A special intimate gathering convened in the Security Office of Legion World. Behind his desk sat Cobalt Kid, the Head of Security of Legion World and founding member of the Legion of Message Board Posters.
Cobalt had asked a handful of guests to attend this private and confidential meeting. Among these were LMBers Faraway Lad, Loser Lad and Eryk Davis Ester. Also invited were LMB mascot Pro-D, Helen Taylor and Prudence Goodwyfe, known as Hummer Lass.
After all were seated, Cobalt spoke. "Hi, and thanks, all of you, for coming. Helen...Pru...I especially appreciate that you two came. You see, myself, Darden, Bill and Eryk have met on numerous occasions about what we're here to discuss. Frankly, we've been at such a standstill in what we're doing that it's past time that we've brought some others into it."
He paused a moment before continuing. "You see, ladies, the four of us have been attempting to locate a mutual friend we have in common with you for a long time now. Hell, I won't mince words...we haven't seen Lard Lad for exactly two years as of this date."
"Before I go any further, let me recap for you what we four know. Two years ago, Lardy had his powers stolen by Mordra the Harlot. He left me a note stating that he was taking an indefinite leave of absence from the LMB in order to regain his powers. Neither myself nor the other three LMBers present have seen or heard from him since."
"It's my belief that Lardy has sought out Mordra to achieve the restoration of his powers. I don't know whether he ever found her, but I doubt he's achieved his goal because I believe he would've returned to us if he had. So he either found her and was captured or killed, or he's still looking for her."
"Since my office and other authorities have searched for Mordra for nearly a decade, I believe that the latter possibility is very likely. Mordra has been hiding for a long time, so she's proven that she's very good at it."
"Furthering our problem is that Lardy himself is very adept at not being found when he doesn't want to. You see, this office has employed Lardy as a freelance covert agent in the past, and he was extremely accomplished with undercover ops. It seems strange that a large, boisterous man like Lardy can blend in so well, but it's a fact."
"In those past ops, Lardy was able to infiltrate several underworld syndicates at their highest levels as none of my other operatives ever have. He helped us bring down Middlefinger III's racket and helped get us valuable intel on the Barbarian Hordes that helped us parry their last invasion attempt."
"He's proving now that his skills cut both ways. I have some of the best contacts in the galaxy, and we haven't gotten so much as a whiff of him since he disappeared. So now, after all this time, all we have left is to bring you three in and hope you can provide us with any clues we may have overlooked. It's my feeling that you three are the closest people to Lardy in the galaxy, in addition to the four of us."
"So...Pro-D. Is there anything you can share with us?"
Pro-D, an amorphous protean responded telepathically, Pro-D's True-friend always mystery. Since True-friend saved Pro-D's life, Pro-D has struggled to understand True-friend. Humans very different from proteans...very complicated. True-friend always in mind-pain. Always confused about feelings. Always hurting. Pro-D adore True-friend but not understand. Pro-D miss True-friend. Not know where True-friend is. Pro-D sad can't help.
"It's alright, Pro-D," Cobalt assured the shapeless alien, "I understand, believe me. Pru...any insight you can share?"
The strikingly beautiful platinum blonde hesitated for a moment and said, "yes...I suppose so. He came to see me..." She paused as she thought for a moment. "...yes, it must have been right after he left Legion World. It was the day after today, but two years ago. He came to see me in Metropolis. He...he was very mysterious...said he wouldn't see me for a long while. He was so serious...for him."
The other lady in attendance, Helen, sobbed slightly as Pru gathered her thoughts.
"It's okay, Helen," Cobalt said assuringly. "Please go on, Pru. Why was he there?"
"He came there to give me a passcode to a bank account. He said he wanted me to have all the credits in that account. He said he'd saved up those credits for a long time, and that he hoped...having that money...would help me be able to clean up my life some...keep me out of trouble." It's all she could do to keep her composure as emotion swept through her.
"Anything else?" Cobalt asked after giving her a moment.
"He...he just hugged me and...left. And that's the last I've heard from him."
"Thanks, Pru. I appreciate that," Cobalt said. "Helen? Have you heard from Lardy?"
She wiped her eyes and answered, "yes. I saw him the next day, that is, the day after he visited...her." She gestured toward Pru. "He was much the same way with me as she described, very serious and...emotional. Though I've been very worried about him, I'll cherish that visit for the rest of my life."
Delicately, Cobalt pressed her. "Can you share with us what happened?"
"I...it's very private." Tears welled up anew in her eyes. "I don't see how any of this will help you."
Searching for the right words, Cobalt told her, "as his friend, I believe that if Lardy broke his nonchalant facade with you significantly, then it could mean a lot."
"Well," Helen continued after mulling that over, "then yes. He opened up to me like he hadn't since our honeymoon. He told me he'd always loved me and apologized for rejecting me and annulling our marriage. He...he wept as he told me all of this. He told me he was proud I had kept his last name. We made love that night, and the next morning he was gone. But that was the real him that night, like I hadn't seen in years. I knew there was something else troubling him, but all he wanted to do then was focus on us. Now I know what troubled him."
Helen wept more freely at that point. Pru's expression at the completion of Helen's story was one of pure pain and discomfort. She clearly was having trouble dealing with hearing this woman's expressed feelings for someone she also cared deeply about.
Cobalt contemplated this information for a few awkward moments before speaking again. "Clearly Lardy knew that he was either going to be gone a long time or not coming back at all. And he was also sure to leave everyone he cared about out of this quest and out of danger. So we are no closer to finding him at this time, but at least we all have a clearer idea of what happened when he--"
<breep>
Annoyed at the interruption, Cobalt cast an angry glare down at the incoming message. As he read it, his expression changed to intense interest. He reread it a couple of times before taking a moment to fully comprehend what he's just read.
After a long, awkward silence, he announced to those assembled, "just when things look bleakest, it seems we have a lead, my friends..."
excerpt from the Encyclopedia Galactica, 3006 edition entry "Threats to the United Planets":
The United Planets is one of the premier powers in this quadrant of the Milky Way Galaxy, but it is not the only power. In particular, the U.P. faces threats from two neighboring multi-system confederations.
One of these is the so-called Barbarian Hordes. The real name of this power is very difficult to translate into Interlac. The nearest translation linguists could come up with sounded in Interlac like a very vulgar slang word for human female genitalia. So the U.P. stuck with "Barbarian Hordes" or "The B.H." to refer to this rival power, rather than expose our young to such vulgarity. The Barbarian Hordes are very aggressive, and their culture is built upon glorification through conquest.
Very little, relative to The B.H., is known of the Dark Oval, the third power in our quadrant of the galaxy. The U.P. has thus far been unable to build any kind of diplomatic relationship with them. And reportedly, U.P. Intelligence has had very little success in their attempts to infiltrate the Dark Oval to learn more about it.
Established only 15 years ago, it is believed that the Oval was formed by several criminal cartels in order to create a safe haven from the U.P.'s Science Police. It is not even known precisely which cartels are involved. But all reports agree that the Oval is responsible for over half the crime in the U.P.
Prior to the establishment of the Dark Oval, one of the systems now comprising part of the Oval was previously ruled by the Dominion. Reportedly, there are five major cartels running the Oval. There is evidence that the Dominion remains one of those powers. The other four remain pure speculation.
The hub of the Dark Oval is believed to be within the expansive Lin-Dak Nebula. For a power shrouded in mystery, it seems appropriate that most of its activity is contained within one of the most expansive and sensor-impenetrable dust clouds known in the galaxy....
Into a darkly-lit tavern strode a cloaked figure, purposeful and unmoved by all of the noisy and lascivious distractions surrounding him. Several scantily-clad females tried to woo him into a night's revelry for a small price to no avail. He didn't even seem to notice them. No more so, the all-out brawl he passed involving at least a dozen participants. A barstool flew within a meter of his head, but the stool may as well have been a passing leaf blown by the wind as his stride showed no interruption.
At last the cloaked man arrived at the isolated booth that had been his destination.
"Lars! You made it!" exclaimed an alien with scaly blue skin and four antennae situated evenly around his head.
"Of course," the cloaked man replied nonchalantly as he took his seat opposite the alien. He kept his hood on his head as he sat. "I wouldn't miss it. What news do you have, Huldnaf?"
"Well, Lars, ya've made quite a name for yaself here in Lin-Dak City the last coupla years, and it's about ta pay off!"
The cloaked man's expression and voice remained entirely even as he replied. "Oh? How so?"
Huldnaf let out a hardy laugh. "Ya tear me up, kid! Nearly two years ago, I met ya in this very same bar. Ya were looking for work, and I took a chance on ya! Damned if you didn't come through for me on every damn assignment I ever gave ya! But what I wouldn't give ta see ya change yer damn expression just ONCE! Never met a humanoid like ya!"
Lars sounded utterly unapologetic when he replied, "sorry. Can't change the way I am."
"Aw it's okay, kid! Anyhooz, I told ya that if ya did a good job for me, it'd pay off someday...right?"
"Correct."
"Well, I've hinted in the past that I worked as a sub-loot in wonna the Big Five cartels, right?"
"Yes, but I've never been sure I believed you."
"Haw! Yer a riot! Anywayz, I just bin promoted to a lieutenant! Me! Sure, there's like ten of us in all, but it's a step in the right direction!"
"Congratulations. What does this have to do with me?"
"Don'tcha get it?" Huldnaf laughed again. "I'm gonna hire ya as wonna my sub-loots! Hell, I ain't moved up so much in all my years with the cartel as I have since I got ya working for me! I know a good thing when I see it!"
"I'm honored," Lars said evenly. For his expression and tone of voice, he may as well have been told that the nebula was dusty as he had shown no pleasure or anything from the news.
Huldnaf handed Lars an Omnicom and said, "here're the instructions for where and when ya'll need ta be tomorrow. We'll get ya started and oriented and then put ya right ta work!"
Huldnaf downed the last of his Silverale, wiped his mouth on his sleeve and said to his associate who was studying the Omnicom intently, "Seeya tomorrow?"
"Definitely," Lars answered as he stood up and offered a hand to Huldnaf.
Huldnaf shook the outstretched hand, smiled and said, "don't let me down!" as he headed intently toward three prostitutes who awaited him near the bar.
Lars sat there for another moment. If one had been watching him, they would've seen a grin sprout on the previously expressionless man's lips. But this lasted only a moment as the man headed toward the tavern's exit with the same purpose he'd had entering it a few minutes ago.
Meters from the door, a green-skinned humanoid prostitute ran right into the cloaked man, and both fell to the floor. As he fell, the man's hood came loose from his head. The man known as Lars looked angrily and exclaimed at the whore as she took in his rather handsome features, heretofore unseen by the tavern's clientel tonight. Before he replaced the hood, she could see he had intense dark brown eyes and equally dark brown shoulder-length hair. The eyes looked out of two lenses that rested on his nose.
Staring at him, she nervously said, "god, I'm so sorry! I'm such a klutz! Um, can I offer you a...freebie to make it up to you?"
"No thank you," he said as the cool demeanor returned to his eyes and his voice evened out. "Good day." Then he got up, turned on his heels and walked out the hydraulically-opening door.
The green-hued prostitute waited a moment and left the tavern herself. Later, she arrived at her quarters and pulled out her Omnicom. "Omnicom," she said, "send the following message via subspace to Cobalt Kid on Legion World using the special encryption."
Moments after she finished and sent her message, the green-skinned woman heard a buzzing sound. Someone was at her door.
"Who's there?" she said, pressing the console button near her door.
"We bumped into each other at the tavern. You know who I am," responded a voice through the speaker.
"Oh!" she said with a gasp. "Um...let him in." And the door flew open in response.
The cloaked man she'd encountered at the tavern stepped in and lowered his hood. She was still startled, as she had been at the tavern, at how much his appearance had changed from holovids she had seen. His hair was very long, his beard had been shaved off and he weighed probably 100 pounds less than he had before. She tried to keep her expression even in case her cover hadn't been blown.
He simply said, "hey." Then the door closed back.
"Um, hi," she responded awkwardly. "Did..did you decide to take me up on my offer?"
"Well," he gave a wry grin, "though I've been pretty hard up for sex for a long time, that's not the reason I stopped by. Tell me...have you had enough time to contact Cobalt Kid, yet?"
She couldn't hide her surprise. "um, what are you, uh, talking about?"
"Oh, let's not play games, Okay? You're Jada Konti, one of Cobalt's spies. I'm Lard Lad, the guy he's been looking for for two years. So it's out in the open! Now, may I have a seat?" He gestured toward the small round table in the modest kitchen area of her one-room apartment.
"Yes, of course," she said shakily, still trying to grasp what was going on. "Would...you like something to drink?"
"If you've got Silverale, I'd like a small glass."
"Yes, yes, I do. It's one of the stronger proofs...is that alright?" He nodded and gave wry grin and she poured them both a drink, her glass considerably fuller than his. Then she sat down opposite him and placed the glasses and the open Silverale bottle on the table. After taking a big swig for some artificial bravery, she said, "so...what do you want?"
He fingered his glass for a second, took a sip and then looked her square in the eyes. "Don't feel too bad, Ms. Konti, I 'made' you weeks ago and avoided you until the time was right. You see, I know who pretty much all of Cobalt's operatives are, though he doesn't know I know."
He admired her for a moment. "I know all about you. How you're not really a hooker, but you will sleep with a guy if not doing so will compromise your work. I know you don't have any powers but could probably take out 99 out of any given 100 skilled fighters one-on-one with your own superior martial arts skills. I also know why you do what you do and how it drives you to take down those elements that prey on the innocent."
"You're good at this game, but I'm better," he concluded. "I made sure to catch your eye tonight and purposely fell into your 'trap', so you'd be able to confirm who I am."
"But why?" she asked. She was both impressed and embarrassed by his frank manner and especially his clear trumping of her. "If you did everything you could to avoid Cobalt finding you all this time, why stop now? And why come to me tonight?"
"Because the time was right for Des to know. Because I need him to know what happened to me, should I fail. And because there's no way he'll get here in time."
"I don't understand," she said while refilling both their empty glasses.
"Tonight, I'm very close to the goal I've been working toward these two years. In the next couple of days, I will either achieve that goal or die trying. Des won't get here in time to interfere. When he arrives, it'll be all over."
"I suppose you've found Mordra, then? Wouldn't it be better to wait for help?"
"Ah, so Des told his spies what I was after, not just that they were to keep an eye out for me...interesting," he observed with a small smile. "Well, yes, I've found her, but more importantly, I'm about to get access to her. But it's my fight, and I'm not going to risk any of my friends's lives. Passage in the nebula is very tricky, and Des'll never be able to get here in time. He won't be at risk."
Lard Lad pondered silently for a moment and then added, "He and I think a lot alike. I'll bet you anything he'll come alone. He won't risk any of the others despite their objections."
"So...where is Mordra?"
"I had been working on answering that question for many years. After she got away with killing...somebody I loved..." He paused for a long moment and downed his second glass as if to help himself go on. "...I spent longer and longer periods of time working undercover trying to find her. Ironically, right before she attacked me and the LMB two years ago, I had gathered a lot of intel suggesting she was located somewhere within the Dark Oval and was affiliated with one of the five cartels. I was going to pursue the lead by taking some extended leave time after the LMB had taken care of some threats we were dealing with. She attacked only weeks before the leave would've began. She was defeated and fled, but not before she...took my powers."
"Did she know you had the intel on her?" Jada asked as she refilled their glasses again. "Was that why she chose that time to attack after all those years?"
"No. I'm sure it was a coincedence. I think she attacked at that time in order to use her new enchantment to hijack LMB powers and use them to help her cartel through a challenge to their position within the D.O. If she'd succeeded in destroying Legion World, that would've been a bonus, but the powers were her primary goal, I believe."
"So I made my way to the Oval and blended into their underworld. Slowly, I found out she was in bed, literally, with the Hrykos cartel. She's involved with that cartel's capo, Damyen Hrykos, and also acts as his chief advisor. My problem was that, powerless, I'd never be able to gain access to their fortress unless I could find a way into the cartel."
"So I adopted the identity of Lars Owaan, one of the many I'd crafted in my undercover ops, and found my 'in' through a low-level sub-lieutenant of the Hrykos cartel named Huldnaf. Doing countless oddjobs for him, I was able to help elevate his status. Tonight, he told me about his promotion to a full lieutenant, and as I anticipated, he's taking me along for the ride. Tomorrow, I gain access to the Hrykos fortress, and within a couple of days max, I'll find Mordra."
"And then what?"
"Then, I either get my powers back...or I die."
"How are you supposed to do that when she has your powers, and you have none?"
"Don't count me out, Jada," he smiled, "I'm pretty resourceful, powers or no."
"Even so...let me help you. You obviously know what I can bring to the table."
"Yes, I know very well, Jada. But I still am willing to risk only my own life. And, besides, if we both die, Cobalt won't know what happened, will he? If I die, but Cobalt knows everything I told you, he might find some way to bring her down. He's my backup plan. I hope it doesn't come to that, but one way or another, Mordra has to pay for her crimes."
"There it is," she said. "You aren't just looking to reclaim your powers---you want revenge!"
"Revenge?" He pondered that for a moment. "I would say 'justice' is a more appropriate word. But, yes, I'm obviously not here just to get my powers back. There may have been other less dangerous possibilities for solving that problem."
Perhaps it was the Silverale, but Jada pushed him further. "And how are you going to carry out this 'justice'?"
"Not sure," he answered, "have to survive first before I can figure that part out." She could see in his eyes, though, that he had given the notion considerable thought despite his glib answer.
For a few long moments the two remained silent and simply studied each other. She could see a range of thoughts and emotion pass through Lard Lad's eyes as he contemplated both her and the challenge that lay before him the next few days.
Maybe it was the Silverale again, but she felt an irresistable urge and got up out of her chair and stepped behind him as he remained seating.
"Y'know," she whispered into his right ear as she leaned down, "I'm a sucker for heroes and all that selfless nobility." She sucked his earlobe softly and whispered again, "any last requests from the hero facing certain doom?"
He smiled broadly now. "Well," he answered as he stood up and turned around, "I may be able to think of a couple of things..." He took her in his arms and kissed her fiercely, almost desperately.
And for a while he would forget about the raven-haired woman who'd taken away everything he'd ever cared about.
He was grateful for this pleasant distraction, but tomorrow, he knew, he would be back into the shadow. And it would be darker than it had ever been before.....
Early the next morning, Lard Lad left Jada Konti's apartment, and Lars Owaan dutifully began following the instructions he'd been given by Huldnaf to the letter. He couldn't help but be amused by the intricacies and redundancies of the instructions. Clearly, they were designed to both avoid anyone possibly following him and to make it impossible for him to know exactly where he was going. For good measure he was blindfolded for the last leg of his journey accompanied by an armed escort.
Finally, 'Lars' arrived at his destination and was greeted by a familiar voice.
"Welcome to yer new home, kid!" said Huldnaf. "You ken take off yer blin'fold, now!"
For a moment his vision was blurry as it adapted to the light. The first thing 'Lars' saw was Huldnaf's big antennaed, scaly blue weathered face. Then he looked up and saw he was in a courtyard within the walls of what appeared to be a large castle reminiscent of one that might be seen in holos of Earth's medieval period. He knew from his experiences with Whordru that this kind of decor was the kind of thing Mordra's family was into. She was here, alright.
"This's Castle Hrykos, kid...home of the Hrykos Cartel! Lotsa sentients would kill ta know where it is!"
'Lars' looked up higher and saw that a visible Class I force field surrounded the entire compound. In the sky beyond, lit slightly by the forcefield and the compound's own lights were the unmistakable blue refractions of the Lin-Dak Nebula. He figured this compound must be located very deeply within the nebula for maximum secrecy.
He turned his attention back to Huldnaf and tried to affect his character's trademark nonchalance. "So, Huldnaf," 'Lars' asked, "what am I to do here?"
"Well, kid, fer the first few weeks yer gonna train with the cartel's personal guard an' help keep this place secure. Then, yer gonna start goin' on some high level special ops under my command."
"Well, I guess we'd better get it over with, so I can get to the real work."
"Ya'll get there soon enough, kid!"
He and Huldnaf parted, and 'Lars' soon found himself being schooled and oriented along with a handful of other new recruits. They underwent a series of tests of their aptitude for armed and unarmed combat. As he won all his one-on-one fight with fellow recruits, he began to see the ranks of his class thinned out without comment. Obviously, not all of them were intended to make it and were most likely put to death.
On his third day there, 'Lars' received his uniform and was officially commissioned by Altos, the captain of the Hrykosian Guard. He was immediately given a guard assignment on the bottom level of the castle.
Lard Lad wasted no time getting on with his mission. Earlier, in Altos's office, he noticed a schematic of the castle. His duty that night was in the office's vicinity, so he broke into it and studied the map. It featured, conveniently for him, detailed guard assignments for all levels. He wasn't surprised at all to find Mordra's quarters located on the top floor.
It took some time, but Lard Lad's plan worked like a charm. He slowly made his way up each level and took out the guard who's assignment led him to where he needed to get next and so on. He would leave a steady stream of unconscious guards in various storage rooms memorized from the map. He had become very adept at tying people up through the years, so very little time was wasted. This was very important as he had to get to his destination before his work was discovered. As he got higher, some of the guards were tougher, but his own superior skills and the element of surprise came through with every one.
Finally, he reached the top floor and headed for the room he'd been waiting all his life, it seemed, to find. He was startled to see the room was decorated entirely in pink. The drapes, the stone walls, the floor coverings. Everything all in pink.
In the middle of the room was an area surrounded by pink curtains. Lard Lad grasped his sword and approached it. His heart pounding, he pulled back the curtain, raised the sword and saw...a baby sleeping in her crib.
"Huh?" he said.
"You like her?" came a familiar voice from behind him.
He whirled around and with hate in his voice simply said, "Mordra."
The pale-skinned, raven-haired beauty replied, "yes, of course." Then a wicked smile came to her blood-red lips as she said, "I see you've met your daughter. Her name is Morgyen."
He glanced back at the little girl, still sound asleep. "Daughter? What the hell are you talking about?"
"Lardy, dear, surely you know where babies come from?" And she laughed with a twisted gleam in those dark eyes that matched her hair. "We DID have unprotected sex, you, recall?"
"No way you're going to convince me she's mine, Mordra. No cheap ploy will stop me from settling things with you!"
"Oh, but she IS yours, Lardy. You were the first one I had sex with on that little excursion on Legion World a couple of years ago. The same enchantment I had to steal your powers also was designed to assure I was pregnant with the first donor's child. It also bound your powers to me, so that your Rat Mage's spell couldn't restore them to you like he had the others."
Somehow, as practiced a liar as she was, Lard Lad could feel in his bones that she was telling him the truth. "It doesn't matter," he said, "I came here to reclaim my powers from you, and I won't be stopped. See, I paid a little visit to your sister a couple of years ago. She was more than happy to put a specific enchantment on me that will protect me from any powers you try to use on me, including the Lard Force." And he raised his sword.
"Oh," she answered unconcerned, "that would be the one powered by your hate for me? Pretty clever of you, Lardy. But also pretty worthless because I don't have your powers. Haven't had them for nearly two years. I gave them away."
"You must be desperate, Mordra! You would never give away power to anyone--you love it more than anything!"
"But not more than anyone," said a man's voice from the nursery's entrance.
"Who?!?" Lard Lad yelled as he turned to look at the man.
"I'm Damyen Hrykos, Mordra's husband. And I don't believe your enchantment will help you now."
An energy came from Hrykos's hand that Lard Lad recognized immediately as Lard Force an instant before he collapsed in pain. The last thing he heard as everything went black was the sounds of hideous laughter from his triumphant enemies.
The last thing he felt was the painful, overwhelming grief that the crusade he'd fought for seemingly his whole life was a complete failure......
"Wakey-wakey," cooed a mocking voice that beckoned Lard Lad back from the abyss.
His eyelids fluttered open, and he came to realize that he was facing the same two foes who were the last things he'd seen before losing consciousness. Instinctively trying to lunge for them, Lard Lad found that all his limbs were bound by shackles as he hung vertically from a wall or some kind of platform. The aching from his arms and legs indicated they'd been supporting his weight in this position for quite a while. Suddenly, as his head cleared more and more, he realized that he was also completely naked.
"What the hell?!" he exclaimed as this last realization dawned.
"What's wrong?" Damyen Hrykos sneered. "Feeling a little...exposed?" And Hrykos and his wife roared with laughter at this comment, Mordra apparently so overwhelmed with amusement that she had to lean on Hrykos for support.
"It's so funny," Hrykos said as he apparently gained his composure, "to think that you felt you could infiltrate my castle and get revenge on my wife! You're a surprisingly good spy, Mr. Taylor, but my organization didn't get to be what it is today by not keeping watch out for such schemes. We 'made' you months ago! It amused my wife to let you think you'd succeeded...she truly relishes making you suffer! Must admit...I'm starting to see the appeal!"
"Huldnaf knew?" asked their prisoner.
"That old fool?" Hrykos sneered. "Hardly! He's not much of an actor. I manipulated him easily to lure you into this trap. We'll probably have him fed to vermin when this is all over!"
Lard Lad thought for a moment and said, "Hrykos, you don't know what she is! She's using you---that's what she does. Men are like toys to her! She's got you brainwashed!"
Hrykos and Mordra both exchanged an amused glance. Then Hrykos answered, "that is true of any other man Mordra has been with, but, you see, the people of my home planet have evolved a natural immunity to any kind of psychic manipulation. Our minds cannot be read, probed, tricked or modified by any means---telepathic, magical or otherwise."
Mordra chimed in, "yes, finding a man who I couldn't manipulate---and believe me, I tried at first---proved to be the ultimate turn-on for me!" And the two then exchanged a hungry kiss to punctuate the point.
Lard Lad's mind worked fast. "Hrykos, that child in the other room...she isn't yours. Mordra tricked me into having sex with her over two years ago."
"Yes, I know," answered Hrykos. "Mordra and I came up with that plan together. You see, I was rendered sterile years ago, courtesy of one of my family's enemies. We wanted a child, though, one who would wield considerable power herself someday. Together, we chose you as the father because we believe that you are, or were at least, one of the potentially most powerful people in the galaxy. As a bonus, my beloved came up with the double-whammy enchantment that both ensured the pregnancy and transferred your powers to her. She, of course, passed the powers to me when she returned as we planned."
Lard Lad was incredulous. "You...you approved of her having sex with another man?"
"Certainly," Hrykos replied nonchalantly, "all for the greater good and what-not. In fact...we're ready for our little one year-old to have a brother!"
"NO!!! NO FREAKING WAY!!!!" Lard Lad screamed with anger as he understood the implications of both what Hrykos said and of his own unclothed state with dawning horror.
Hrykos laughed uncontrollably as Mordra slunk closer to their prisoner as if she were doing a seduductive dance. "Oh YES!" she purred. "And Damyen wants to watch this time!" She looked back at her husband, "y'know, honey, I hear Lardy likes it kinda rough these days. How 'bout you toss me those special gloves, dear?"
Still laughing, Hrykos lobbed the objects she requested. As Mordra slipped the gloves on, Lard Lad saw that the leather coverings had razor sharp claws on the fingertips and metallic parts on the knuckles.
As Mordra approached closer, Hrykos fingered a lever built into the wall causing the platform Lard Lad was strapped to to shift so that he was now lying in a horizontal position.
"Honey, I think this'll be extra fun if I wear one of my old glamours." As Hrykos nodded and grinned, Mordra's features shimmered for a moment before settling into ones that Lard Lad recognized instantly.
"NO, dammit! Don't you look like her!"
"Sorry, Lardy." And even her voice sounded just like hers. "But it pleases me to look like your precious Leelee while I have my way with you! You know, for old time's sake?"
As Mordra climbed up on him and straddled him, Lard Lad's voice started low and built as he said, "if you do this, Mordra...I swear...I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!!!"
"Well," she said with amusement, "I promise you'll be doing one of those things..." And she drew back her right arm and landed a crushing blow straight to his jaw that knocked two teeth out and caused his mouth to fill with the coppery taste of blood. "...whether you like it or not!"
And soon Lard Lad found himself wishing she'd use those gloves to put him out of his misery.
His wish would not be granted.
Much later, Lard Lad was again positioned vertically and was slumped over and unconscious. His body was raked with deep scratches and dark purple bruises. His face, particularly, was swollen and nearly unrecognizable. A widening pool of blood was forming below his feet as large drops of blood trickled from his toes.
With a flash of light, two humanoids appeared in the room and immediately rushed to the bound prisoner within.
"Oh my God...Lardy? Are you alive? Help me get him out of these shackles. Lardy...it's Cobalt...I've got Jada with me! C'mon, you've gotta be alive!"
Though one eye was completely swollen shut, their battered friend managed to open his left eye and used it to look them over studiously.
"Thank God...he's alive!" Cobalt Kid exclaimed.
Softly, through missing teeth and bleeding mouth, Lard Lad spoke, "Des, help me up...I've got a promise to keep..."
-------------------- "Suck it, depressos!"--M. Lash
From: The Underbelly of Society | Registered: Jul 2003
| IP: Logged |
As Cobalt Kid helped his old friend up, Lard Lad stumbled and fell down.
As he struggled to lift Lard Lad back up with Jada Konti's assistance, Cobalt said, "Lardy, you're in no shape to--"
"So heal me, Des," Lard Lad interrupted. "You've got the power to do that."
"Yes...I do, Lardy. But you've been so badly beaten and cut, it might take a while." Suddenly, with obvious horror showing in his eyes, Cobalt came to a realization about his friend. Easing him back down with Jada's help, he leaned closer to his friend while simultaneously motioning for Jada to step back. In a voice barely above a whisper, he asked him, "my god, Lardy...Anthony...have you been ra--?"
Lard Lad cut him off with a hint of annoyance in his eyes, "just heal me, Des. Do as much as you can within a couple of minutes. I'm sure it will be enough to take the edge off."
Cobalt knew that this was as much as Lardy confirming his suspicions. A powerful surge of anger flared through him at those who'd done this to his friend, but he pushed it back, so he could ease Lardy's pain. Cobalt then lay his hands on Lardy's chest and face, and his hands began to glow.
As Cobalt concentrated on the healing process, Lard Lad asked him, "so...how'd you get here?"
Still not letting his concentration waver, Cobalt responded, "Jada planted a very special tracer on you subcutaneously while you were...distracted. It's linked to a small teleportation device reverse-engineered from boom-tube technology that can transport up to two people instantly to the general area where the implant is located. Unfortunately, it's a one-way ticket as the trip burns the device out. We'll have to get out the hard way."
"Yeah, it'll be pretty hard, virtually impossible," Lard Lad commented as he felt Cobalt's healing energy flow through him. "Place is heavily guarded and surrounded by a very powerful force field. We may not get out of here without...Lard Force."
"We'll find a way, Lardy...you won't be in any shape to--"
"Enough!" Lard Lad interrupted as he pulled away from Cobalt and stood up. "I've got to confront Damyen Hrykos. He has my powers now...Mordra gave them to him."
"Well, I can fight him for you, Lardy. Then you can do whatever it is to get your pow--"
"No! I'm fighting him alone!"
"But you--"
"I'm not helpless, Cobalt! It's my fight! All I need you to do is create a distraction for me outside in the castle grounds--that'll draw most of the guards and keep them from protecting Hrykos and Mordra...just give me a ten-minute headstart. Meanwhile, Jada, you will need to deactivate the force field...it's in the sub-basement. Cobalt's distraction will help there too. That way, the two of you can escape if I die."
"Whoa, Lardy, I'm not going to let you die!" Cobalt yelled in exasperation.
"I don't intend to, Des. But if I do fail, I want you two to be safe. I'm asking you this as a friend."
Cobalt thought for a long moment. "Okay, Lardy. I'll do this for you," he said finally and put his hand on his friend's shoulder. However, Cobalt was thinking, but I'll get back to you as soon as possible. You aren't dying on my watch!
So moments later, the trio split up to go after their respective assignments. Lard Lad found a guard uniform and a sword in a storage closet. Unfortunately, the pants of the uniform were all that fit, so he proceeded with bare feet, no shirt and no other articles. He didn't mind much. It felt good to have any clothes at all after all he'd just been through. It felt even better to know he was free to seek out some payback.
Though Lard Lad didn't know precisely where Hrykos was in the castle, he had become aware earlier when Hrykos was in the same room that he could sense the Lard force within Hrykos. He hadn't expected that, being powerless, but the power radiating from Hrykos was like a beacon to him.
Very soon, after dispatching with several guards like he had before, he came to a door, and he could feel the siren call of his power radiating from behind. He was a little surpised to find the door was unlocked.
He peered inside and saw that Hrykos was practicing fencing with a holographic opponent. The barefoot intruder smiled a little, then walked right in.
"So," Lard Lad said loudly, "you fancy yourself a swordsman?"
Startled, Hrykos whirled from his holographic combatant, threw aside his head guard and pointed his foil toward the intruder who had entered from the other side of the room. "Who--? You? What...how?"
"I escaped," Lard Lad said simply. "I'm pretty good with a sword myself! You want to settle our differences like men, or do you have to use my stolen powers to dispatch with me?"
"Hah!" Hrykos sneered. "You are pathetic without your powers--a male rape victim? I don't know how you got out, but I'll be more than happy to eviscerate you with my superior--" His sentence was interrupted by a loud boom coming from the castle grounds. "What was--?"
"Just a distraction," Lard Lad answered, "something to keep us from any outside interference. So...enguarde?"
Hrykos answered with a confident smile and said, "oh, I'll make short enough work of you, so I'll be able to attend to whatever that is soon enough, anyway." Quickly, Hrykos dropped his foil and retrieved a handsome and well-made sword from a nearby rack. "Enguarde!"
With that, Lard Lad charged at Hrykos furiously, and the two swords created sparks as Hrykos parried his challenger's blows. Unfortunately, Lard Lad's initial attack was more fury than strategy, so Hrykos quickly drew first blood with a deep cut to Lard Lad's left bicep.
He blocked out the pain long enough to block a potential kill blow Hrykos had followed up with, and Lard Lad managed to deliver a solid kick to Hrykos's abdomen to buy him a few seconds to recover. Lard Lad used those seconds to refocus his mind on his training. He had to hold back his anger because it was making him fight too sloppy. He decided he should let Hrykos press his offence. Concentrating on defence would give him a chance to see how Hrykos attacks and hopefully expose a weakness he could exploit.
In a quick moment later, Hrykos started his offensive. As he parried the blows, Lard Lad noticed that Hrykos had lost that cool demeanor he'd projected at the outset. Perhaps, Hrykos was angered because he expected him to already have fallen. Or perhaps, it went beyond that. Maybe Hrykos felt some jealousy about Mordra's sexual encounters with him after all.
Lard Lad decided to test that last theory. "So, Hrykos," he began as he parried a blow, "you may be mentally immune to Mordra's mind control magic, but surely you know she's still using you the old-fashioned way--with feminine wiles? You saw how she got off on all that business earlier...right?"
"Liar!" he screamed and charged at Lard Lad full speed.
Lard Lad ducked under the blow and lifted his own sword sharply upward in the same motion. Hrykos dropped to the floor and his right sword-arm, up to the elbow, dropped beside him. Hrykos screamed as he grasped the stump which was furiously squirting blood.
Lard Lad grabbed Hrykos's sword, stood up and prepared to deliver an apparently fatal blow. "See you in hell!" Lard Lad shouted, but before he could strike the blow, Hrykos raised his left hand, and Lard Force energy coming from it blasted his assailant across the room into a wall.
"Not...yet," Hrykos said with a gasp as he got up and walked toward Lard Lad. "I'm using your Lard Force to stop the bleeding. And now...I'll finish you off!"
Then Hrykos sent a lard-siphoning blast at the dazed man who was still struggling to get up. But Lard Lad put a hand up and was somehow keeping the energy at bay. Lard Lad was surprised he was able to deflect the blast but was also aware that he couldn't hold it back much longer. Soon, he could feel the tide turning against him.
But just as Lard Lad's resistance was about to give out, Cobalt Kid blasted his way into the room through the outer castle wall. Immediately assessing the situation, he focussed his magnetic energies on Hrykos, and the two were deadlocked trying to overcome the other's energy stream.
Suddenly, Cobalt felt Hrykos's energy give way. Cobalt looked over and saw Hrykos lying on the floor as Lard Lad stood over him with a handsome, though bloody, sword. Then Cobalt noticed something moving away from them both; slowly he realized it was Hrykos's severed head rolling away from his body before it lost momentum and came to a stop.
Before Cobalt could even undrop his gaping jaw, Lard Lad dropped to the ground and appeared to convulse. Purple lightning-like energy shot into Lard Lad from Hrykos's body. As it happened, Cobalt could feel the aura of raw power filling the room and instictively put up a magnetic force shield to protect himself. After about a minute, the energy transfer stopped. Immediately Lard Lad stood up and let the purple energy rotate between his hands.
"I've got it back!" he said to no one in particular and used some of the energy to heal the bicep wound.
"Lardy..." Cobalt said softly, "...you killed him."
With kind of an amused expression, he looked at the headless body, then back at Cobalt, and answered, "uh, yeah, he's definitely dead. Only way I could get my power back from him on short notice."
"But don't you realize what you've done?"
"Yeah, Des, we've covered that. Look," he pointed at Hrykos's remains, "this was not a good guy. He and his cartel have killed a lot of sentients. And he stood and laughed while his wife raped and tortured me! He would've killed me if you hadn't gotten here in time---and he would've killed you if his power had overwhelmed yours. He won't be missed."
"Lardy...let's just get out of here."
"No, not yet," Lard Lad said as he watched the energy crackle between his fingers. Then, he picked up Hrykos's bloody sword and said to Cobalt, "I've still got a promise to keep. Be back soon." And with a pop, he disappeared from the room.
Now alone in the room with nothing but a body and its severed head, Cobalt said, "he's going after Mordra. He'll kill her too...."
-------------------- "Suck it, depressos!"--M. Lash
From: The Underbelly of Society | Registered: Jul 2003
| IP: Logged |
Mordra sat alone in the nursery rocking her daughter to sleep. Mordra's eyes seemed fixed on something beyond the flowery pink walls she appeared to be staring at intently. She was not surprised at all when she heard a small pop sound coming from behind her.
Without stopping the rocking motion at all nor glancing behind her, Mordra said softly, "hello, Lardy."
The shirtless, barefoot man who'd just materialized in the room was a little surprised at her nonchalance though. He glanced around furtively and grasped his sword tightly in front of him as if he were expecting an attack.
"Put the sword down, Lardy. You won't need it. It's only the two of us and our daughter in here."
Unsoothed by her words, he continued to hold the sword up with one hand and used the other to channel the Lard Force in such a way as to scan the room for hidden dangers. He was a little mad at himself for not doing this in the first place. He'd had no power to rely upon for so long that it would take a while for him to get used to having it again.
"I suppose you're scanning the room. Are you satisfied, now?"
He didn't answer the question. After satisfying himself that there were no traps, he instead said, "put the baby in her cradle. Now."
Mordra gave a small, annoyed kind of sigh, gently lay down the sleeping girl and faced Lard Lad for the first time. "I know you just killed Damyen. I shared a psychic link with him. He allowed it as a symbol of his trust for me. That trust was misplaced."
"Whatever. I'm here to pay you back for all the misery you've caused, Mordra. At long last, justice will be served here tonight!"
"Justice? HA! Revenge is more like it! Oh, I've hurt and killed many other people, but I've made it my life's work to mess yours up as much as possible."
Part of him screamed to just kill her there and then before she could poison him even more with her last breaths, but there was something gnawing within him that had to know more first. "Why?" he asked with a hint of desperation. "Why me?"
"To make you stronger, love! The Lard Lad I met all those years ago didn't seem at all capable of the things you are destined for. Even now, you're still a long way from where you need to be. But after tonight you'll be a lot closer."
"Closer to what?!?" he screamed in a voice so terribly loud it awoke the baby in a frenzy. With a subtle wave of his hand in the direction of the cradle, the crying quickly died out. He used a small expression of his power to put her in a deep, but gentle, sleep.
"Closer to becoming the Dark Lord, the Destroyer, that the people of my faith believe you will be some day."
"Faith? You? HA!" he chuckled derisively.
"Yes, Lardy. I am a member of the Church of the Eternal Void. We believe that a being of great power will arise very soon to first dominate, then destroy, the universe. Many of us believe that Destroyer is you!"
"Me? That faith and that interpretation are the most ridiculous things I've ever heard! I'm not out to destroy the universe! Where the hell do you get this crap?!?"
Mordra smiled and sighed softly. "Our church believes that a child of Order and Chaos will become the Destroyer. Two foes of your LMB represent those two all-powerful forces: Pornis represents Chaos and the One represents Order..."
"Oh!" Lard Lad laughed, "so your cult buys that half-baked theory that me and Eryk were their love children? That's a load of garbage!"
"No, it's not," Mordra said with a hint of anger creeping through her cool veneer. "Opoosites attract, after all, and the two had a weak moment in their war. My mother was midwife to the One when she gave birth. Mom sensed the power within you and your brother. But in you, she could feel your latent, immeasurably powerful connection to the Lard Force. That potential dwarfed that of the combined power of your parents!"
"The One sensed it, too. Mother was afraid the One might kill you, so she kidnapped you and hid you in an orphanage on a U.P. fringe planetoid. The quasar that was nearby shielded you from detection by the One, Pornis, my father Mordru or any other being who might interfere with your path."
Lard Lad was still incredulous. "Why should I believe you?"
"Well, it is the truth, just as I told you the truth about our daughter. I'm sure that when you soothed her a moment ago, you also used your power to confirm she's yours?"
He gave a slight nod but said, "but how was all the stuff you did to me supposed to make me this 'Destroyer' you believe me to be?"
"The prophecy my Church believes in states that though you are inherently the force for ultimate Chaos, the Order-influence in your blood will fight that proclivity for a long time. It predicted that a priestess of the Church will give her life to help steer the Destroyer down the path of his destiny by putting him through trials."
"Priestess? Trials? You treat your god like shit, so he'll do what you want? That's the most asinine, backwards logic I've ever heard!!!" In a burst of anger he used the Lard Force to instantly put her on the brink of starvation.
"You like that?!", he yelled. "You've displeased your 'god'! You like his wrath?!?"
Though gasping in horrible pain, Mordra managed a smile. Seeing this, he restored her in disgust.
"Yes," she managed. Though restored, the quick transition back is very unpleasant. She vomited and said weakly, "that's the fire I want to see..."
After a dry heave, she continued as Lard Lad rubbed his head, his mind racing. "yes...felt good, didn't it? You've wanted to torture me for a long time...make me suffer...even moreso after what I did to you yesterday."
"I did a lot...but much of it was up to you. I had to make sure that you wouldn't reach your goal easily. I sought out someone of power to align with and dupe. Damyen served that purpose extremely well. I provided all the bile you would need to drive you, but you would have to prove yourself by finding me and getting to me. I wasn't sure how you would get out of your captivity and regain your powers, but if you were truly the Destroyer you would succeed! And you did. If I harbored any doubt that you were he, you dispelled all doubt tonight."
"Only one thing remains for me to fulfill my duty---to die from your righteous wrath!"
Still rubbing his forehead and temples with his eyes closed, he mumbled, "not going to, Mordra...won't give you the pleasure..."
"Oh REALLY?!" she laughed heartily. "You didn't go through everything you've been through just to lock me up---so I can charm some witless guard and escape again! I promise you, if that happens I'll kill that little whore of yours, Hummer Lass, and that Leelee wannabe, Helen!!!" And her laughter rang through the room.
"SHUT UP!!!" he shrieked at her, his eyes now open and fixed on her ablaze with fury.
"Maybe you're just some little pussy after all...like you were when I first met you---fell in love with the first girl who ever even held your hand! HA! Killing her was an act of mercy...I spared her from having to play mommy all her life to the pathetic little orphan afraid of his own power!"
"I SAID SHUT THE HELL UP!!!"
"Maybe your daughter, or your son I'm carrying, will have the balls to do what their old man could never---"
But she couldn't finish as she felt herself being knocked on her back. Momentarily stunned, she then saw she was being straddled by the subject of her scornful words.
"Hmmm..." she smiled, "one for the ro--?"
But her question was never completed as two hands grasped her tightly around the throat. She looked up and saw pure anger in Lard Lad's eyes, though they were strangely underscored by tears rolling down his cheeks. Even as she gasped and instinctively tried to dislodge his hands with hers, a smile was visible on her lips. Seeing this, Lard Lad furiously tightened his grasp.
snap
The noise startled him and dispersed the angry fog that was over his mind. He released his hands and looked around as if expecting the sound to have been made by a weapon. Startled, he instead saw Cobalt Kid gaping in horror in the room's doorway. Lard Lad followed his eyeline, wondering what had frightened his friend.
Looking down, Lard Lad was surprised to see Mordra staring as if looking right through him, her lips frozen in a slight grin. Uncomprehending, he was suddenly startled as a frantic cry came from the baby's cradle.
"Lardy," Cobalt said slowly, "you've killed Mordra. You...you broke her neck..."
Looking down again, Lard Lad began to realize what he'd just done. He backed off her, and his expression mirrored his friend's for a moment.
But in the next moment the expression changed--for just an instant--to one of pure satisfaction....
For a long moment, the room seemed frozen in that tableau until Cobalt Kid broke the silence.
"Lardy...Anthony..."
"Later Cobalt," Lard Lad interrupted and stood up suddenly. "We've got problems. The rest of the Hrykos Clan are wise to what's going on. Reinforcements are in transit. We need to get out of here now!"
"How---?"
"Trust me, Des...I can sense a lot of things with my powers now. Where's Jada?"
"She...she's watching the stairs..."
"Good. Call her in here. I've got to get the baby, and then we'll 'port out of here!"
"Baby?" Cobalt said vacantly. Looking around, he realized for the first time that this room he'd walked into, where he'd just witnessed a murder, was a nursery, of all things. He hadn't even comprehended the baby's cries until then, his shock whad been so profound. "Who--?"
"It's Mordra's daughter...she--she's an orphan now. I'm taking her with us. Now, go get Jada!"
Cobalt stood there for a moment, then hurried out. Once his friend was out of the room, Lard Lad headed toward the cradle, but stopped at Mordra's body. He leaned over her and put his hand on her lower abdomen. Eyes closed, he seemed to search for something; then, apparently satisfied, he steadied his hand, and it glowed for a moment.
Then, he picked up Hrykos's sword, stabbed it through Mordra's unbeating heart and left it there. He whispered, "just making sure. See you in hell!"
He then approached the cradle and gently picked up the crying one-year-old. "It's okay," he whispered. Surprisingly, he was able to soothe her very quickly without using any of his power. Cradling her gently, he made his way out to the hall.
"They're coming!" Jada said urgently as she and Cobalt ran toward him.
Lard Lad put his finger to his mouth to indicate a tacit request for quiet. And in the next moment, the four of them vanished. Seconds later, two dozen armed men appeared and were confused to find no sign of the assailants.
Within an hour, the fugitives had stolen themselves a cruiser that would aid their escape through its innocuousness and were leaving Lin-Dak City's orbit.
Jada was piloting the vessel, while Cobalt Kid and Lard Lad sat in the small passenger compartment. The baby lay asleep in her father's arms.
The two had been silent for a long time, both staring ahead blankly. Finally, Cobalt broke the silence as he had done in the nursery. "Lardy...the baby...why take her? She looks...a little over a year old. Is she--?"
With obvious irritation, he answered, "I told you...she's Mordra's daughter. Look, I killed her parents...I'm going to make sure she's alright."
"But doesn't Hrykos have other family members in his Clan? Couldn't they take care of her? Look, Anthony, you can tell me if she's--"
"Listen to me, Des---I don't want this little girl to become one of those fucking sadists someday, okay? So drop it!"
"Okay, Anthony, I'll let that go. But we need to talk about what you've done tonight."
Shaking his head with closed eyes, Lard Lad said, "not right now."
"Yes---now!" Cobalt affirmed. "You just murdered Mordra in cold blood, Anthony! I saw it! Hrykos, I can justify. It was in the heat of battle, and you probably saved my life. But Mordra--you strangled her...broke her neck!"
Lard Lad looked impatient for a moment, then he stood up and lay his daughter down, secured her in blankets and gently used his power to deepen her sleep.
He then turned toward his old friend and his face turned bright red. In a quick motion he lunged himself at Cobalt and hit him firmly on the chin with a right cross, knocking him out of his chair. Stunned for a moment, Cobalt was forced back up as Lard Lad grabbed his collar and brought Cobalt face-to-face with him.
"How dare you judge me! You, better than anyone, know what that bitch has done to me... and to my life!! What was I supposed to do---put her in jail and hope she wouldn't escape again? Who knows what she might've done next if I hadn't killed her! As long as she was alive, all the people I care about were at risk! I couldn't live with myself if Helen or Pru or Eryk--or YOU had been murdered because I failed to act!! Believe me, she wouldn't rest until she did something like that---it was all about fucking up my life! She even said so!!!"
Tears streamed from his eyes as he finished, then he let go of his friend. He turned his back from Cobalt, ashamed of his outburst.
"Anthony," Cobalt said gently and put a hand on his friend's left shoulder, "I do understand. You know I've killed before...Dark Conan and the Pious One...a couple others...but those were unavoidable...I killed out of necessity. Even so, their deaths still haunt me everyday. Believe me, you've never killed before. It's--"
"Oh yes, I have," Lard Lad interrupted softly. "I've killed her thousands of times in my dreams since she first got away. And when I stabbed her years ago, I meant to kill her. And...remember Psychotic Beaver?"
"How could I forget! But that was different. You were--"
"Crazy? Yeah, Psychotic Beaver had the uncontrolled psychic power to infect mass lunacy to all within a large area around her. She got into the old LMB HQ and infected about twenty of us with random phobias and psychoses. In your case she infected you with extreme claustrophobia. Loser exhibited multiple personalities. Me, I was made a delusional homicidal maniac. I saw everyone as one of my enemies and carried a shotgun trying to execute all of them. Luckily, my aim was very bad, and no one got hurt...except Psychotic beaver herself."
"Yeah, you killed her and ended the outbreak."
"Haven't you ever wondered why I finally found my mark with her?"
"No, not really."
"It's because I perceived Beaver as Mordra when I found her! I shot her right between the eyes without hesitation and with suddenly perfect aim!"
"God," Cobalt offered, "I don't know what to say to that, Anthony. I sometimes felt like I wanted to kill Mordra as well, and I certainly felt you could kill her after you left me in Hrykos's training room...but to actually see you do it..."
"Sometimes, Des, someone needs to be killed. I know you were tortured badly yourself by Dark Conan and the Pious One for years. Can you honestly say that if you had them beaten and could have spared them...that you would have?"
"I don't know, Anthony. Despite all they did to me, their deaths still haunt me. Sometimes, I do a lot to overcompensate for the pain I feel over it...all the girls, all the partying..." And he flashed a sympathetic look at his friend. He knew that Lardy dealt with his tragedies in a similar fashion.
"Well, Des...I'm through with alcohol. I'm never going to make myself vulnerable like I did to Mordra two years ago again!"
"That's...that's a start, Anthony, but I think you'd be making a mistake if you take it to the extreme and shut yourself out from the people who love you."
At this, the other was silent and gave an offhand kind of nod.
"Then," Cobalt continued, "there's the legal ramifications, and the LMB will--"
"WHAT?" Lard Lad yelled, some of the anger starting to resurface. "No one else needs to know what happened here!!"
"Anthony...I'm the Chief of Security and--"
"---and I'M your best friend, Des!"
"My responsibility is--"
"---first and foremost, to your friends! Look, Des, I need the LMB more than ever now! If you take away that, you may as well just stab me in the back right NOW! I say, NO ONE NEEDS TO KNOW!!! Hell, not all the LMB knows about the people you've killed, do they?"
"No," Cobalt said in a low voice, "they don't. Are you...blackmailing me?"
"Of course not, Des! I'm just making a point! You've got skeletons in your closet...so do I. We can still be heroes, can't we?"
For an eternally long moment, Cobalt was silent. Then staring at the ground, he said, "okay, it stays between you and me. I'll help you get through this because you are the best friend I've ever had."
Lard Lad smiled and teared up. Then the two hugged. Lard Lad's expression was one of sheer gratitude and relief.
Cobalt's features, however, were haggard. He hoped to whatever higher power he believed in that he was doing the right thing.....
In three days the cruiser arrived in a spacedock orbiting Legion World. Jada Konti departed immediately in the stolen cruiser while dropping off Lard Lad, Cobalt Kid and the baby. It was no longer safe for Jada in the Lin-Dak Nebula. She told Cobalt that she intended to implant herself somewhere within Barbarian Hordes territory. She would resume subspace correspondence with him as soon as possible.
Lard Lad and Cobalt watched the cruiser take off, the former holding the baby in his arms.
"So," Cobalt said as the cruiser warped from view, "you ready to go down to HQ now?"
"No, Des...not yet," the man known to his friends as 'Lardy' answered with a faraway look in his eyes. "I've got to make a couple of stops first. Gotta take care of the baby...find her a home."
"Anthony, you seem really good with her. Maybe you ought to consider keeping her?"
"No," Lardy shrugged, "it's too dangerous for her. I'm going to make sure she's safe. My cruiser still here?"
"Of course, Lardy. It's right where you left it. Where will you take the baby?"
"I'd rather not say, Des. If the Hrykos Clan goes looking for her, it's better that only those who must know have that knowledge. I'll be back within a week...I'll Omnicom you a day in advance."
"And I'll..." Cobalt tried to put the old enthusiasm into his voice, but fell short. "...I'll have a grand welcome party ready for you."
And with only a quick pat on Cobalt's shoulder, Lard Lad turned on his heel and headed toward the hanger bay where he knew his old cruiser would be, the baby still sound asleep.
Five days later, Lard Lad's cruiser landed near a modest single residence on a small planetoid called ColMet-One. The cruiser had barely started its shutdown sequence when a lone figure sprinted from the residence toward it.
"Anthony!" the now-obviously feminine figure cried as the hatch opened. She was a brunette with matching expressive brown eyes. She wore plain, simple attire, but her beauty outshone any need for glamorous trappings. "You're alive! Thank God!"
Lard Lad strode down the hatch and received the breathless female in a warm embrace, picking her up slightly as he did. Then she kissed him, and he responded.
"Yes, Helen," he said soothingly while still locked in the embrace, "I'm alive, but not alone."
He released from Helen's embrace and went back up the hatch. He returned, holding a cooing one-year-old girl. Helen's first response was not to question the baby's identity. Instead, the baby instantly melted her heart, and Helen asked to hold her. Wordlessly, the trio headed inside Helen's home.
Helen instinctively knew that this wasn't the right moment to get into all her questions, so she focussed on feeding the man she loved and this beautiful baby girl he had brought.
Once the baby was fed and laid down into satisfied slumber, the time was right.
Looking down at the girl, Helen finally asked, "who is she, Anthony?"
"She's mine, Helen. When Mordra tricked me into sleeping with her, she became pregnant."
"So you found Mordra?"
"Yes, yes I did. And now...I've got to tell you all that happened."
And he proceeded to tell Helen everything that happened. He left no details out at all. Even the parts of the story regarding his supposed destiny as told by Mordra that Cobalt nor anyone else had been privy to.
For her part, Helen was beside herself with grief for what the man she loved went through. Hearing about how he'd been raped and tortured made her cry fiercely. He had to stop and console her. It was difficult for him to tell her all this, but he felt it was necessary to lead the conversation where he needed it to go. He was relieved when she had reacted with complete support when she learned about the murders he'd committed.
"Helen, I've come here to ask something very important of you. God, I feel like I don't have the right to ask you to do something so..."
"You want me to raise her, don't you?"
"Wha--how'd you?"
"Anthony, I've listened to everything you said. I know your heart better than anyone. You want me to raise your precious little girl...alone."
Tears welled up in his eyes. "Yes, I do. God, Helen, it's so much to ask, but--"
She placed her hands gently on his shoulder and looked into eyes that tried to avert her gaze. "But you are afraid. Afraid of raising her wrong. Afraid of the Hrykos Clan finding her. Afraid you can't be a hero and a father. Afraid you might let me down as a husband. Afraid of her and how she looks just like Mordra...and how that makes you feel. Afraid of yourself...of what you've done and of what you may become if Mordra was right."
"Y-yes, all of that," he said sobbing.
"I'll do it," she said and teared up with him, "because I love you...and because I love her already."
"There's something else," he said and held up his right hand. A small glowing orb appeared and hovered above his hand.
"What..what is it, Anthony," she asked as the tiny glow reflected in her eyes.
"It's the life essence of...another child."
"Another child? I don't understand."
"After I...killed...Mordra, I extracted the essence of the child we conceived when she...raped me."
"You..you can do that?"
"Yes, apparently. This little life, this boy, needs a womb to grow in..."
Helen stepped back for a moment. "Anthony..I can't. When Whoredru's magic transformed me into a hermaphrodite and back...it damaged my reproductive organs..."
"I can heal that, Helen. Trust me. This life is not completely formed. If I put him in your womb, he will be mine...and yours---not hers. Will you have him?"
"Yes, Anthony. I'd be honored to bear our child, and raise them both. I've," she said sobbing, "I've always wanted to be a mother. And I've always wanted to have your children!"
He wordlessly placed his hand over her lower abdomen, and it glowed. Helen felt an overpoweringly warm sensation start there and spread all over her body. Even when it was over, she felt a happiness that wouldn't go away for a long while.
"I've got to go, now," Lard Lad said an hour later.
"I know," she said. "I know it hurts too much for you to stay any longer. You--you need to immerse yourself in the LMB again...start feeling like a hero as soon as possible."
"You know me too well, Helen. How..how can I possibly thank you for what you're doing?"
She considered him for a moment and replied, "thank me by working all this pain out, you're going through. And then...come back to me."
Then he said, "I will be sending you a lot of credits every month to help you. And I'll try to visit when I can. Also, there's an enchantment I brought with me that will protect you and the kids from detection."
"Enchantment?"
"Don't panic, Helen, but I visited Whoredru on the way here and---"
"Whoredru!" Helen gasped. This was the woman who nearly ruined her life after all.
"I know, I know," he said soothingly then launched into a breathless explanation to quell her panic. "But she hated her sister more than anything in the universe. When I killed Mordra, Whoredru's beard finally went away! Anyway, she was so grateful that she agreed to help out with this spell. She didn't know who it was for or anything. And I used my power to verify she was telling the truth and to scan the charm for any booby traps--the Lard Force is kind of a magic offshoot itself, you see."
"Are you sure?" she responded simply.
He smiled and replied, "yep! I'm sure! Seriously, Helen, thank you so much for doing this..."
"There's nothing to thank me for, Anthony. I'm the one who should be thanking you. I've been so lonely, but now I'll have these children. Anthony...what is our little girl's name?"
"Hrykos and Mordra called her something else...but I want to call her...Helena."
She paused and wiped some fresh tears from her eyes. "I'm--I'm touched, Anthony. Someday, I hope...I'll have you, too. I love you so much..."
"And I love you, too, Helen. Never doubt that!"
At that they shared a tight embrace and a tender kiss.
As he climbed into the hatch, Lard Lad shouted back to her over the revving engines. "AND I'LL BE BACK TO BE WITH YOU SOMEDAY! I PROMISE!!!"
And he disappeared into the cruiser which promptly took off.
Helen waved and headed back to check on her new little girl, Helena. Somehow, she felt strongly that he wouldn't keep that promise.
The next day, Lard Lad arrived on Legion World and attended a celebration at Shakes in honor of his return. The mood was raucously festive, and Lardy and Cobalt put on their best game faces.
But inside, they separately were not feeling festive at all. Each felt a gnawing unease that wouldn't go away. They hoped, desperately, that the dark clouds covering their thoughts would disperse, and that tomorrow would be a brighter day.....
Journal, if I'm right, these may be the last words I ever write. I pray that I'm wrong, especially if it means we failed.
The unthinkable has happened. The best friend I ever had has turned completely evil and has become a threat to the whole universe. If we fall without stopping him, there may be no universe at all.
He's already committed unthinkable acts. Killed or subverted so many of the people he used to call friends. Conquered worlds. Laid waste to others. I always knew he was powerful, but I never dreamed it was to the degree he's displayed these last few weeks.
And what happened to the friend who was like a brother to me? How could all the goodness in his soul just disappear? How could he destroy the very LMB he was so proud to help found? So many questions...
I may never know fully what those answers are. Some have said that it's as simple as the old adage about power and absolute power. I don't buy that entirely.
There were warning signs when his power was still developing. Subtle changes in his personality that became more pronounced over time. And I've seen him kill many in cold blood these past weeks, but he has taken lives before.
Mordra. He choked the life out of her. Snapped her neck. She was a horrible person, but she was no longer a threat when he killed her. And he killed others in the years that followed. But was killing her purely for personal revenge the turning point in my old friend's life that lead him slowly down the path to becoming the unspeakable evil he is now?
Or maybe that point came further back when Mordra first tore apart his life...when she killed his first love and gutted his innocent and trusting nature in the process. The man I knew after Mordra first scarred his life was virtually unidentifiable from the shy, reserved man that helped found the LMB.
In any case I saw the change happening and did nothing about it. Sure, I had plenty of problems of my own, and my long absences didn't help. But I definitely made the wrong choice when I agreed to keep what he'd done to Mordra quiet. And it's not all hindsight either...I knew it was wrong even then. He played the friendship card on me, and I let that keep me from doing what a real friend should have done in the first place.
But I didn't do the right thing. And I'll never know if I had, whether it would've kept things from getting to this point. Maybe my failure to act there itself was the crucial point in time. I'll...never know.
So now, there's only a handful of us left. We've managed to scrape together a few weapons to try to end the reign of this...Dark Lard. And we're about to race into what will be our final battle with him, one way or another. Frankly, I don't like our odds at all. But we signed up to be heroes, and it's too late to chicken out now.
So most likely, my good friend Anthony, the former great champion known as Lard Lad, will kill me, and the rest of us, tonight. Or if by some great miracle one of our plans work, I'll have to kill him. I know I have to do it if I get a chance.
I can't believe it's come to this. Just can't believe it....
THE END--?
-------------------- "Suck it, depressos!"--M. Lash
From: The Underbelly of Society | Registered: Jul 2003
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