Legion World Forums LEGION OUTPOST Mission Monitor Board Every 10 Years Forum FIVE FACES OF DEATH: The Tower - a distant memory, fading out...

<runs to the still form of the Tyrant>

Clive!

<no response>

NO!

<weeps as he realizes the robot's circuits have been completely fried even as it reverts back to Clive's familiar, humanoid appearance>

Gods...I had no ch-choice...I...I only hope I did the right thing and that the...

<another flash>

No--I've still got to stop the Tyrant once and for all, or this will have all been for nothing! I've destroyed Clive, its avatar, but the Tyrant still lives within Legion World's mainframe, where it's most deadly.

I've still got to save Cali! I need to find her...and Des, too, before he confronts Slim!

<gently lowers Clive's body, then runs purposely to an upper level>

Dammit! He managed to shut down the powerspheres before I could do much good there, but at least the oxygen levels will improve a little bit. Hopefully that will be enough to keep everyone on their feet for a while.

Condo! You have to help Rex somehow. Now that Vee has broken Metternich's hold on the Variable Realm, everyone elses powers should be coming back. But, we have to keep him contained until the gland is destroyed!

Condo, he's using his acquired powers to block each of my bolts. As long as he can concentrate on me, I can't get past his defenses!

The Eye can shield you for a bit but the rest is up to you.

As an Emerald energy shield envelopes him, Condo turns his amazing powers on himself. Speeding up his metabolism, he is able to amplify his strength, endurance, and defenses for as long as his energy lasts. With as much energy as he expended in his efforts to increase the oxygen & temperatures on Legio World, Condo knows his power up won't last long. Hopefully it will be long enough...

With a yell, Condo throws himself at Metternich and the two tumble further down the steps, locked in combat.

With Condo now on point, taking the brunt of Metternich's attacks, Rex is now able to get past his defenses. The Eye now begins to barrage Metternich with Emerald blasts. As each one hits the Composite Durlan, it rocks him savagely.

But Rex has also been using the Eye for something else...tracking Roy's progress within Metternich's system.

"Almost there, Roy. Your almost there," Rex smiles as he continues blasting the Durlan.

At last…My Path has led me to this moment, and I will not be found wanting…

<Sir Roy, shrunken to molecule-size, travels through Metternich’s alien body to at last find the Composite Gland that Everyday Girl had earlier dampened. At last he sees it, but only before anti-bodies swarm him!>

NO! They…are…killing…me…

<Roy uses his atomic axe and blasts them all back>

But I shall accomplish my part…

<runs to the gland>

Metternich has been a true enemy to Legion World! But never again will he have the power to battle the entire Legion assembled!

<destroys the Composite Gland, turning Metternich back into a normal Durlan>

And now…I must escape…

<begins leaving Metternich’s system, growing back to normal size…at last, he appears, falling to the ground>

*Cough*

Its…over…I’ve done my part…now have to trust the LMB to finish him off...

<coughs blood>

But at what price…? At last I’ve finally done my part to get the retribution I’ve always wanted…

{Time Teller Lad tries to comfort Rockhopper Lad}
TTL: Do you need anything, Rocky?

{Rocky sees Sir Roy emerge}

RhL: That was what I needed. I think...(He raises his hand, which, his powers returned, crackles with Ice Magic) Yes! Come on, everyone! We're back!

<span style="font-size: 20px;">NOOOOOOOOOO!</span>

How dare you?! How dare any of you?!

<feels connection to Tower broken off, feels Composite powers castrated away>

My senses are dulled! I've lost so much!

<anger now becomes unmanagable>

But I will take you all down with me! Even now the Tower begins to collapse! Now just a shell, the real Tower far beyond our abilities to see! But you will die here in its rubble!

<using Durlan abilities, turns hands into scythes, lunges at Pol, Condo, Rockhopper Lad and the fallen Sir Roy>

Freeze!!!

(Metternich's "scythes" freeze into powder and collapse; before Metternich can regenerate them, Rockhopper Lad gestures at him again and encases Metternich's antennae in a block of ice, rendering him powerless).

Sir Roy, are you all right?

<elsewhere>

<shouting, searching frantically> Cobalt! Gods, I know you're around here somewhere, and there's no time!

<louder> <span style="font-size: 15px;">COBALT!!</span>

Ignoring Frio's mothering, Cali rolls her eyes at Nova Girl.

"*kaff kaff* I'm fine, Frio," she says in an annoyed voice. "Very un-dead. But where are the--"

Suddenly, she bumps into a frantic Lard Lad.

"Lardy! I'm sorry." Cali frowns slightly. "Are you all right?"

Frio eyes him for a moment before adding, "Have you seen Gary Concord?"

Caliente shoots her a concerned look but says nothing.

<Lardy's eyes show that Cali's the last person he wanted to run into>

No, Frio, I haven't see Concord.

Cali, I'm sorry I can't stick around, but I need to find Cobalt! I need his help to defeat the Computer Tyrant and save Legion World...

<avoids eye contact with her>

There's....absolutely nothing you can do to help, okay? Don't follow me! I mean, look, only Cobalt's power, and that of a couple others, can help with the plan.

So just stay with Frio--I'm so glad you got her back! I-I knew you would...

And Frio, if you see Concord, tell him I need him, too.

B-bye, Cali...

<touches her cheek for a moment, then runs off>

<span style="font-size: 25px;">COBALT!!! Dammit, where are you?!?!</span>

<Cali eyes him suspiciously as he runs off and ponders her options...>

Caliente frowns. "Yeah, that wasn't suspicious. And what does he mean I can't help? I'm the LMBP leader! Doesn't that mean anything?"

Nova Girl snorted and Frio hid a smirk. "Belated congratulations, by the way," the latter added when Cali glared at them.

Huffing, Cali crossed her arms. "Whatever. I'm tailing him. Frio, Ronnie-- look for Concord and tell him to find me. If he argues with you, remind him of the promise he made me to follow my orders." The look she gave Nova Girl told the Tameranian to keep an eye on Frio.

Now Frio was frowning but she knew it'd be useless to argue with Cali. It usually was. "Be safe, B."

Caliente forced a smile. "Always, F." They hugged tightly for a moment. "I'm so glad you're back," she added in a whisper.

"Me, too," Frio replied, though there was something else in her voice. It spoke volumes to Cali.

With a nod to Nova Girl, Cali headed toward where Lardy had gone. She might not be ninja status but Stealth had managed to teach her a thing or two about moving quietly. Frio and Nova Girl turned the opposite way, going off in search of Gary Concord... or anyone else, really. But mostly Gary.

<rips open a series of walls in the now-crumbling Tower>

I'm here, Lardy. And I'm ready to end this with the Five. I can't find Slim...he must have ducked out. For all his talk, he's ever the opportunist...and coward. But he'll get his another time.

<clears debris magnetically between Lard Lad and himself>

Is it the Tyrant? Lardy--what's the matter? You don't look so good...

<sees a very emotionally stressed Lard Lad>

Let's finish this.

Look, Des...there's no time to explain all the whys and wherefores, but trust me on this: I've seen the future, and I know how to burn the Tyrant out of Legion World's computers.

And just to allay your fears, this plan came directly from Doctor One himself...only he's going to come up with it and present it in about 30 minutes to an hour from now. And in that time thousands of Legion Worlders will suffocate! If we do it right now, thousands will be saved! And...

<looks around to see if they're being eavesdropped on>

...we'll save Cali in the process!

So, old buddy, you ready to listen?

<Cobalt nods and contemplates his friend's mood>

Okay...so I've ended the Tyrant's physical threat, but it's infected Legion World's mainframe completely. Worse, it's shut down the master fusion powersphere at Legion World's core. As a result, all power to Legion World is down with the exception of a number of small independent generators.

This means, most urgently among other things, that there is no artificial atmosphere being generated and no climate control. The Tyrant means to suffocate and freeze the great majority of Legion World's sentient population, all but maybe five percent who can survive under those conditions. It means to exterminate the "meat infestation"!

Des, there's no time to perform a mass evacuation and developing some kinda virus or other countermeasure to fight the Tyrant on its own terms would take a week! Legion World only has a couple of hours!

The quickest way to destroy the Tyrant is to generate a massive electro-magnetic pulse over all of Legion World to knock out our mainframe entirely!

"An E-M pulse, Lardy?" Cobalt interrupts. "But knocking out all of Legion World's computers like that would leave us at square one...we'd still have no atmospheric or climate control, and all the people would die anyway!"

Not if the master fusion powersphere is reignited manually moments after the EM pulse has done its job! With the power restored, the computers will reboot, minus the Tyrant's influence, and go into default mode...automatically restoring atmospheric and climate control!

"Manually? But how--?"

Well, Des, in the original timeline, Cali did it. She went into the inactive fusion powersphere and used every bit of power she could muster to reactivate it...and...<bows his head> she died. Cali saved us all, but gave her life in so doing. I...we're...not gonna allow that to happen this time!

"But Lardy...if she doesn't, then who--?"

Me.

"You? But we can't lose you either!"

<looks him right in the eye and manages to hold his gaze> You won't. See, in the original timeline the Tyrant knocked me out, and I wasn't available. But I am this time, and I can teleport out before I'm killed. Cali...she didn't have that option and no one could teleport her out without dying themselves inside the sphere and its massive heat. But we have to keep her out of this...she's leader, and if she gets wind of what we're up to, she might override me and insist on going herself.

<Cobalt nods> "Agreed. Now, am I to assume I have something to do with the EM pulse?"

Definitely! You're at least half of the equation! We'll need your magnetic powers (and possibly Concord's as backup), and we'll need Lightning Lad's, too! Combine the magnetism and lightning you guys generate and get Abin to use his power ring to enhance and direct the pulse, and we should achieve the desired results. This will drain Abin's ring completely, which is why we'll need someone else (me) to use his power to ignite the powersphere in a timely manner, so we can avoid those deaths that happened in the original timeline because the plan was thought-up and enacted nearly an hour later.

Best of all, I already know it'll work! So I need you to get Concord, Scott and Abin immediately while I get into position--we've no time to waste!

<Cobalt turns to fly off, then pauses> "What if you don't make it, Lardy? What if this is it?"

<smiles broadly> I'll be fine, Des! Already, I'm getting flashes of the new timeline--hell, I'll be there with ya watching you kick Slim's butt in the mop-up!

"Alright, Lardy. By the way, man...I'm sorry that my using robot dupes of you while you were away so long offended you. I--"

I know, Des...you did what you had to do. Water under the bridge, my friend.

<Cobalt grins> "See ya later, Lardy..." <rises into the air> "Beers at Shakes afterward?"

<smiles> Definitely!

<Cobalt flies off>

<Lardy's smile fades as Cobalt gets out of sight>

<whispers> Take care, old friend...

<steps into the light, behind Lard Lad>

You're lying, aren't you? You-you can't take my place. I won't let you die for me. Hell, I've done it once, and I got better.

You can't do this. You can't sacrifice yourself for me. Dru would never forgive us if we let that happen.

<shakes head>

Cali...I've seen how the future is without you--and with me--in it, and it's not a good future, not good at all.

With you alive, there's hope. If I were to live on, I would some day become the greatest threat the LMB will ever face...a threat that would ultimately spell its end.

I think...I think Dru knew this was possible for me. And I know, she would rather I died heroically, rather than to become the 'Dark Lard' I will be some day if I lived.

<takes her hand and weeps>

Pleas, Cali...let me do this...

<cups the side of Lardy's face>

Lard Lad-- Anthony... I...

<takes a deep breath>

I'm the LMBP leader. It should be me. You know it should be. And I-I could never live with myself if I let you go in my place. I could never let anyone die for me.

If you've seen the future, then you can change it. It's not written in stone-- it's fluid. I read the archives. I've heard about Zero Hour. It doesn't have to be that way.

It's my responsibility. Mine. Simple as that.

You're right, Cali...you are the leader. I've been there, and it's a huge responsibility. If I were you, I'd do the same thing.

<caresses her face>

But I'm me, and I'm not gonna let you!

<before Cali can react, Lardy emits an expression of the Lard Force from the hand caressing her face and she faints>

<gently stops her fall and carries her>

Couldn't let you do it, Cali...you've a husband, a sister...many, many people who love you. I...well, I won't be missed a fraction as much as you will be. And, besides, I've already failed to save too many people I've loved in the past. Can't live with another...

<approaches Rocky and Time Teller Lad>

Rocky, Cali's...been injured. Take care of her while she recovers. I've put her in a...healing trance. She'll wake in about an hour, fit as a fiddle.

<gives Rocky something>

This is my Omnicom, Rocky. I've got something dangerous to do to save lives, and I'm not coming back. I've left some messages on it.

<Rocky opens his mouth to protest>

You've been a great friend to me, Rocky. I appreciate that more than words can say.

<before another word can be said...>

pop

<...Lardy's gone >

<pushing her powers to the max to reign her souls in, Hel finds herself undermatched from her separation from Frio>

You obey me, foul beings! You obey me!!!!

<barely, she is able to return them to their rightful realm>

You may have won this battle, Enchantress, but the war shall be mine!! Do not return to our Earth, child, lest you feel my wrath in its full form!!

Know this: I will return, I will have Frio's soul, and I will have my revenge. If I must wait a thousand years, you will live to regret this day!!

<disappears in a swirl of white smoke, taking the Asgardian creatures with her... and leaving a small "gift" for Amora>

<blends into the walls, and slips farther away, though in weakened state, not as well done as Metternich would have preferred>

No...my connection to the Tower is lost, and these heroes are everywhere!

Sheenu and Hel are gone, the Tyrant has been dismantled...

...but I'll take one of them with me. I've been chemically castrated of my abilities, but I can leave them something to mourn in my absence. And then I'll rid myself of this world forever!

<runs into LMBers on lower levels>

Legionnaires! Thank goodness! Be careful, the Tower is collapsing! You'll have to catch the debris with your powers to protect the city!

The final battle seems to be winding down up on the top level.

<continues to run on>

<chasing behind him>

Grab him! That's Metternich in disguise!