THE VILLAGE OF MOAPAPA
THE NEW WORLD 3:15 PM Dracula stood in the bell tower, watching the villagers busy about their day. He was surprised the place held as many humans as it did, more than enough it seemed to warrant a marine base to be placed nearby. So focused was Dracula on his musings about the village that he didn’t so much as glance behind him when the air itself seemed to crack and fracture like a crudely shattered mirror. The Master emerged from the fracture, a crooked smile from ear to ear on his face. “I hope you’ve come with nothing less than war time orders.” Dracula croaked, his disdain with Karpax for sending the Master to speak for him dropped into his tone. “You sound so disappointed Dracula. What is it you expected today that has you so much more dreary than usual?” Dracula didn’t make a sound, his cloak billowing in the light breeze. “The next artifact is somewhere in this village.” The Master continued. “And you people thought me some sort of dog? Ready to fetch what you require?” Dracula whispered, a hint of murderous lust in his words. “You’re still questioning your place in all of this? You, who have been privy to every step we need to take? You’ve lived too long to behave like this, Dracula.” The Master chided, amused by Dracula’s bubbling temper tantrum. “I want to be sure I’m not just another pawn in you people’s cosmic games. I want what was promised to me, nothing else will suffice.” “Which is why you were asked to meet me here. The creatures at your command are uniquely suited to pillage this land until nothing is left but what we came for.” The Master assured him, to which a smile slid into place on Dracula. The Master pulled a small device from the pocket of his waistcoat, a silver and black ring with Galifreyan engraved around it. “I’ve brought something to make the task a bit easier.” He held out his hand and the ring levitated above it for a breath of a moment before shooting past Dracula and out into the mid-day sky. It took only a few seconds for the device to work, and Dracula couldn’t help but marvel as the skies above Moapapa started to turn pitch black. The Master began to leave just as he arrived before pausing and turning back towards Dracula once more. “You know, this sort of thing just sounds like something I’d like to get my eyes on. Care if I stick around? Merely for spectator purposes of course.” “Time-lord enjoy the show. Besides, you know exactly what we are looking for. All the better with another set of eyes.” Dracula whispered before turning and releasing a low, sharp whistle. Several vampires appeared suddenly at their master’s side; Dracula’s hand chosen inner court guards. “How many did you manage to amass?” He whispered, and the guards squadron leader spoke proudly. “On such short notice, over three hundred my lord.” “Hmm, it will suffice. Go, do as you please.” Dracula instructed, and the guards sprang from the tower and down into a village, where a panic over the sudden change in the sky had begun to stir throughout. No more than two miles off the coast of the village, the thousand sunny prepared to arrive on Moapapa. Monkey D. Luffy sat in the crow's nest, a leg quarter of chicken in hand as he stared peculiarly at the dark skies in front of him. “Nami! Why did the sky change suddenly? Did you do something?” The captain shouted down to his trusted navigator, who was at the helm alongside Franky the cyborg. “It wasn’t me, Luffy. Usopp, what do you see?” Nami called over her shoulder to where Usopp was peering through his custom-made binoculars at Moapapa. He dropped them after a short glance, his feet trembling as he took a few steps back and fell on his rear. “There’s something….tttearing into those people. Some kind of creatures!” Usopp managed to stammer. “Dozens of them!” “I think those are vampires.” Brook said as he now gazed through the binoculars. “I almost can’t believe my eyes! Wait. I don’t have any eyes.” “Wahhh! I thought vampires were just a myth! I don’t want to be eaten!” Chopper fretted as he clutched the trembling Usopp. “Vampires? You think maybe the message from Bellamy was a trap, Luffy?” Sanji yelled up to the captain between puffs of his cigarette. “Who cares if it is? You scared of a few monsters garbage can cook?” A very confident Zoro said to Sanji from where he’d just awoken from his usual nap. “How about you step your piss drunk shitty swordplay ass over here and say that to my face?” Sanji roared back, to which Zoro leaped to his feet ready to return fire just as Robin stepped between the them. “We don’t have time for this you two. Besides Chopper, they won’t eat you. They’ll just drain you of all your blood till you’re a lifeless meat sack.” Nico Robin stated plainly, and Chopper’s eyes nearly popped out of his head from shock. “Don’t say things like that!” Usopp pleaded to Robin, who ignored him and turned her attention to Luffy, who had just joined the crew down on the deck. “What do you want to do, Luffy?” Robin asked. Brook handed him the binoculars and Luffy took a look at the village and saw what Usopp had seen, hordes of vampires terrorizing the people of Moapapa. “Bellamy wouldn’t try to trick us. Nami, do you still have the directions he gave you?” Luffy said before ripping a chunk from the leg quarter. “Yeah, I wrote them down. I should be able to find the place he told us about.” Nami assured him, and Luffy nodded confidently in response. “I need to make sure Bellamy is ok!” Luffy said through a stuffed mouth, but his determination was felt by his crew. They knew when their captain made up his mind, there wasn’t a chance of turning back, no matter what danger lay ahead. “Robin and I will take the mini-merry over to the far side of the village. Once we get a look at the Poneglyph, we’ll meet you back here!” Nami said as she pulled a copy of the directions from her top. “Usopp, you come with us.” Robin instructed the sniper before grabbing him by the back of the shirt and dragging him along with them. “Gah, why me? Shouldn’t you want to take Chopper?” Usopp pleaded. “Don’t sacrifice me…” Chopper said as he hung his head, but Usopp’s pleas to Robin went ignored. “We may need your shenanigans for a good distraction.” Robin stated bluntly. “We’ll need some cover if we’re going to get in the thick of those things.” Sanji suggested, and he flicked his cigarette overboard. “I’ll kick every vampire’s ass that looks in your direction Nami-sannnnnn.” The cook sang as his demeanor changed on the dime in an effort as always to woo any beautiful women within eye shot. “Yeah, Yeah.” Nami shoved Sanji aside and followed behind Robin and Usopp. A few moments later, the rest of the crew watched the trio depart in the mini-merry before turning their attention back to the daunting task at hand. “Franky, that cover.” Zoro said, and the cyborg flexed with excitement as he knew it was his time to step up to the plate. “Oh yeah. I’ve got just the SUPER thing to give us a grand entrance.” In the village, a father rushes his family through town, firing shots from his pistol erratically behind him in a desperate attempt to protect his wife and son from the group of vampires closing in on him. The middle-aged father turns, and keeps up the gunfire, motioning for his wife to continue on without him as he tries to cover their escape. His valor only makes his predators that thirstier, and a vampire lands with a nasty crunch on top of him, sending his pistol bumping across the ground. Before the vampire can rip the man’s head off, a sea of cannonballs flies through the village, exploding in bright doses of light that send the vampires scattering. The husband hurries to his feet and after his family, pausing to glance behind him and see just where the strange cannon fire has come from. “Isn’t that the strawhat pirates' flag?” A young woman yells, causing attention to turn towards the harbor as the group of Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, and Brook marched into the center of the village. From inside the bell tower, Dracula watched with curiosity as Luffy led his crew into the thick of what was a massacre before he’d arrived. A vampire didn’t hesitate to charge at the strawhats, but with Luffy’s observation haki, the monster might as well have been standing still. No sooner had it raised its foot towards the son of Dragon himself that Luffy bellowed with all his might. “GUM-GUM RED HAWK!” A fiery punched snapped forward and destroyed the vampire on impact, proving to his fellows that the new arrivals to the fray were no ordinary humans. “It’s Strawhat Luffy!” A villager fighting off a vampire yelled as he caught sight of the captain. “What’s a member of the worst generation doing here?” Dracula turned to the Master with an eyebrow raised. “Who or what is that creature?” The Master merely pointed to a wanted poster in the corner of the tower, which featured the always smiling visage of the carefree Monkey D. Luffy and his whopping bounty. Swarms of vampires converged towards the strawhats, causing Sanji to call back over his shoulder. “Chopper, you’re on deck!” A loud roar shakes the village as Chopper assumes his monster form and immediately begins swatting vampires like flies. Dracula’s lip curled as he watched the strawhats fight, and in a low whisper he knew only his inner guard could hear he gave a simple set of orders. “End this game, swiftly.” Three of the court guards surged into the air, blades in hand as they moved with deft speed to take out Chopper. “Mouton Gigot shoot!” Sanji yelled as he skywalked into the air and unleashed a flurry of kicks on two of the guards, sending them crashing through an empty home below. A slash went careening into the air cut through the last guard, splitting him in two. Both pieces fell in front of Zoro as he tied his haramkai on to his head and placed the hilt of his blade in his mouth. He turned his head slightly as his haki sensed another one of the vampire guards approaching from behind. Zoro managed to deflect each blow from the vampire’s heavy blade, and the two circled each other as they both laid out battle strategies. “Yeah, you won’t be as easy to cut up as all your friends.” “Does that frighten you?” The vampire guard asked, taking a defensive stance as its eyes surveyed Zoro. “I’m overdue for a test, so no.” As his crew took on the brunt of the vampire forces, Luffy raced through the town, knocking away any of the creatures that got in his path as he searched for Bellamy. Dracula watched the captain of the strawhats with growing intrigue when the Master got his attention. “Your army has spotted a group of humans entering a shrine on the northeast side of the village.” The time-lord informed him, and without another word Dracula leaped from the bell tower, transforming into a massive bat as he flew high above the chaos in the village. Inside the shrine, Nami led the way through the path that was already littered with bodies. Usopp clung to Robin as he stepped around the victims of Dracula’s horde, doing his best to keep his eyes off them. “How much farther Nami?” He asked for the seventh time. “We’ll be there soon. Quit complaining.” Nami snapped back. What she saw once she turned forward froze her in place, causing Usopp and Robin to bump into her. In front of the group was what was left Poneglyph that had clearly been broken in half. Nico Robin pushed past Nami and approached what was left of the slab. “Usopp quick, copy everything!” Robin instructed him, prompting Usopp to quickly dig into his bag for pen and sketching what was inscribed on the piece of the Poneglyph. “Do you think the marines have been made aware of the attack in the village?” She asked Nami, who was keeping a watchful eye on all their surroundings. “If they aren’t headed this way yet, they will be soon.” Nami answered. “It’d be nice if we could carry it out of here!” Nami said, her frustration being taken out with a glance at Usopp. “Don’t look at me! You should have brought Franky, or Sanji!” Usopp yelled back. The look on Nami’s face changed like the flip of a switch, and Usopp recognized the look of pitched dread hanging on the navigator's face. Standing in front of them was Dracula, who barely registered the human's presence as he stared at what they had discovered. He circled the Poneglyph, causing Usopp and Nami to scurry back. “They say these things tell history.” Dracula murmured before glancing back at Nico Robin. “That’s curious, I don’t smell any fear on you women. What have you seen in your history; I wonder?” Usopp’s fear kicked him into action, and he aimed his kabuto at Dracula. “I-I don’t know who you are. But we have the island surrounded! 200 ships with cannons longer than my nose!” Usopp bragged, But Dracula paid his threats no mind before turning back to the Poneglyph. He picked up the broken piece with ease, much to the shock of the three pirates. “As I overheard, you were having trouble figuring out how to transport this? I have no problem alleviating you of your problems.” Dracula answered as he took a step towards Robin, his curiosity about the women’s lack of fear compared to her companions one he wanted to explore. Dracula glanced at the piece of paper Usopp had used to copy what he could of the Poneglyph, and a terrible realization washed over him. “What do you want with that? You’re no pirate I’ve ever heard of, are you looking for the One Piece?” Nami demanded, her hands creeping towards her clima-tact. “There’s not a treasure nor trinket on this planet that would empress me.” Dracula answered, his eyes on the chunk of Poneglyph in his clutch once again. “I seek a darkness that my people can rule. Unfortunately, although your companion is as interesting a sack of meat as I’ve ever seen in all my years. Clearly this of some importance to you and your group, and I tend to take problems off the board as soon as they sprout up.” Usopp’s observation haki alerted him to Dracula’s attack, but he was nowhere near fast enough to dodge the elbow that the monster smashed into his face, knocking him forcefully into the walls of the shrine. Usopp reacted instinctively, firing a miniaturized reject dial directly at the chest of Dracula. Much to Usopp’s surprise, Dracula picks the dial out of the air easily, without even dropping the massive chunk of Poneglyph. Dracula tossed the dial aside and dropped the piece of stone, ready to rip Usopp’s throat out. Before he could act, the massive leg of Robin due to the power of her devil fruit smashed Dracula into the ceiling of the shrine, pinning him there. “Nami, finish what he started! We’ll hold him off!” Robin instructed. She pulled Usopp to his feet and shoved black Kabuto into his arms. “We will?” Usopp asked before feeling inspired by the determination set on Robin’s face. “We will!” Usopp dug in his bag of seeds and readied his next attack. Dracula transformed into a great mist to slip out from beneath Robin’s attack and flew towards them, nothing but their murders coursing through his mind. Robin sent a storm of punches that sprouted from the walls around them at the vampire leader, who dodged around the flurry with blinding speed that even Usopp barely managed to keep up with. Dracula suddenly appeared directly in front of Robin, snatching her up by the throat and slamming her spine first on to the Poneglyph. “Robin!” Nami stuffed the paper away before pulling Robin off the stone. Usopp fired a group of seeds that sprouted into thick black trees that slammed into the vampire and begun to wrap around him. The trees branches were as hard as iron, and Dracula seethed as he watched the trio try to escape. Not too far from the sunny, the Master watched the battle between the inner court and the rest of the strawhats. Chopper had switched to his Kung-Fu point transformation, delivering nasty chops to the back of the heads of several vampires. To his left one of the court guards battled Sanji, the pair of them matching each other strike for strike as they tried to land a clean blow on the other. Franky prepared a massive set of lamps with a long wire running all the way from the sunny into the back of them. He turned to where the others were battling. Chopper joined Franky by the lamps and stared up at them. “What are those for? A NEW TRANSFORMATION?” Chopper guessed excitedly. “They’re for our escape. Think you can dig a trench around these?” Sanji narrowly avoided a slash from the vampire guards' blade, the blow instead taking what was left of his cigarette. The vampire took another swing, this time at Sanji’s torso that just managed to catch flesh. The guard had fallen into the famed cook’s trap however, and it was far too late to avoid it. Sanji caught the vampire with a hook stomp kick to the head that shattered the creature's skull. Another group of vampires surged towards Sanji, ready to avenge their fallen commander. Sanji didn’t move a muscle, preparing himself for the approaching onslaught by lighting up another cigarette. “Four-hundred-and-eighty-degree dragon twister!” Zoro grunted as he stepped in front of Sanji, unleashing a tornado of slashes that ripped apart the parade of vampires. Zoro turned back to see an infuriated Sanji storming up to him. “I didn’t need your help with those things, shrub head!” Sanji taunted between puffs of his cigarette. “Go do what you do best and get lost!” “We don’t have time for your constant preening, swirly brow pervert. Luffy still hasn’t found Bellamy!” Zoro yelled back, forcing Sanji to see his reasoning. “Robin and the others have been too long. We need to grab the Poneglyph and take off long before the marines start shooting up the place!” Sanji surmised, just as Franky, Chopper, and Brook joined them. “We’ve got the sunny prepped for an escape these things won’t like very much.” Brook said as Franky smiled proudly. “But look at this!” Brook handed Sanji a newspaper that had a picture of Bellamy underneath its headline. “Someone informed the marines Bellamy had retired to this village. They picked him up this morning!” Sanji said as he balled up the newspaper and tossed it over his shoulder, where it bounced off Brook’s head and to the ground. “We need to get out of here, this could be a trap!” “No... whoever ratted out Bellamy couldn’t have known he and Luffy were friends, it isn’t exactly common knowledge.” Chopper said, which left the group puzzled as to who could have turned in the former pirate and why. Sanji glanced up just in time to see Zoro sprinting off into the village. “That idiot, as if he is going to do anything but wander three towns over. You guys make sure we’re set for departure. We’ll go back up the others!” Sanji caught up to Zoro just in time to yank him towards the correct direction and the two of them made their way to the shrine. Nami, Usopp and Robin exited the shrine. Usopp set Robin gently against a rock before stuffing paper with the Poneglyphs inscriptions into his bag. “Let’s get back to the mini-merry before that guy gets himself loose.” Nami tosses Robin’s other arm over her shoulder and the trio scurry back to the shore where their ride is waiting. They freeze in place when a terrifying roar is heard from deep within the shrine. Usopp draws his kabuto and turns towards the entrance, pulling on his recently upgraded sniper’s goggles. “Get Robin out of here. I’ll handle this thing.” Usopp said with the falsest tone of bravado any man could muster. His knees weakly shaking, he gave Nami a thumbs up anyway, signaling for her to leave. Nami hesitated, unwilling to leave Usopp on his lonesome to face such a terrible creature, but the man formerly known as “SogeKing” shoved the scrap of paper into Nami’s hands just as Dracula emerged from the shrine. Dracula stalked towards Usopp, who smiled just as vampire stepped on a pair of reject dials the pirate had placed near the exit. “Go Nami! If we don’t leave with what was on that Poneglyph, then this was all for nothing!” Usopp cried just as he turned to see Dracula standing directly in front of him. The vampire’s shape shifted into a massive black bear and he swatted Usopp across the face. The blow sent Usopp into a boulder that cracked due to the impact. Usopp could barely move, an incalculable number of bones broken from Dracula’s attack. “Nami...get out of here.” Nami quickly pulled her clima-tact from her waist and used the mirage tempo effect to make herself and Robin disappear. A nasty snarl curled on the lips of Dracula’s face as he once again turned into a massive bat and flew with blinding speed towards where the pair of pirates had disappeared. Nami and Robin were stunned when they had barely made it into the forest surrounding the shrine to see Dracula perched on a tree above them. “Clever parlor tricks won’t do you any justice. Not here, not tonight.” Dracula flew from his perch and returned to his usual form as he landed in front of them. He picked Nami up by the face, and snatched the paper given to her by Usopp from her grip. His hold on her got tighter and tighter, a sadistic grin on his face as he saw Nami squirm while trying to escape. He was enjoying himself far too much, but how often did humans such as these ones cross his path over the centuries? “GUM-GUM JET STAMP!” A haki armed kick slammed into the side of Dracula’s head, forcing him to drop Nami and sending the vampire crashing through the forest. Nami looked up to see her captain entering the fray. Luffy turned to Nami and helped both of his crewmates to their feet. “Are you guys ok?” Luffy asked, his eyes still on the direction where he’d sent Dracula. “We’ll be fine, did you find Bellamy?” Robin asked. Usopp limped gingerly towards the rest of the crew and was delighted to see Luffy had arrived. “I don’t think he’s here anymore. Did you find it, Robin?” Luffy asked back, his eyes darting around the forest now as his haki tried to sense where the creature had gone. “We copied everything that was on it, but we need to find the other half!” Usopp told the captain, who nodded. “Get back to the ship.” Luffy commanded his crew, clenching both his hands into fist and coating them with coat of arms haki. “Luffy, we need to get out of here together. The marines are probably already on their way here. What do you think they will do if they discover a Poneglyph was hidden in this village?” Robin tried to reason with the captain, but her logic fell on the deafest of ears. “This vampy guy shouldn’t have you hurt you all. Besides, he might know why Bellamy isn’t here, so I need to kick his ass!” Luffy turned back towards the crew. “Go!” Without another word Usopp, Nami, and Robin made their way towards the mini-merry. Luffy’s observation haki alerted him a split second too late of Dracula’s presence, and the vampire crashed into the pirate at full force while in his bear transformation. He rag dolled Luffy around the forest with ease before throwing him into the air. Dracula then took off after his prey, transforming back into a bat as he surged towards Luffy like a heat seeking missile. Luffy regained his composure just in time to see his opponent streaking towards him. The Strawhat captain furrowed his brow and blasted him with a massive dose of conqueror’s haki! The attack sent Dracula slamming forcefully back to the earth, leaving a small crater from where he landed as he reverted to his usual form. Luffy landed across from him just as the vampire pulled himself back to his feet. “Hey, what did you do with Bellamy?” The captain demanded. Dracula ignored Luffy, his eyes catching sight of the chunk of Poneglyph he’d left by the exit to the shrine. The Master appeared at that moment, kneeling next to the Poneglyph shard and giving a comical thumbs up to the vampire lord. Dracula let out a low growl, a warning to the master to take their prize and leave him to his battle. Zoro and Sanji arrived just in time to see The Master disappear into a sliver of time with the Poneglyph. “I’m talking to you! Where’s Bellamy?” Luffy ordered the vampire to answer, but instead with a wave of his hand, Dracula conjured a long broad sword and got into a stance as he prepared to continue the fight. “Alright, I’ll beat you up and make you tell me!” Dracula was in front of Luffy before he could react and smashed into his face with a nasty headbutt. Luffy responded immediately by stretching his head and neck back and snapping forward with a headbutt of his own. Dracula laughed as he slid back a few feet from the impact. The boy was surely about to die, but he had certainly earned the vampire’s respect. “GUM-GUM GATLING!” A flurry of punches come flying at Dracula, who turns to mist and slides between each blow whist once again closing the gap between himself and the captain of the strawhat pirates. He plunges the blade of his sword into the shoulder of Luffy, whose blood from the wound splashes warmly on to Dracula’s face. Luffy grits his teeth and grabs Dracula by the collar. “GUM-GUM GIANT RIFLE!” Luffy’s arm triples in size and slams into Dracula’s chest. The punch slams Dracula into the mountainside of the shrine and crashing to the ground. Luffy’s arm snaps back to normal size as he lands, huffing and puffing from the energy he has exhausted. “Luffy, we have to get out of here. The marines have Bellamy!” Sanji yelled as they reached their captain. “They’re going to be swarming all over this village pretty soon.” “What do you mean? He isn’t here?” Luffy asked, worried and confused. “Someone ratted him out, they picked him up this morning apparently.” Zoro answered, tossing the newspaper to Luffy. Back on the thousand sunny, Usopp and Franky plug in the massive lamps the cyborg had set up. Chopper and Brook watch a horde of vampires come running towards the harbor, much to Chopper’s terror. “Franky! They’re coming this way!” “You just go make sure Robin’s ok, leave the rest of these things to me.” Franky says with a thumbs up and a smile. He presses his nose and changes his wild blue hair once again before flipping a switch on his arm. The lamps near the village come to life and emit low level UV rays that burn the vampire hordes to a crisp. They begin to decay and wither, the smell of their flesh burning filling the air. “Franky, what are those things?” Usopp asked the cyborg, in awe of how easily the vampires were defeated. “Vegapunk had done tons of research on vampires. I just took what he had in his notes and gave them a frankified update in power!” Franky answered as he flexed proudly. “Guys, we have a bigger problem now!” Robin stated gravely as she limped out onto the deck. “Robin! You shouldn’t be on your feet right now. Your spine was bruised pretty badly.” Chopper warned her as he tried to guide her back to her bed. “What could be worse than an army of vampires?” Usopp pleaded at Robin’s feet. “Look!” Robin pointed in the distance, where a group of marine ships were heading towards the island village. TO BE CONTINUED? Monsters vs. Aliens: The Kraal conundrum!
The place: location classified The time: Shortly after lunch The auditorium had a domed roof and rows of seating for a hundred. Five individuals currently occupied it. At the podium stood a short, stocky man with an impressively manly chin. He wore the medal-decorated uniform of a five star general. His helmet was pulled down to just above his razor-straight, gunmetal eyebrows. He peered out, with a steely gaze, at his audience. General Warren Monger was head of a top-secret government taskforce had gathered his team for a mission briefing. The team’s field leader was Susan Murphy, codename: Ginormica. Radiation from a meteor had elevated her height to 49 feet 11 inches. Needless to say, she didn’t fit into any of the chairs and sat on the floor in the middle aisle. She was in constant danger of bumping her head on the ceiling. Next to her, slumped in a chair, was a bulky, muscular creature that looked like a mix of fish and gorilla. He had scaly, green skin, broad shoulders and arms that reached down to the knees of his bowed legs, which ended in webbed feet. Fin-like ridges ran down his spine and the undersides of his arms. Missing Linc, last of his race, absently picked at a pointed tooth with a blunt finger. In the front row, a figure in a lab coat sat, attentive, ramrod straight, notebook and pencil at the ready. He was dressed as a research scientist, but had the appearance of a five-foot tall bug: large eyes, tiny beak-like mouth, spindly arms and a pair of prominent antenna. His pencil-thin mustache was, he insisted, not proof that he was an evil scientist, but rather a style choice. Dr. Cockroach (PHD) was the teams’ scientific advisor, though the fact that one of his own experiments had rendered him into his current bug-like form did not always instill confidence. Across the aisle from him, taking up three chairs, was an enormous, glistening, blue gelatinous mass. It boasted a single, enormous eye. Its maw of a mouth was wide open and it might have been drooling. It was hard to tell. B.O.B. was the result of a chemical research disaster. Instead of creating a new formula ranch dressing, it created a new form of life. Science is funny that way. “If I can have your attention!” General Monger barked. “Gentlemen, Miss Murphy, we have a new assignment. A chance to go out into the field and show them what you got!” “Good,” Linc muttered, cracking his over-sized knuckles. “Haven’t tussled with anything in weeks…I’m gonna get rusty.” “Shush,” Susan said, quietly. “Go, ahead, General, what do you need us to do?” The General pushed a button on the podium and a screen behind him lit up, showing an aerial map of Nebraska. “At O600 hours, there was a meteor strike, three kilometers outside Turnstone Nebraska, population 628,” The General intoned, pacing as he spoke. He took a silver pen out of his breast pocket and with a dramatic gesture, extended it out to a two-foot long pointer. “Here is the estimated strike zone and…here, is a signal rely and monitoring station maintained by the U.S. government. You will understand our concern, once it was reported there were erratic signal notations and energy spikes on the local power grid…B.O.B, you have a question…?” “Uh…yeah.” The Blob replied, nodding. “Three kilometers…what‘s that in miles?” “Any other questions?” General Monger asked through gritted teeth. “Miss Murphy?” “Well,” Susan began, lower her hand. “Has there been any aliens spotted in the area?” “Negative. The signal disruption and energy spikes may just be the result of radiation from the meteor. We are unsure if any hostiles extraterrestrials are involved, but there is concern. We do not wish to alarm the locals. This will be a covert reconnaissance mission.” “Covert?” Dr. Cockroach asked, looking up from his notes. “Us?” “Have you seen us?” Linc added. “We don’t blend.” “He kind of has a point, General,” Susan said. “We do tend to stand out in a crowd.” “Is 0600 morning or night?” B.O.B. asked. “Is any of this going to be on the final?” “I understand your concerns,” The General said. “ But I felt it would be best to have you on site in case this is more then a simple meteor strike. It hitting so close to a government facility, so you will be liasoning with a field agent from the United States branch of the United Nations Intelligence Taskforce…” “U.N.I.T…?” Cockroach frowned. “Is that really a good idea…?“ “Better then the B.P.R.D.” Linc said, frowning. “Those guys give me the creeps.” “If we’re going under cover, how are we going to get there?” Susan asked. “We can’t take Inectasuarus…” “He’s still on sabbatical on Monster Island,” Dr. Cockroach nodded. “We have made arrangements,” General Monger said. “Any other questions?” “How come we don’t have a cool acronym name?” B.O.B. asked. “He’s got a point,” Linc nodded. “We need to work on that.” The sound of General Monger’s teeth grinding could be heard echoing through the auditorium. Location: Three miles outside Turnstone Nebraska Time: Close to bedtime The nondescript grey tractor-trailer truck turned off the main highway onto a side road. After a mile it turned onto a narrow dirt road that snaked through the surrounding woods. Reaching an old barn, it idled until a figure appeared and opened the barn’s wooden double doors. The truck backed up into the barn and the back doors opened. Gigantic Susan Murphy crawled out. “That was not fun,” She grimaced, sitting against the wall, trying to massage the kinks out of her legs. “Yeah, try doing it when there’s an enormous elbow digging into your back,” Linc groaned, arching his spine until it cracked and then rolling his shoulders. “Humph, nothing but complaints,” Doctor Cockroach tutted climbing out of the cab to join them. “I was subjected to country music the whole way here and the driver only had tuna sandwiches…no mayonnaise…he prefers Miracle whip…!” The mutated scientist shuddered, not noticing his teammates glares and lack of sympathy. The figure that let them in, a tall man with sandy hair, wearing a trench coat over his suit, came into the barn. “I thought there was four of you?” He asked, with a slight British accent. “Yes,” Doctor Cockroach nodded, stepping over to the truck’s back up gas tank. He turned a large dial, a spout opened and B.O.B poured out. “…Take one down, pass it around…sixteen bottles of beer on the wall…!” The blob sang, reforming into his usual shape, shaking out his floppy arms and then pushing his eye back into place. “ Six-teen bottles of beer on the… Hey, guys! We there yet? You want to play the license plate game?” “Oh my…!” The man in the trench coat muttered, wide-eyed, as he looked over the new arrivals. “Yeah, I know,” Linc nodded, stroking his chin. “It’s a lot to take in, how pretty we are. You get used to it.” “It’s just…I’m…” The man from U.N.I.T. began. “Used to pointing guns at anyone that looks like us, rather then asking for their help…?” Doctor Cockroach prompted. “Guys, we’re on the same side,” Susan chided them. “Remember, It didn’t go real smoothly when I first met you.” “She screamed like a girl…!” B.O.B. chuckled, his whole body starting to wobble. “No, your…ah…teammates are right,” He said, finally mustering his voice and thoughts. “And I apologize. We are on the same side…Commander Alistair Benton.” He offered his hand. It quickly disappeared in Linc’s larger hand. The Amphibian gave it a single vigorous shake. “Fair enough. Though, I gotta say, you don’t sound like you’re from Nebraska, Al.” “No, no I’m not. Born in the U.K.” Alistair explained, with a chuckle. “Came here for university and joined the American branch. It’s sort of the family business.” “Nice to meet you,” Susan said, offering a smile and an enormous hand to shake. “Well, that’s lovely and heart-warming,” Doctor Cockroach said, rolling his over-sized eyes. “Can we get down to business?” “Manners,” Susan breathed, leaning down close to the mutated scientist. “So, how can we help on a covert mission…? We don’t really blend in…” “I do,” B.O.B. announced. “I brought a disguise!” He put on a baseball cap and pair of sunglasses, which quickly sank into his blue, glistening body. He frowned and stuck his arms into his body to fish them out before the chemicals he was made of dissolved them. Benton gestured toward a makeshift table. It contained a portable communications-monitoring device and a map of the area, the corners weighted down by a rock and an old horseshoe. “The meteor came down…roughly here,” He explained, pointing. “Communications from the station were almost immediately disrupted. It took two hours to re-establish and even then, there were moments of dead air and unusual energy spikes….” “Radiation or cosmic rays…?” Doctor Cockroach suggested, studying the map. He tippy-toed his long fingers across it, while counting off distances and doing some mental calculations. “Not an unreasonable guess,” Benton nodded. “Until the tech team we sent in disappeared. Not communication error, they just simply vanished. No contact…the station liaison informed us they never arrived.” “Yeah, that’s sketchy,” Linc nodded, thoughtfully. “I get you wanting us around if things go bad,” Susan said, even kneeling she loomed over her teammates. “But, how do you expect us to stealthily scout things out?” “Your General made a few suggestions,” Benton explained. “The river, here, runs around a good deal of the town.” “I get it,” Linc said. “I swim around, checking things out and come ashore when I find a secluded spot…” It’s dark enough, that the Doctor could come with me and we could scan the area more thoroughly,” Benton added, as he dug an over-sized hoodie out of a backpack on the dirt floor. “Oh! Oh!” B.O.B. exclaimed, raising his hand enthusiastically. “What about me? Do I get a disguise? A stealth mission! When we talk over the walkie-talkies can my code name be “Eagle One”?” “I’m thinking, you and I are back up, B.O.B.,” Susan said. “In case it isn’t just cosmic rays causing the problems. B.O.B. slumped and frowned. “Oh, maaan…!” He breathed, dejected. “Hey, don’t pout, big guy,” Linc said. “Odds are pretty good this is the start of an alien invasion.” “You’re just saying that to cheer me up,” B.O.B. muttered, sullenly. “I’ll keep an eye on him,” Susan said. “You guys go ahead. Anything I can do while ‘manning home base’?” “Keep an eye on the monitor,” Benton suggested. “Yellow light is communication disruption, red is an energy spike. If all three lights go red, contact me, Miss Murphy.” ‘It’s Susan. I think I can handle that.” Doctor Cockroach put on the sweatshirt and squeezed his over-sized head into the hood. “I feel ridiculous.” He muttered. “Naw, you look fine,” Linc said, suppressing a laugh. “It’s dark,” Benton explained. “Stay in the car, slump and just look at your scanner. People will think you’re a teenager.” “Good luck guys!” Susan called, waving goodbye. “So, what do you wanna do?” B.O.B. asked her, once the others had left. “Oh, I know…sixteen bottles of beer on the wall…!” Time passed, the moon pushed its way out through the clouds and shown down on the sluggish river. Linc’s head poked out of the water. Only his eyes and nose shown. He glanced around several minutes, checking things out. Deciding the coast was clear he rose a bit more out of the water, humming the theme from ‘Jaws’ as he swam towards the embankment. Using muscular arms, he grabbed hold of protruding roots and rocks to pull himself the five feet up. Again, Linc paused and glanced around. “Quiet,” He muttered. “A little too quiet…though, it is Nebraska…” With a casual move, he flung himself up and onto the grassy top of the embankment. Linc crouched, listening to his surroundings for several seconds. Hearing nothing out of the ordinary, he pushed his way through the bushes. The amphibious ape-man peered at the quiet backyard, trimmed grass, swing set and a barbeque grill. The house was dark and quiet. Linc quickly made his way across the lawn and peeked in a few windows. No sign of any people. Looked like everyone had turned in for the night. He crossed the yard, using his long arms, as much as his legs to propel him along. He then jumped the hedge that separated this yard from its neighbor, did a shoulder roll and leapt to his feet. This house had a light on. Linc edged along the wall, reached the window and peered, discreetly in. A family of four was sitting around the living room, staring intently at the television. Except the T.V. was off and dark. “Yeah, even I know that’s not right,” Linc muttered. The next three houses were the same, either completely dark or families gathered around a dark television. Linc pressed his back against the house, frowning in thought. “Um…guys, definitely something hinky going on here,” He said, out of the corner of his mouth. “Guys…? Hello…?” He tapped at an earpiece communicator. “Anybody…Bueller…?” Getting no response, he popped out the earpiece and shook it. Drops of water hit his face. “Come on…!” He muttered. “You gave me a walkie-talkie that isn’t waterproof? Razzi-frazzin cheap piece of…!” He glanced up to find two children, a boy and a girl standing by the back door, staring at him. “Oh…oops,” Linc muttered. ”Uh…well, hi there…look, I know I might look a little scary…and pretty dang awesome, but…um…I’m one of the good guys…and…” Both children raised their right arms and as they pointed at the monster, their fingers morphed into gun barrels. “Oh, crap…!” Linc said as he made a mad dash back towards the river, projectiles whizzing past his head. Linc skidded to a halt, as two more kids appeared and blocked his path. Linc dodged, wincing as several shots ricocheted off his scaly hide. He then leapt, reaching out with one hand to push one of the kids aside. His hope was if he went between the kids in front, the ones behind him would stop shooting, to avoid hitting their friends. What he hadn’t counted on was a stray shot catching him in the shoulder and causing his arm to jerk, his hand clenched the kids’ head and it popped right off. Linc went flying through the bushes, horrified at what he’d just done. Then he saw the wires poking out of the severed head still in his hand, right before he tumbled down the embankment and belly flopped into the river. Benton pulled the car into the parking lot of a convience store. “Be right back,” He told Doctor Cockroach. The scientist ‘hmmmph’d’ in reply, hunching down in his seat while intently fiddling with the collection of doohickeys in his lap. Benton came out a few minutes later with a coffee and a frown. “Anything helpful?” Cockroach asked, not looking up from his tinkering. “Coffee’s terrible and the clerk was…odd,” Benton replied. “How so?” “Talked funny.” “That sounds vaguely racist.” “No, not like that,” Benton muttered. “Kid was as fresh faced and Midwest as you could get. Sounded like either he just woke up or just learned English, but I could see him standing attentively at the counter the whole time I was walking up…definitely something odd and it feels…vaguely familiar…?” “We have company,” Cockroach murmured. Benton glanced up and noticed the police car pulling into the parking lot. The officer got out and ambled into the convience store. He chatted with the clerk, and then got himself a coffee and plastic-wrapped, premade sandwich. On his way back across the parking lot, he headed toward the government operatives’ car. “Hide whatever you are tinkering with and remember, you’re a surly teenager.” Benton said, right before lowering his window. “Evening, officer.” “Evening. You folks okay?” “What? Oh sure, just taking a break. Needed some coffee,” Benton said, with a cheery American accent. “Though, maybe you could help…what’s the quickest way to pick up route eight?” The policeman placed his snack on the car roof, while he pointed where they should go, with a couple bits of local interest thrown in, then collected his food and wished them a good night and safe trip. “That was…odd,” Benton muttered as they drove away. “What…?” Doctor Cockroach asked. “The part where officer overly friendly arrived out of nowhere seconds after your interaction with the vacuous clerk, eager to direct us out of town or the part where the energy readings for this quaint, small town are spiking worryingly high?” “That’s an energy scanner?” Benton asked with barely disguised skepticism. “What else would it be?” “Well, a video game controller wielded to a flashlight with a few Christmas lights attached…?” Benton replied. “Only to the untrained, unscientific eye!” Doctor Cockroach snapped, indignantly. “I don’t see you toting any equipment around.” “Welcome to the 21st century, Doctor,” Benton said, holding up his cell phone. “You are scanning for alien technology with your phone…?” The mutated scientist asked, incredulously. “There’s an app for everything these days.” Benton smiled. “My phone is actually…crikey!” “Did you just say…?” Doctor Cockroach began. Benton stared at his phone, then realizing the car was still moving, pulled over and began tapping away at the screen. “The town is blanketed with transmissions!” Benton muttered, confused. “They are piggybacking onto every kind of signal going through the area…and the energy spikes are…!” “Dangerously high and worryingly frequent?” Doctor Cockroach prompted. Benton nodded and tapped at his phone. “It’s also messing with our communications,” He muttered. “Don’t like that…! We need to get back to the others.” He started the car and turned; planning to circle the town to head back to the barn “True, who knows what trouble B.O.B has gotten into,” Doctor Cockroach muttered. “No more bot-tles of beeeeeer on…the…wall…! One more time!” “Okay, B.O.B. I think three times is enough,” Susan said, with a patient sigh. “Let’s find something else to do.” “Yeah, okay,” B.O.B. nodded, thoughtfully stroking where his chin would have been if he’d had one. He glanced down at the 42 games of ticktacktoe scratched on the dirt floor. “Yeah, can’t have you falling asleep…I know it’s called a sleepover, but no sleeping…! We should have snacks! And then we can talk about boys…!” Susan nodded, but her attention was torn between peeking through a gap in the top of the barn wall and checking the monitoring device. In the moonlight, her imagination was making every shadow a marauding alien. Plus, not having much technical skill, every blink of a light on the monitor startled her. “Come on guys…!” She muttered. “Where are you?” “Oh! Oh! I know!” B.O.B. announced, tugging at her pant leg. “We can do mani-pedis!” “You don’t have toes, B.O.B.” Susan said, absently. “I wish the guys would call.” “Especially, Ali-ster…!” B.O.B. said, in an exaggerated singsong voice. “What?” Susan said, looking down at the blue blob. “What’re you talking about?” “You like Alistair!” B.O.B. gushed. “No, I don’t…I mean, it’s nice having someone to work with that doesn’t treat us like freaks…I…uh…like…um… that about him…!” “Noooooo….!” Her teammate interrupted, giddily. “You LIKE like him…you want him to be your boy-friend!!” “B.O.B, that’s not…um…” Susan said. “Do you hear something…?” “Su-san and Ali-ster…sittin in a tree…!” B.O.B. began to sing. “K-I-S-S-S-S…um…S…man, shouldn’t have picked a song with spelling…is it I next or Y…maybe…E…?” Susan reached down, scooped up her gloppy teammate and deposited him into a nearby rain barrel. “Now, shush,” She said, frowning. “Could’ve sworn I heard something…” B.O.B. pushed up two tendrils of blue goo, one held his eye, while the other was his mouth. “And technically, you’d be standing next to the tree, while Alistair would be sittin…” He muttered. Susan rolled her eyes, turned away from her teammate and was startled by a woman standing in the barn’s now open doorway. “Um…Hi,” Susan said. “I know I might look…well, a little alarming…but…” The odd thing was the woman didn’t look the least bit alarmed. What made Susan anxious was the woman’s complete lack of expression. She might be attending an insurance seminar, rather then encountering a giant. “You okay?” The woman raised her head, giving Susan a slow up and down assessment. Her expression remained unaltered, but she did raise her right arm. The tips of her fingers morphed. “That looks kinda like a gun…” Susan muttered, seconds before the woman started firing at her. She attempted to dodge and immediately cracked her head against a wooden beam. Three shots hit her shoulder, another across her hip. Susan struggled to dodge in the confined space, her enormous size working against her. She lashed out, swatting the woman, sending her staggering back. A couple of wild shots shattered the barrel and B.O.B. came rushing out like some kind of enormous water balloon. “Wha…hoppen…?” He burbled, shaking his head, this caused his eyeball to go bouncing around inside his gelatin-like body. “B.O.B., help!” Susan shouted, tossing a hay bale at her attacker. “Whoa…!” B.O.B. exclaimed as several shots passed through his body. “That’s just rude.” His arms stretched like gum, one hand expanding to grab hold of both the strange woman’s wrists, the other moved to strike her, but hesitated. “I kinda don’t feel right hitting a girl,” He frowned. “Hit her, you big goober!” Susan shouted, nursing her injured shoulder. B.O.B. closed his eye and the administered a hearty slap. He tentatively opened his eye, just as the woman’s face fell off. “Gaaaaaaaaaaahhh!!” He shrieked, his abnormally extended arms flailing about. Where her face had been was an opening filled with circuits and wires. She continued to fire wildly. Susan gritted her teeth, clasped both her huge fists together and brought them down on the mechanical woman’s head, driving her into the ground like a tent peg, up to her shoulders. She struggled for several seconds, while sparks shot out of the hole where her face used to be, before slumping. “That can’t be good,” Susan muttered, shifting and wincing. She rubbed her wounded hip. “B.O.B., you okay?” “Ab-ab-abba-daaaah…!” The Blob babbled. “B.O.B…?” Susan asked, tentatively leaning in. “HER…FACE…CAME…OFF…!!!” He exclaimed, wide-eyed. “Yeah, okay, just calm down…!” “OFF! It came right OFF!” “It’s okay…” “I mean, I’m a big blob of mucus and ranch dressing, but that’s just messed up!” Susan sighed and with her uninjured arm, reached over and gently steered her distraught teammate towards the far corner of the barn. “Why don’t you take minute,” She said, soothingly. “It..It just…right off,” He whimpered as he scooched across the dirt floor. “Right off…that ain’t right…!” “Oh boy…!” Susan breathed. She sat back and inspected the tear in the shoulder of her top. The skin underneath was bruised, but not bleeding. “Why are the doors open?” Benton asked, coming in quickly. He nearly stumbled over the faceless woman sticking out of the dirt. “What is that…? What happened?” “Her face came off!” B.O.B. yelled from the corner. “I…what…?” “Um…we had some trouble.” Susan said. “Yes, I see that,” Benton said, in a baffled tone. “Now, I’ve calculated the wave oscillation…oh…!” Doctor Cockroach said, walking in and looking up from his cobbled together gadget. As he was studying Susan’s attacker, Linc came jogging in, breathing heavy and carrying a severed head. “Okay, this isn’t as bad as it looks,” He said, holding up the head to show the wires sticking out of the neck. He then frowned and looked around at his teammates. “What the Sam hill happened here…?” “Looks like we all ran into trouble,” Susan said.” Close the door. We need to figure this out quick!” Linc tossed the head to Doctor Cockroach and did as he was asked. Benton went over and plugged his phone into the larger monitoring device. “So, what do we know?” Susan asked.” The town’s been infiltrated by robots…” “Androids, actually.” Doctor Cockroach interrupted, not looking up from the head he was studying. “Professor Pedantic to the rescue,” Linc muttered. “Uh-huh, androids,” Susan nodded. “So, whatever showed up in that “meteor” is using the ro…uh…androids and they’ve taken over the town…?” “If they’ve got the town,” Benton said, tapping away at the monitor device control panel. “They could get at the government station and once tapped into the military communications system…” “It would be bad,” Linc said. “Got it. What do we do about it?” “The robots were built by aliens,” Susan said. “Right? Do we know who they are?” “Don’t sound like anybody we’ve butted heads with,” Linc shrugged. “Might be new guys.” “I think I’ve found them,” Benton said, joining them and holding up his phone. “I found a possible match on the U.N.I.T. database.” Susan leaned down, while Linc moved in to look at the screen of his phone. “Kraal…? Never heard of them.” Linc said. The grainy picture showed a stocky alien clad in a metallic tunic that reached down to its knees. Its skin was green and sported a pig-like snout, bat ears and a lantern jaw. Its eyes were beady and it gave off an air of being perpetually grumpy. “U.N.I.T. has encountered them a couple times,” Benton explained. “They’ve attempted this sort of infiltration operation before. Not good soldiers but experts in robotics and weapon design. We need to figure out where in town they are concealing their transmitters to direct the androids…going to be tough as the place is blanketed with energy signatures…” “We may be looking at this wrong,” Doctor Cockroach said, straightening up. He held up the severed head, turned it over and peered into the neck hole. “What’s up, Doc?” Linc asked. The mutated scientist gave him a disdainful glare then stepped up to his teammates. “These Kraal fellows are quite talented,” He explained. “Their use of dual transmission micro…” “Join their fan club after we stop them from conquering the planet,” Linc interrupted. “Yes, yes, my point is, I don’t believe they have infiltrated the town in order to take over the base, but rather have already taken the base and are using its transmission equipment to power and direct their ANDROIDS to take over the town.” “Which explains why the town is blanketed with signals,” Benton nodded thoughtfully. “That’s bad, right?” Linc asked, looking back and forth between the two speakers. “Yes,” Susan told him. “What do we do? Is this an invasion?” “Maybe,” Benton shrugged. “I don’t…it makes sense. If they took the base first the Kraal could adapt its equipment for controlling the androids.” “The disrupted communications wasn’t something in the town testing the bases’ defenses,” Doctor Cockroach mused, stroking his thin mustache in thought. “But rather the attempts to adapt the bases’ equipment and line up the broadcast frequencies…” “How do we stop them?” Susan asked. Doctor Cockroach began to pace. “Obviously, if we shut down the broadcasting antennae that should scramble the Kraals ability to direct the androids.” “Seriously…?” Linc asked. “Sneak into a government base full of aliens and killer “androids” and shut it down, before the town full of killer “androids” comes for us? What school did you get your degree from again…?” “No, he’s right,” Benton said. “If we split into two teams,” Susan said, thoughtfully. “One keeps the…townspeople busy, while the other shuts down the…um…whatever they’re using to broadcast the Kraal signal. That would work, right?” “Sure, another day at the office,” Linc said, cracking his knuckles. “How many “androids” I gotta punch in the face?” “Their faces fall off…!” B.O.B. shouted from the far corner of the barn. “Okay, B.O.B, honey, just take deep breaths,” Susan called back to him, in a soothing tone. “We’ll take care of this.” “Yes, we split up,” Doctor Cockroach said. “One team will create a distraction in town, while Susan and I deal with the Kraal’s control equipment…” “Waitaminute…!” Linc growled. “Which team am I on, huh?” B.O.B. asked, joining his teammates and peering over Linc’s shoulder. “We also need to get in touch with either U.N.I.T. or…whatever your group is called,” Benton said. “If this is an invasion attempt, we’ll need the military. If someone can get outside the range of the Kraal signals…uh…why is everyone looking at me…?” “Um…you got something on your shirt…!” B.O.B. stage whispered, gesturing at his own blue, gloopy chest, then pointing at Benton. “You been volunteered, pal,” Linc said. “But, why me?” Benton asked. “That’s…!” “Actually quite sensible,” Doctor Cockroach nodded thoughtfully. “You blend in better then the rest of us.” “Her legs are twenty feet long…!” Benton said, pointing towards Susan. “She can outrace my car!” “The military will listen you,” Susan said. “They barely tolerate us and we need to get them to listen quickly. The Doctor is right.” “Hit the road, champ,” Linc said, chucking Benton on the shoulder. “Um…well…alright,” Benton sighed, failing to hide his discomfort at being basically sent away. “I just…good luck.” “You too,” Susan said, with a sad smile. “See you soon.” “Su-san and Ben-ton…!” B.O.B. began singing, until everyone else glared at him. “So, I take the Jell-O mold that walks like a man and rampage through the town, while you two go fight aliens?” Linc asked, after Benton had reluctantly driven off. “Yes,” Susan nodded. “I’ll run interference, while the Doctor messes with their…signal…thingies…” “I hate when you guys talk all technical,” B.O.B. frowned. “Yes, then good luck, everyone,” Doctor Cockroach nodded, gathering his bits of equipment and the severed android head. “Hey, aren’t we gonna do the thing?” B.O.B. asked. “What ‘thing’, B.O.B.?” Susan asked, patiently. “The thing where we put our hands together and do a dramatic teamwork pose before we go off on a mission that may well decide the fate of the world,” The blob told them, in the tone of someone explaining something to a small child. “Oh really…!” Doctor Cockroach muttered, rolling his over-sized eyes. “Actually, I kinda like when we do that,” Linc shrugged, putting his hand out. “Yeah…me too,” Susan shrugged, putting her giant hand on top of her teammates’. Smiling giddily, B.O.B. added his hand. All three then looked at the mutated scientist. Doctor Cockroach frowned back, then sighed and put his hand on top of the other three. “We really need to come up with a battle cry or team motto!” B.O.B. said, thoughtfully. “Just enjoy the moment, B.O.B.,” Susan said. “Let’s get to work.” “Yeah, something like that,” B.O.B. muttered, as they separated. “But more dramatic, like ‘Monsters make ready!’ or…” Linc dope-slapped his teammate, setting off a full body wobble. Soon, the amphibious ape-man and the blob were making their way through the water and sewer pipes below the infiltrated town. Linc grunted and struggled, as some of the pipes and maintenance tunnels got very narrow. B.O.B. just oozed along; changing shape to fit whatever space they traveled through. “Okay…hnnn…Let me take the…jeez, could they make these things any narrower…lead,” Linc grunted, pulling himself out of a water pipe and into the tunnel.” when we get topside.” “Okay,” B.O.B. said, pouring out of the pipe and reforming into his regular shape. He pushed his eye back into place and blinked several times. “Monster time…!” “What?” Linc asked, pausing halfway up a metal ladder to look back at his teammate. “Just trying it out,” B.O.B. shrugged. Linc frowned, shook his head and continued his climb. He reached the manhole cover and stretched out his fingers, extending several of his claws to dig into the narrow space around the cover. He flicked his tail up to tap at his earpiece. “This thing working?” He said. “We’re ready to go.” “Zzzt…just about…zzzttt…should be…zzzttt…!” Was the reply. “I’m gonna take that as a ‘yes, Linc, go ahead’.” He shrugged and shoved the manhole upwards. It flew ten feet into the air, embedding itself in the hood of a car when it landed. “Okay…ugghhh…time to go,” He muttered, as he squeezed himself out of the manhole and took up a fighting stance in the middle of the street. “Come on, you plastic jabroonies! I got a fistful for all of you!” “But, we’d rather not hit you so hard your face falls off!” B.O.B. added, aggressively. “Yeah, let me do the trash talking, pal,” Linc said over his shoulder. “Oh, look! Company.” Cars pulled up, front doors opened and the citizens of the city came out to investigate the disturbance. Some in pajamas, some fully dressed, a few policemen, adults as well as children, all blank faced and stiff in movement. Pretty soon there were dozens of androids surrounding them. They all raised their hands, which began to morph into guns. “Huh, seems like a lot of them.” B.O.B. said, starting to count. “Yeah, kinda noticed that,” Linc muttered. “We might be too good at attracting attention…” He cracked his knuckles and stretched his shoulders. B.O.B. attempted a ‘tough guy’ face, stretching himself to look taller while morphing his fists into over-sized mallet shapes. “Whelp, this is probably gonna hurt,” Linc muttered, leaping at the crowd. Just outside of town, Susan tiptoed her way through the woods and was now keeping out of sight, behind the biggest tree she could find. She peeked over the top of the tree at the government base, a collection of three concrete block buildings, ringed around the main three-story office building. “What now?” She whispered down to Doctor Cockroach. “What?” He whispered back. She reached down and deposited the team’s science expert on a top branch. “What now?” She asked again. “The main…control thingies is in the big building?” “Most likely,” He nodded, taking out a clunky, oversized version of night vision goggles and pulling them on. “Though, there’s a bit of activity around that building with the antenna…not to mention that one farthest away, looks like a maintenance depot…?” He stroked his mustache in thought for several minutes. “So, we split up, right?” Susan suggested. “I distract them and take out that big antenna, you sneak into the main building… where the controls should be, right?” “Hmmm,” He nodded. “Most likely the Kraal are using both antenna, one for energy broadcast, the other for control signals.” “Are you going to be okay, on your own?” Susan asked, concerned. “I can handle the rough stuff, but well, you…can get distracted and are a little on the…um..” “I’ll have you know,” Doctor Cockroach said, puffing himself up to his full, unimpressive, height. “I have the proportionate strength of a cockroach!” “Is that a lot?” “Well, not as such…I can resist high doses of radiation…” He muttered. “Yeah, just be careful,” Susan said, lowering him to the ground. Just then, her earpiece went off. “Zzztttt…work-ing-ing-ing…zzzzzzt…we ready…” “Yeah, we are just about ready,” She replied. “Wait a couple minutes. We should be in place…guys…? Hello…? Is someone shooting at you?” “Another perfectly executed plan,” Doctor Cockroach muttered, scrambling from the cover of the trees and ducking behind a shrub. Susan anxiously watched his progress. The few guards she could see didn’t seem to notice him, so she let the Doctor get halfway to the main building before deciding to move. “Okay,” She whispered, psyching herself up. “You can do this…it’s only the fate of the world…what would Linc do…?” She burst out of the forest, running as fast as her extremely long legs would carry her. “Die, alien scum!!!” She shouted. “That’s a bit over the top,” Doctor Cockroach mumbled to himself, as he watched his teammate go pelting madly across the compound. He scuttled along, staying close to the ground. Going from shadow, to shrub to parked car, he finally reached the building, managed to unscrew the cover of a heating vent and crawled inside. Susan was halfway to her target, when two jeeps, loaded with soldiers and guys in lab coats came racing towards her. She leapt over the first one, but nearly tripped over the second. She stumbled, and then kicked the jeep, sending it skidding into some shrubs. Susan ran, her ankle twinging, but only slightly slowing her down. Soldiers on foot soon joined the chase. They sported both gun-hands, as well as actual guns, and the ginormous heroine was soon running through a rain of bullets and laser bursts. “Ow…!” She exclaimed, frowning. “Jerks…” By the time she reached the secondary building, there was a ring of soldiers, scientists and janitors around the building. “Oh, come on!” Susan exclaimed, exasperation. “I’m not stopping! Get out of the way!” She made a shooing gesture as she approached the building. Nobody moved, so she kept running, dodging their shots as best she could. Susan took a running leap and landed on the roof of the building. She used the massive dish antenna as a makeshift shield, moving with it, as it slowly, steadily turned. The shooting stopped. “Okay, they don’t want to damage the antenna,” She muttered, starting to feel dizzy as she moved in circles to keep from getting shot. “Can’t do this all night,” She mumbled to herself, trying to tap her earpiece, while walking, crouched, in a circle. Susan reached out, stretching her arms, gripped the sides of the antenna. Her muscles trembled as she forced it to a slow, grinding halt. Machinery screeched and sparked, as it slowed. Susan struggled to keep the antenna from moving, her feet skidding in the gravel on the roof, and the androids resuming shooting at her didn’t help. “Anything else…?” she said, through gritted teeth. “I’m sure if you guys tried you could find a way to make this harder…!” From a little, metal shed at the base of the antenna, a door opened and an alien, brandishing a snub-nosed ray gun ran out. “Stop, human!” It shouted in a gravelly voice. “This interference is intolerable!” The Kraal (Susan recognized it from the pictures) pointed the ray gun at her, practically stomping its broad foot in frustration. She jammed her shoulder against the antenna, holding it in place and reaching down, grabbed the Kraal by the back of his metallic tunic. She shook him until he dropped his weapon. “Let…let me go!” He raged. “I will not be treated like…aaaaggghhhh!” She gave the alien a vigorous shake, until he stopped ranting. “You…come to my…hnnn…planet, try and take over, shoot at my…ow… friends and me and then lecture me… for…for not treating you with respect…? I’m a pretty even-tempered person, but I’m tempted to drop you right now.” “Um…I…uh…might have spoken…hastily…!” The Kraal replied, anxiously eyeing the four-story drop to the ground. “Obviously, you are a…thoughtful and…uh…civilized…” “To late to try buttering me up,” Susan scolded him. “The time to do that was BEFORE shooting at me. Now, call off your robots…” “They are androids….pleasedon’tdropme…!” “Or, do I see how far I can throw you?” She finished. “I am only the secondary technician,” The Kraal explained, in obvious fright. “Stron is field commander…he’s there…” He nervously pointed towards the main building. Susan brought him closer to her enormous face and peered threatenly and thoughtfully at the stocky green alien cowering in her grasp. “Okay.” She said, at last. “ Give me a second.” She gritted her teeth, braced her feet and pushed with all her might against the massive antenna. The machinery fighting against her groaned, screeched, sparked and finally toppled over. Susan straightened up, rolling her giant shoulders and then used her free hand to brush her silver-blonde hair out of her eyes. “Now, I’m going to need to talk to your manager,” She said, jumping down from the roof, the belligerent alien still dangling from her hand. Most of the androids had collapsed to the ground or just started walking in random directions. Susan kicked a few out of her way then jogged towards the main building. As she got closer, she noticed the androids hadn’t just halted, but seemed to have stepped aside to create a path for her. Unsure, if that was a good sign or not, Susan made her way to the building and began peering into windows; pretty sure she’d know the Kraal commander when she saw him. Around the back of the building, she spotted what looked like a break room. Seated at one of the tables was a Kraal, jowlier and greyer shade of green then her captive. Across the table from him, nibbling on an instant ramen cup was Doctor Cockroach. Puzzled and annoyed, she tapped on the glass. Doctor Cockroach hurried over and opened the window. “Ah, Susan!” He said. “You’re here, good!” “What are you doing?” She asked. “Are you on a snack break?” “What? No, no, nothing like that. Supervisor Stron and I have come to an understanding…” “Understanding…?! He’s trying to conquer the earth!” “Well, that’s the misunderstanding.” Doctor Cockroach said, his tone strangely calm. “They aren’t invading.” “Then why are all those guys with guns shooting at me?” She asked through gritted teeth. “You see,” Doctor Cockroach said, leaning his arms on the sill while he talked. “Apparently, after they had several invasion plans thwarted, the Kraal realized they weren’t cut out for it, but had a gift for weapons design.” Susan’s forehead furrowed in thought, she glanced from her teammate, to the alien still held in her hand and back to Doctor Cockroach. “Are you telling me all of this, taking over an entire town and a government base, shooting at us…!” She looked significantly at the Kraal dangling from her hand when she said that last part. “Was just so they would have a place to test their androids? They wanted a sales floor!” The Kraal she was holding whimpered quietly, as she tightened her grip in anger. “Not sure I’d put it exactly that way…ulp!” Doctor Cockroach began, suddenly startled as Susan’s enormous arm shot past him, grabbed hold of Stron by his chubby waist and yanked him out of the break room and then held both aliens up so they were faced to face with the giantess. “So, here’s what we are going to do,” She told them sternly. “You’re going to pack up your toys and get off my planet or I am going to use both of you to practice my tennis serve…! Do we understand each other?” “I don’t know if this the best way…?” Doctor Cockroach began, before being silenced by a glare from his giant teammate. “Do we…?” Susan asked, adding a little shake to ensure she had both aliens attention. “This is most unprofessional…!” Stron grumbled, before Susan changed her grip for a better throwing hold on the alien. “Yes, your intention is quite clear!” “Ah, diplomacy…!” Doctor Cockroach muttered, helping himself to a cold cup of coffee someone had left on the nearest table. Meanwhile, back in town, Linc was sitting, shoulders slumped, on top of a large pile of broken android parts. He was sporting a black eye and currently using a severed mechanical arm as a back scratcher. “Aaah, that hits the spot,” He breathed. “You think this means we won…?” B.O.B. wobbled around, slack-mouthed, his single eye rolling around in his head, his arms stretched out to uneven lengths, randomly throwing punches whenever he got close to any object, whether it was a foe or telephone pole. Soon, the military arrived, General Monger’s troops working with U.I.N.T. to clean up, free the captive townspeople and base personal and generally sort out the situation. The monsters sat, sprawled on the ground, leaning against a tractor-trailer truck, in various disheveled states of exhaustion. B.O.B. was basically a large puddle, Doctor Cockroach was busy tinkering with the collection of android parts, U.I.N.T. had allowed him to claim, Susan was frowning at the damage caused to her outfit by the Kraal’s weapons and Linc lay back, boneless and snoring, a single strand of drool sliding from the corner of his mouth. The military, still uneasy about their appearance had mostly left them alone and in this rare instance, they were content to be shunned, as they were grateful for the rest. “Everyone okay?” Benton asked approaching. He’d returned with the U.N.I.T squads, but been too busy with the clean up to check on them. “I’mmmm..fu-fine…!” B.O.B. burbled, moistly. “Whu-wha-why do you ask…?” “Fascinating!” Doctor Cockroach muttered, not looking up from the android foot he was studying. “Fluid link diodes…!” “Yeah, we’re fine,” Susan said, smile tiredly. “Long night.” “Well, we should be able to send you guys home soon,” Benton nodded. “Just clean up now…no problems…” “What was the explosion earlier?” Susan asked, trying to stifle a yawn. “That…uh…that was the Kraal escaping,” Benton muttered, sheepishly. “We didn’t spot the escape pod they had stashed in the storage shed until it was too late.” “Oops,” She shrugged. “Yeah, it’ll make identifying some of the equipment we captured tricky, but not impossible.” “Also, would have been nice to know who the client they were testing all those weapons for was.” Susan added. “We are working on a list of suspects,” Benton told her. “So, I…uh…I’ve been recruited to join Dr. Shaw’s team…help with sorting through all this. I just wanted to say ‘good-bye’. It was nice meeting you…uh…your team and, you know, working…um…with you…all of you.” “It was nice meeting you too….I mean, to work with,” Susan said, her cheeks pinking slightly. “ She offered a giant hand and Benton took hold of a finger and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Shu-san an’ Ali-ster…sittin inna tree…” B.O.B. slurred quietly, too tired to fully form his mouth. Epilogue: somewhere in the depths of the ocean… The fish-shaped submarine moved through the water, steady and serene, while inside was chaos. The crew, a mix of aliens, mutants and robotic fish-featured soldiers, were all distracted from the daily handling of the sub in their efforts to dodge the tantrum and many objects being thrown by the sub’s captain. “What do you mean the Kraal have left the planet?” Divatox raged, bouncing a vase off the head of her scientific advisor. “Where are my weapons? Where are my androids? Who are the soon to be facing my wrath knuckleheads responsible for this?!” Author’s note: so, here it is, my first ever story for the Every-verse! My plan is to take three or four of the ideas on my (absurdly long) list of franchises I’d love to write, do a one shot story introducing my version and then continue them as semi-reoccurring features in this anthology. These guys have created a brilliant toy box here, and while there was no way I could handle an ongoing, there was also no way that I’d have the willpower to not pitch some ideas, especially being able to mix and match franchises. With Monsters vs. aliens, I am not going as serious as some of the titles on this site, but I also don’t want to do the overly jokey style of the movie. There is humor, but I want it and the stories to be more silver age super hero team, then sitcom. Still working out my list of ideas, but I do have plans for something from the fringes of Power Ranger continuity as well as something with Doctor Who (I know there’s a series, but he’s not using 12 of them). MARINEFORD, THE HEADQUARTERS OF THE NAVY
THE OFFICE OF FLEET ADMIRAL SAKAZUKI Koby followed Vice Admiral Garp into the office of the Navy's red dog himself, saluting as he entered once the fleet admiral caught sight of them. "Garp, you aren't scheduled to report back in for another six weeks. This is highly unlike you." Sakazuki barked as he sat back in his chair. Koby trembled at the sight of the Admiral, the memory of the red dog executing a fellow marine for abandoning their position still fresh in his mind. He snuck a glance at Garp, who was the picture of carelessness as he sat across from Sakazuki, and Koby wondered how a man could be so at ease no matter what surrounded him. "I have news that I just couldn't do justice over a transponder snail, so I came to deliver it in person. It seems your rare moment of compassion for an enemy on Punk Hazard has led to a troublesome string of events." Garp informed his superior with a slight chuckle at the irony as he opened a bottle of liquor on Sakazuki's desk and helped himself to a generous amount. A snarl curled on the face of the fleet admiral before he finally responded. "So, Kuzan has finally reared his head. Where?!" "We received a distress call from the South Blue, so we headed over to investigate. By the time we arrived, the battle had long ended. The new post on Baterilla has been destroyed." Garp answered. "Aokiji has become a very foolish man since his resignation. There is a special level of hell in the great prison for men like him. Has there been any information on where he might be headed next?" Sakazuki said as he stood up. "No, but it looks like those celestial scumbags are going to have their worst fears come to life. The Blackbeard pirates are finally making their move across the seas. Teach wants to rule the world, he might finally have the power to do it." Garp chuckled to himself, amused at the turns the world had gone through since the days of Gol D. Roger. "I don't understand what you find so amusing in all of this, Vice Admiral sir." Koby whispered to Garp as they followed Sakazuki out of his office and through Navy headquarters. "No matter how hard we try to stop it, the age of pirates is shining brighter than ever before. We are on the cusp of an era unlike even the one spearheaded by Roger himself." Garp explained to the captain as they reached the bay of Marineford. "Thank you for the information Garp, you are dismissed. Captain Koby!" Growled Sakazuki, startling Koby as Garp headed back to his own ship. "Vice Admiral Smoker and his G-5 contingent are currently stationed near Black Drum Kingdom, I want you and a crew to set sail immediately and assist in the location and capture of former admiral Kuzan!" Koby saluted the fleet admiral before rushing off to prepare one of the Navy warships for departure, shocked and excited that Sakazuki had decided to put such faith in him. ISLE OF MAKAI, SOMEWHERE IN THE SOUTH BLUE A pair of Giants tore through the village of Makai as its citizens scurried through the streets seeking refuge from the assault. From a ship about seventy kilometers off the mainland King Wapol watched as the mercenaries he ordered from Buggy the Clown's service wreaked havoc on the island through a pair of binoculars. "Mahahahahaha! The clown warlord has his usefulness. With his mercenaries, the Black Drum Kingdom will cover all of the South Blue!" Wapol cackled as the ship drew closer to the isle of Makai. "Do not forget Wapol-san, that Doffy expects six hundred million berries in return for convincing Buggy to loan the giant warrior pirates to our cause." Queen Kinderella reminded her boastful husband. However, Wapol's spirits could not be doused as his dreams of reclaiming Drum Island were coming ever closer to fruition. "Once we rule Makai, we will repay Doflamingo with daily tributes from every citizen in the village!" Wapol declared as Kinderella jotted down the latest law created by the unruly king. "King Wapol sir, there seems to be something or someone pushing back against our forces!" One of the Black Drum soldiers cowered as he relayed the bad news to Wapol, afraid he may become the latest meal in the king's peculiar appetite. "Get us on the island now! Who's foolish enough to stand in my way!?" Wapol cried, outraged at the mere idea someone would stand in their path as they expanded their reach in the South Blue. Stansen and Road stood towering over the man who wiped out the group of Black Drum soldiers that had been supporting their incursion into the village. "You're a brave man. But bravery has never gotten anyone far against us." Road chuckled as he stepped towards their new adversary. "We represent Warlord Buggy's deliveries. You are standing in the way of our mission, and to fail our mission would be a stain on Buggy's reputation. Don't make us crush you to keep Buggy's name in good condition!" Stansen implored, readying his giant hammer for an attack. The man known across the seas as Aokiji didn't flinch as the pair of giants began to pace towards him. "Tell the clown he's overstepped his boundaries for the last time, and no amount of Navy support will save him." Kuzan replied flatly, barely paying the giants any attention. "His day's supporting pirates with his services end now." Road smirked, amused at the tiny man's brash warnings. With a burst of speed unnatural for any creature of his immense size, Road surged toward Aokiji, pulling his massive katanna from his hilt as he approached. He aimed a slash at Kuzan, but the effort was all for nothing as an ice figure identical to the man who created it replaced Aokiji, shattering on impact from Road's blade. Road and Stansen scanned the village for where the former admiral could have disappeared to, coming to the assumption that he fled from the battle. At that moment Road realized his blade was completely frozen to the ground as a layer of ice spread down the sword and to its shaft, freezing his hands in place as well! "Now if I were a far more vicious man, I'd have already shattered your hands. Instead, I'll repeat myself once again. Leave this island, and tell Buggy to shut down, permanently." Kuzan warned as he formed a sword of ice in one hand and a shield in the other. "Excuse me." Kuzan turned and increased the size of his shield as he blocked a swing from Stansen's hammer, much to the giant's shock. Aokiji quickly engulfed the hammer in ice before leaping towards it's wielder, smashing through the head of the weapon before smacking Stansen in the jaw with a Haki-infused kick. The giant dropped, shaking the village as he did so and unconscious before his head hit the ground. Road watched in utter awe, his jaw hanging open as Kuzan walked back over to him. "I won't be repeating myself again."Aokiji said as he peered over his sunglasses at the giant, who was now stiff as a board having witnessed the power of the former Admiral of the Navy first hand. "I'll make sure Warlord Buggy knows what you said, I promise!" Road stammered through clenched teeth, however Kuzan's attention was no longer on the pair of giants, but on the man he sensed approaching behind him. "Such parlor tricks should be beneath a man of your former rank." Kuzan looked over his shoulder to see the leader of CP0, Rob Lucci, leaning against what was left of a building. He was dressed in all white, a stark contrast to the colors he once wore under Cipher divisions 9 rank, his pigeon Hattori matching his master to the tee. "Come to sate your lust for battle Lucci?" Aokiji asked, amused slightly at the possibility of doing battle against a man with Rob Lucci's considerable reputation. "You won't find much left of one here." "I was on assignment nearby when I was instructed to investigate the situation here. But I wasn't expecting to find an Admiral. That is...something. You're defying the World Government just by pulling this stunt. But I don't have to explain those consequences, least of all to you." Lucci said as he approached Road, examining the giant before scoffing with amusement. "You should have put him out of his misery. Such weakness is a blight on the eyes." "While you're here I have a message for you to carry as well, since you're also so keen to be a government lap dog." Kuzan called to Lucci, who stopped in his tracks, a smirk on his face as he turned to face Aokiji. "Blackbeard is coming for your masters, and all of Mary Geoise. When the heavens are swallowed in darkness, what will be left to govern then?" Suddenly Lucci sprung at Aokiji, his Zoan fruit powers activating as he transformed into his leopard-hybrid stage and thrusting a finger pistol at the Aokiji's chest. Aokiji raised his ice shield just in time to protect himself, however a large chunk is taken out by the impact from Rob Lucci's blow. Lucci's hand began to freeze and he quickly leaped away from Kuzan, his own Haki reversing the effects of Aokiji's devil fruit. "The stain you have left on the reputation of the Navy has not gone unnoticed by your former peers. However, making yourself a distinct target of Cipher Pol Zero is overstepping a bit too far, even for you." Lucci warned as he reverted back to human form, Hattori flying back on to his shoulder as the brief exchange came to an end. "Take your next steps in the coming days wisely Kuzan, you don't want to lose another leg." And with that Lucci began to head back out of the village, leaving Aokiji alone with the defeated giants. On the docks of Makai village Wapol, Kinderella, and a fleet of Black Drum soldiers disembarked from his royal ship and prepared to assist the rest of their forces in seizing the island. "Kill anyone who defies me, this island is officially Black Drum Kingdom territory." Wapol yelled for anyone who cared to hear, planting his flag in the snowy land. Before his soldiers could begin marching forward, one by one every last member of Wapol's forces was frozen in a block of ice, including Queen Kinderella, much to the king's dismay! "Unthaw your people, get back on your boat, and never leave Black Drum again." Wapol turned to see Kuzan, now holding an axe made of ice against the block Kinderella was frozen inside. "Or do you need an example to get through that thick skull of yours?" Aokiji threatened with a sigh. Wapol immediately grabbed Kinderella and scurried on to the ship without another word, leaving behind his soldiers and beginning to set sail back to Black Drum kingdom without them. Rob Lucci watched the exchange between Kuzan and Wapol's forces before pulling out his transponder snail. "Inform Doflamingo his gamble did not pay off unfortunately." "Understood. Report back immediately, we have another assignment that needs your attention." The voice of Spandam echoed from the snail as Lucci curled a lip in disgust. He was not particularly enthused that he was still taking orders from such a worthless man, but he brushed these feelings aside for now. His mission in life was to serve dark justice, and no matter the obstacle he would do just that. AN UNDISCLOSED ISLAND SOMEWHERE IN THE NEW WORLD Rayleigh stepped off his small boat and onto the island, pulling his hood off his head just as he caught the sun reflecting off the steel of a pistol. "You gonna gun down a defenseless old man, Yasopp?" Rayleigh called out as he peered in the direction his Haki detected the shooter to be perched. "Don't give me that crap old man. You here to see the captain?" Yasopp cracked as he leaped out of a thicket of trees and landed near the man formerly known as the dark king. "Is he here? The man can never stay in one spot for very long unless he's drunk enough." Rayleigh said with a broad smile as Yasopp led him deeper on to the island. The Yonko known as Red Hair Shanks boastful laughed shook the birds from the tree's. He downed another bottle of whiskey before grabbing another, pouring his guest, the Warlord Dracule Mihawk a cup full before drinking from this bottle as well. "I can't believe you of all people decided to train someone. You've never been the guy to take anyone under their wing." Shanks teased, trying to get a reaction out of Mihawk. "The ambition shown by the boy you gave your hat too and his crewmates is something far too elemental to ignore. I have faith Roronoa Zoro will surpass me one day, something I will not give in to easily." "I'm happy to see the pair of you in the same place for once. Beginning to feel like the pair of you are myths more than men." Rayleigh said as he approached the rocks near the waterfall where the two men sat drinking. "Rayleigh! What brings you out here? Grab a cup!" Shanks said with a laugh, happy to see the man who was once the first mate on Gold Roger's ship. "I didn’t come all the way out here just to drink with you Shanks, but I won't say no either." Rayleigh said as the two greeted each other. "What did force the dark king to come out of hiding?" Mihawk said as he took a sip of his drink. "I'm sure you've heard about Blackbeard's declaration of war Mihawk, you are an extension of the Navy's power after all." Rayleigh remarked, much to Mihawk's displeasure. "Teach is an idiot, even with the powers he stole from Whitebeard, he won't overtake Mary Geiose. It isn't just impossible, it's inconceivable." Mihawk said, the very idea coming from his mouth ridiculous to him. "There is much Blackbeard has accomplished we thought wasn't possible. Aokiji himself has been attacking Navy outposts in the South Blue at Blackbeard's command. He's already made the first move, the world as we have known it could be in the throes of a great change." Rayleigh warned, this time looking to Shanks, whose demeanor had changed completely. He stood up, finishing the bottle before tossing it into the water behind him and throwing on his cape with the only arm he had left. "Let's go, we'll take my ship." Shanks said, a staunch determination in his words as he led the way toward his ship with Rayleigh nodding farewell to Mihawk before following after him. TO BE CONTINUED....SOON Tales of the Every-Verse #1: One Night In London
Written by Terence Jordan EXT-LONDON, ENGLAND NIGHT The moon light is bright this night, only one or two clouds in the sky but stars sparkle. We hear a howling followed by scream. Woman(o.s.) (screaming) EXT-WOODS We see a woman in blue jogging gear running through the woods frantically. She is terrified of whoever or whatever is chasing her. In the night we only see greenish eyes in the dark but whatever it is it’s speed is astonishing. Woman Someone help me please!! No one hears her as she continues to run through the woods. The female jogger almost makes out the woods as she sees other people ready to call out for help again but a force drags her back deeper into the woods. The last thing heard is a scream. INT-B.P.R.D. HEADQUARTERS NEW YORK MEETING ROOM We see Kate Corrigan wearing green pants and white shirt and her blond hair flat straight short. Next to her is an much older man Professor Trevor Bruttenholm. Walking into the office is Liz Sherman dressed in a tight all black uniform. Two guns, one for each holster. Professor Trevor Bruttenholm Ah Liz, glad for you to join us. Liz Sherman Always good to see you Professor, but I take it it’s more than just a social call. Professor Trevor Bruttenholm Right as well, my dear. Kate Corrigan (turns on Projector Screen) Several mysterious deaths in London has occurred over the past four weeks. Professor Trevor Bruttenholm The victims as you can see are severed completely. Our intel say maybe work of a werewolf. Liz Sherman Werewolf? You’re kidding. They both have serious blank expressions Professor Trevor Bruttenholm Very serious I assure you Agent Sherman. We need you to go to London and investigate the matter. Agent Kate will also be assisting you. Liz Sherman Wouldn’t Hellboy be much suited for this? Kate Corrigan Him and Abe are on another mission. Just me and you for the flight to London. Kate smiles at her. Liz Sherman (smirks)Let’s get going shall we. INT-HIDDEN BUNKER VAHALLA, NEVADA Faith walks into the bunker to see Giles reading up on something. She leans on the table. Faith Hey G, Got a mission for me. Cause I’m really hate being coped up down here. Rupert Giles Ah Faith, as matter of fact I do. Xander just discovered something in London. Xander (walks in) Werewolf killings. Faith Werewolf in London? Xander Classic film but this my spunky slayer friend is no movie. Brutal killings that’s been going on for four weeks. And of course local authorities are baffled. Faith Anyone check on OZ and see if our werewolf friend hasn’t been off the leash. Rupert Giles We know it’s not him. This kind of killings, different type indeed. Faith How many types are there? She uses Xander shoulder as an arm rest. Rupert Giles Several and you two are going to London, I’ve already made arrangements. Faith Sweet. I’ve been itching for some action. Ready Xan man. Xander Oh this should be great. Sure we can’t call Kennedy or another Slayer perhaps. Giles gives him a stern look like you know. Xander Right. EXT-LONDON, ENGLAND WOODS NIGHT Liz Sherman and Kate Corrigan walking through the woods the last victim was murdered in. They both are wearing thermal goggles. Liz Sherman This is mostly his hunting ground. The majority of the murders occurred here. Kate Corrigan These poor people didn’t stand a chance. Can still see the blood residue. Liz Sherman That’s not all, hair remains. Not from the victims either. Look more animal like. Kate Corrigan More over here. Could be hairs from the werewolf itself. Both female agents hear a howl. They look at each other. Liz Sherman Seems our werewolf is out and he doesn’t like us in it’s territory. We have to track it. Let’s move. She pulls out her two handguns and Kate pulls out her agency issued gun as well. Something in the trees and bushes is moving swiftly. Neither agents can get good viewing of the mysterious creature. The thing moves so fast he bulldozes Kate off guard, knocking her on her back. Liz Sherman Kate! Liz tries to shoot the quick moving target, but she misses every time. Then the creature knocks Liz back and she drops her two hand guns. It stops over her and we can now see the creature as it’s the werewolf the two agents were sent to investigate. The werewolf is silverish black and nearly 7 ft. It’s eyes are a darkish green. Liz looks deep into it’s eyes, fear starts to creep over he like she never felt. Faith Back off ugly. The werewolf turns to see Faith and she kicks the human sized wolf so hard in the face it slides across the grass. The wolf is really dazed. Liz is looking at Faith curious. Faith Don’t tell me I knocked the wind out of you already. I was hoping for some action. Xander Faith just stop it now before the thing recovers. Xander helps Kate to her feet. Xander You okay? Kate Corrigan Yeah, who the hell are you guys? Xander Just say were friends to help. The werewolf howls and looks at faith. Liz picks up her guns. Faith pulls out a mystical silver blade. Faith Time to put the mut down. (to Liz) Aye you good to back me up. Liz Sherman Yeah. Whoever you are. The werewolf howls more and runs away. Faith I do love a chase. Liz Sherman Who the hell are you guys? Faith Faith, and I’m a slayer. And we can get to introductions later. Now let’s move. Xander, contact Giles. Silver werewolf, green eyes. She takes off towards the direction the werewolf. Liz also follows pursuit. Kate Corrigan Did she just say Slayer? Thought they were just myths/\. Xander I assure you they’re real and it’s who squad of them. She looks at Xander puzzled. EXT-EMPTY STREETS OF LONDON We see the werewolf still running. Liz and Faith are right on it’s tail. Faith Damn, it’s pretty fast, needs to slow it down. Liz Sherman Leave it to me. Her eyes glow fiery and a line of fire gets in the path of the werewolf. The beast stops in its tracks. EXT-WOODS XANDER AND KATE CORRIGAN Kate corrigan We need to get back to the SVU, I can test the samples. What did this Giles person say. Xander Nothing. He doesn’t know. He’s trying to narrow down now. Maybe you might have more luck with the samples. They start to walk to the BPRD issued SVU. Kate Corrigan Still can’t believe the whole Slayers exist. And you’re telling me there’s more than one. Astonishing. They made it to the B.P.R.D vehicle. She presses a button and a laptop pops out along with a scanner. Xander is expressed. Xander Work for the government I see. Kate Corrigan You can say that. Let’s find out exactly what kind of Werewolf were dealing with here. She places the hair samples on the scanner. Xander Nice set up. You know we have a library of books and a Giles. She looks at him puzzled and then smiles at him. Kate looks back at the screen. After a few moments her eyes go wide with disbelief. Xander Oh God, I’ve seen that look and it’s never good. Kate Corrigan We have to catch up now, get in. They both get in the agency issued SVU. EXT-EMPTY STREETS OF LONDON Liz and Faith are fighting the Werewolf together. Faith kicks it the face and Liz kicks the other side of the face. The slayer follows up with an uppercut and the tries to stab it but the werewolf grabs her wrist and slings across a car. Liz tries to shoot it but the beast bearhugs her having arms pinned down. It squeezes tight making her lose grip on her weapons. The BPRD agent lets out painful moan. Faith then hops over the car and jumps on it’s back. She still has the silver sword in hand. The werewolf drops Liz and she breathes heavily. Faith then stabs the beast in the heart. It lets out a loud howl as blood leaks from it’s chest. Liz moves out the way as the human sized wolf falls to the ground. Faith That was easy. Liz looks at her in disbelief. Liz Sherman Easy? Who are you again? Faith Faith, a slayer. Maybe you heard of me. By your uniform, government issued weapons, I say feds? Liz Sherman You can say. Liz Sherman of the BPRD. Faith Say what now? Liz Sherman We’re the good guys is all you need to know. So Slayer? Faith The Chosen One to fight vampires and other supernatural beings such as a big bad wolf right there. Liz Sherman (rolls eyes) Right. Kate Corrigan(on com) Liz. Liz. The werewolf is an Apache Werewolf. One of the first of kinds. Liz Sherman It’s okay. We just took care of it. Faith stabbed it in the heart. Faith Sucker stood no chance at all with a Slayer. Kate Corrigan(com) No Liz, an Apache Werewolf has five hearts. Liz Sherman Say what? Liz looks past Faith who shrugs like what is it. She sees the werewolf getting up as his stab wounds heals. Faith turns and is stunned and then smiles. Faith Looks like you still have some fight left in you. The werewolf howls in anger as it’s eyes glow darker green. Liz eyes glow fiery and the wolf enguls in flames. The wolf howls in pain. Faith looks at Liz as the BPRD agent body is now surrounded by flames as well. Faith Whoa, bad ass girl. Liz Sherman Stab the four hearts quickly! Faith Just fry his ass and all the hearts will burn. Liz Sherman Faith! Faith grabs her silver dagger goes to stab it but the werewolf grabs the blade and then pulls the slayer towards the flames. Liz had to stop before Faith would be in engulfed as well. The wolf then clothes line Faith. The force of the attack makes Faith flip in the air and lands on her stomach. Then the beast throws the blade at Liz and it pierces her stomach. The werewolf walks slowly over to her as Liz begins to bleed out. Liz Sherman Ah! Son of a bitch! Faith is still trying to stand from the clothesline the beast gave her. Werewolf howls loudly ready to tear Liz limb from limb. Suddenly, the BPRD comes ramming into the werewolf the force knocks it away and has werewolf rolling on the ground. We see huge dent on the front of the vehicle. Xander and Kate exit with heavy guns. Faith finally gets shaking off the hit. Xander You okay there my spunky slayer. Faith Just peachy and I’m going to kick that werewolf’s ass. Kate Corrigan Liz! She runs to her friend’s side. Kate pulls the blade out and puts pressure on the wound. Kate Corrigan Hold on Liz. Stay with me. Don’t close your eyes. She smack her face. The werewolf starts to get back up. Xander Oh boy, he’s getting back and it’s pissed. Faith runs to the werewolf and high kicks him in the face. Faith Stay down boy. Kate Corrigan Liz, I need you slow down the bleeding. Use your powers. Liz lights her hand on fire and place it on her stomach. She yells out in pain. Faith is still fighting the werewolf. She is delivering jabs and hooks followed by some kicks to the mid-section. The human-sized wolf back hands her, causing the spunky slayer to stagger back. Xander Hey ugly. Xander tries to used the gun but it doesn’t work. Xander Oh boy. The werewolf looks at him and is about to leap on him but Liz grabs Kate’s silver round loaded hand gun and shoot. The shot hits three spots which is it’s heart. The werewolf let out a loud howl of pain. Kate tosses Faith the blade and the slayer stabs the Apache Werewolf in the last remaining heart. The werewolf falls to the ground now finally dead. Faith wipes the blood from her mouth and walks to Kate to help her get Liz up. Liz Sherman Thanks. Faith Anytime. Kate Corrigan You sure you’re okay? Liz nods. Xander Well that was enlightening. Faith So what now? You govenrment types always do a clean up. Kate Corrigan (smirks) Already made the call. (to Liz) Medic is also on the way. Faith What exactly your deal anyway? The fire thing, are you supernatural? Liz Sherman Still figuring that out. Just an agent for the B.P.R.D. Faith (smirks) Nice kicking ass with you agent. Shame Buffy missed this. Liz Sherman Who? Faith Never mind. See you around. They shook hands. Xander hugs Kate which catches her off guard and salutes Liz. Him and Faith walked off. Faith Before we go back, how bout we party hard in London. Xander Oh no Faith. Faith Already decided Xan man. She wraps her up around his shoulders in Friendly manner. We go back to Liz and Kate. Liz Sherman When we get back a nice hot bath better be waiting for me. Kate Corrigan You said it sister. The two agents share a laugh. BPRD agents arrive with a huge vehicle to pick up the werewolf. Kate leads Liz to the medical unit. *The End* |
Travel the Every-VerseA title brought to you by the Architect's of the Every-Verse Archives
August 2019
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