jul 2003
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posted
Dragonheart, Powermax, Oracle, Spellbinder, Brainstorm, Cobalt Kid, Crujectra, Arachne and Beagle Boy stood in the garden in LMBP Plaza. The unconscious forms of Villains Inc lay in the grass at their feet.
“What the? What happened?” Cobalt Kid asked, his arms still locked protectively around Crujectra, as they had been ever since he had been freed. “How did we get back here?”
“And where is everyone else?” Arachne asked.
“We have been sent back here by the Entropy Spinach, as a token of thanks for its freedom,” Oracle said, standing between Powermax and Brainstorm, each of whom were offering her an arm of support. “As for the rest, well, they have been returned to wherever they were before this mission began. The LMBPers have been returned to their homes, and the villains have been sent back to wherever the Time Mouse Trapper found them.”
“What about the Time Mouse Trapper?” Beagle Boy asked.
“He remains trapped at the End of Time, he powers depleted once again. I feel that the Entropy Spinach will be keeping an eye on him from now on.”
“Swell,” Cobalt Kid said, clearly not happy that the villains were still on the loose.
“Don’t be cross with the Entropy Spinach, Cobalt Kid,” Oracle said. “It is a cosmic being, with a much grander outlook of the universe than we have. It cares not about good or evil, right or wrong. All that matters to it is that balance has been restored to this reality.”
“Well, except for you guys, of course,” Crujectra said, reminding everyone of the fact that, without the Time Mouse Trapper, they had no way of reopening the barrier between their two realities. Well, everyone except Oracle, apparently.
“Do not worry about us, Lady Crujectra. The Entropy Spinach has allowed us this chance to say our goodbyes. It has imbued me with just a hint of its power. Power that will allow me to open a portal back home.”
“Well, doesn’t that just wrap everything right up into a nice neat package,” Arachne said, leaning against a tree trunk.
Oracle reached out a delicate hand and made a quick gesture. The air before her began to shimmer and twist, and suddenly a hole opened up. On the other side of the portal was the garden outside Crusaders Citadel. Brainstorm wrapped the villains in a telekinetic bubble and sent them through the portal, figuring that they might as well go first, just in case.
“It’s been a pleasure working with you, LMBP,” Dragonheart said, shaking hands with Cobalt Kid.
“The pleasure was ours, Crusaders,” Cobalt Kid replied. “Your Earth is lucky to have you as its guardians.”
After a round of handshakes and hugs, the New Crusaders prepared to cross over. “I wonder if we’ll meet again someday?” Crujectra mused as the young heroes disappeared through the portal.
The voice of Oracle drifted back as the portal began to fade. “The Fates will bring us together again.”
Crujectra frowned. She couldn’t decide if she should be happy or worried.
-------------------- Some people are like slinkys: not really good for anything, but they bring a smile to your face when you knock them down a flight of stairs
From: Penthouse atop Levitz Hall, LMBP Plaza, Embassy Row, Legion World | Registered: Jul 2003
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Hope you enjoyed it. Feel free to post feedback if you are so inclined
-------------------- Some people are like slinkys: not really good for anything, but they bring a smile to your face when you knock them down a flight of stairs
From: Penthouse atop Levitz Hall, LMBP Plaza, Embassy Row, Legion World | Registered: Jul 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
Glad you liked it, Abin. There's more I wish I had done with it, more that I could have fleshed out, but I felt that it was probably long enough as it was
The important thing to me was the team ups, and I think those allowed everyone some time to shine, so I'm happy with that.
Who knows... maybe next year the LMBP will invade the Crusaders' Earth
-------------------- Some people are like slinkys: not really good for anything, but they bring a smile to your face when you knock them down a flight of stairs
From: Penthouse atop Levitz Hall, LMBP Plaza, Embassy Row, Legion World | Registered: Jul 2003
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posted
If anyone is interested, this story is available in PDF form for your downloading pleasure
-------------------- Some people are like slinkys: not really good for anything, but they bring a smile to your face when you knock them down a flight of stairs
From: Penthouse atop Levitz Hall, LMBP Plaza, Embassy Row, Legion World | Registered: Jul 2003
| IP: Logged |
- I really love your descriptions of how powers work and the various ways to use them. Its like the way comics are supposed to be written and hardly ever are anymore! Your ideas on how telekinesis works (equal force to brace oneself) are simple & to the point, but informative and add to the effect.
- This already reads like a classic JSA/JLA team-up, at the height of JLA history! Each hero and villain gets a small spolight, the story continues to progress and move along and small sub-stories make way to the larger overall plot.
- I'll have to be sure I add in the Shadow Queen's original battle with the LMB to the timeline! I like her a lot, a great new LMB villainess. In fact, all the villains read great (I like the Time Thief especially). For some reason, I have a much better visual of her now than I did in Shadowspell.
- Its hard to pick a favorite New Crusader, but at this point its Oracle . Cool dynamic with her brother too!
- Bannata Commando! He's become a favorite of mine
- And the return of the Red Bee! What an entrance! Very well done. For some reason I picture Frank Miller's early 80's work or a very well shadowed George Perez's for an entrance. I love how he's truly become one of the more terrifying LMB villains.
I absolutely love it!
Now on the the second half!
[ April 25, 2006, 08:38 AM: Message edited by: Cobalt Kid ]
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
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posted
And it gets even better! The entrance of the Time Mouse Trapper is brillant! (As is the alliance b/t he, Red Bee and Shadow Queen). You also do very strong bit of writing--you address his past continuty (confusing as it is) very quickly and then move on. We know what we need to and the idea is intact: it doesn't matter exactly what his origins are, we know who the TMT is.
Time Ball (It *is* the LMB after all)
Love the idea of the TMT's plan.
The inclusion of the Entropy Spinach is inspired! Finally a visual to it too! The stand-off b/t the TMT and Entropy Spinach would be a epic!
The End of Time is such a fun setting for a battle too.
And the massive assault of the LMB is another great visual.
All in all, a pleasure to read! I loved it
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
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. Cool dynamic with her brother too!
