Rays of sunshine beat down on the salt flats of Handler's Corners. Everyone in the miniature town had their air conditioning at its highest setting, except for one secluded garage. The Battle Force 5 headquarters was sadly deprived of an AC system. And so, the elite team fighting to keep the multiverse alive, sat in the confining rec room, sweating buckets and drinking sports juice. Stanford was sprawled on the loveseat in his speedo (unfortunately for his team mates) with a personal, battery-operated, purple hand fan blowing air in his face and feet propped up on the coffee table. The Cortez brothers, Spinner and Sherman, sat together on a stylish yellow couch, irritated by one another's company while Agura, the only girl, sat across from them with head tilted back trying to relax. It was obvious the boiling humidity made it difficult for everyone to maintain a cool temperament and quiet tongue. Spinner complained, only increasing the tension.
"Isn't it weird we have all these high tech gizmos for battling aliens," he flailed his hands in the air. "but we don't have an air conditioner that works?"
He finished with the emphasis of slouching forward and making a sour face.
"Your feet make a nice centerpiece and all Stanford," Agura leaned in and sniffed before wrinkling her nose at the British teammate. "but they don't exactly smell like roses."
"Oh rub the bunions, ol gal, will ya?" he replied in his thick accent and wiggle his toes. "the heat makes my dogs bark."
Spinner lost patience and tried to push his brother off the couch.
"If you don't shove over this dog is going to do some barking of its own!"
Sherman grinned. He knew exactly how to get to his big brother.
"How's that sunburn treating you, bro?" Sherman dealt an audible slap to the shorter brother's back. He was rewarded with a yelp and an angry glare.
Zoom walked in and laughed, strangely in high spirits for such sweltering weather.
"While you suckers are sweating out," he pulled open the fridge and reached inside. "I hit the last super-hyrdro-reinvigorators at the back of the fridge!" His hand came out empty. Then he heard a loud sigh from the team leader, followed by an obnoxious burp. Vert stood in the corner of the room, empty bottle in hand, and a satisfied smile across his face. "Hey!" Zoom whined, high spirits gone.
"Funny how the last one tastes even better than the first!" Vert teased.
"You juiceless swine!" The youngest member of the team scolded him before sadly slumping his shoulders. "How could you?"
Vert looked around at the team, charged with the safety of protecting the multiverse, now bickering like kids.
"I guess all this saving the world stuff is starting to take its toll…" he remarked while watching the verbal fight between the Cortez brothers. Agura and Stanford were also at each other's throats, and with all the shouting Vert couldn't hear Zoom's threats which were emphasized with a shaking fist and furious expression. Just then, Sage announced a mission over the speakers.
"Stormshock detected!" she announced. "Portal opening in 'T' minus two minutes!"
"Perfect timing," Vert thought to himself. Before the message was finished, the team was already on their way to their vehicles. Spinner and Sherman got awkwardly stuck in the sliding door for a few seconds on their way out.
The fire that was previously used for shooting complaints and insults at each other was now focused on the mission. Engines revved, gears shifted, pedals to the metal and they were tearing across the salt flats towards the cyclone of blue winds.
"Advise caution," Sage warned over com link as their wheels lifted off the ground and they were swept into the vortex. "Perceiving unusual readings from this portal. Hostile entity... battle zone could be a trap."
Then the link was cut off as the warriors were sucked into the portal. Blue light flashed and spun before they popped out the other side, hearts beating double time from the excitement. Everyone hit the brakes and heads turned, surveying the zone. They had entered into a huge dome with four arches leading up to a hanging, spikey, wicked-looking disco ball at the top. Something about the zone felt… off, and Vert could tell everyone else on the team felt it too.
"Fan out and look for the battle key," he ordered. "this place gives me the creeps."
Their mission was simple. Find the battle key, then lock down the zone to save earth. But simple isn't always easy, or boring, for that matter.
The team started to circle the edge of the dome, when Spinner noticed enormous red boxes on top of pedestals at the base of each pillar.
"Wonder what those are?" he indicated to the base of the pillars. "Some giant stain glass… trophy cases?"
Right when he finished talking, a figure inside one of the boxes walked up to the red, glass looking surface. The young girl looked shocked and was trying to tell them something, but the team couldn't hear her. Spinner yelped at her sudden, ghost-like appearance.
"Guys, you see that?" Vert drove up to the base and everyone followed. "What's she doing here?"
The girl was making frantic gestures and faces, even a couple shooing motions. They had to crane their heads slightly up to see her.
"Who is she?" Agura looked quizzically at her. "What's she doing here in a battle zone?"
"What's she saying?" Zoom tried to read her lips in vain. She seemed to become more panicked by the minute.
"Whoever she is, we need to get her out!" Vert nodded to the brothers in the Buster.
"On it!" Sherman acknowledged the hint. "Spin?"
"Flail," Spinner replied, and pressed a few buttons. "coming to the rescue!"
"Stanford," Vert looked at the driver behind the wheel of the reverb. "can you tell her to back away from the glass?"
"Right," the artillery expert replied, bringing out his big guns. "assuming we speak the same language."
He pressed a row of buttons before clearing his throat.
"Um, Miss," he started with his voice projected by Reverb's guns. "you need to back away from the glass. Stand back!"
Well, it was clear he got her attention. She stared at Stanford as he tried hand motions with his instructions.
"Back AWAY," he pronounced very clearly and slowly. Agura rolled her eyes as she watched to see if the girl understood. But Spinner apparently wasn't waiting for her to move.
"Flail ready!" he announced, thumb over the trigger. The girl was still at the side and hadn't changed position.
"Spinner, wait!" Sherman, Agura, and Zoom all exclaimed. Too late. The chain shot out the Buster and rammed into the glass! Only, it wasn't glass. The high-energy field caused the flail to ricochet off straight back to the Buster.
"Woah!" Spinner jumped. "That's more like a vault with rubber sides!"
The girl behind the field put her head in her hands.
Just then, a portal burst open at the other side of the dome and the vandals emerged, ruthless and savage as ever. The girl began pounding the field with her fists, stomping her feet, waving her hands, and shaking her head. She was definitely trying to tell them something.
"Zoom and the Cortez brothers," Vert directed. "figure out how to get her out of there. Maybe establish communication. She may know how to break down her own walls." He then revved his engine and spun to face the coming enemy. "The rest of us are on Calis and his crew! Let's go!"
The giant cat released a furious roar before queuing Crocomoto, Hatch, and Sever; his most skilled and deadly warriors. The two sides were about to meet head on when the floor began to shake and walls rise out of the ground! Zoom looked up at the girl and saw her face, horror stricken. She shook her head and disappeared backwards out of sight. Tires screeched to a stop from all vehicles and the Vandals could be heard crashing into the wall on the opposite side. Spinner laughed.
"Vandals are caged up like they're in a zoo!"
"Yo genius," Sherman remarked. "We're caged up too."
"This can't be good…" Zoom muttered. A malevolent, mechanical laugh resounded through the entire dome, making the atmosphere creepier than it already was. Atop a pillar opposite the girl's box sat a dark, closed cockpit with only the silhouette of their captor visible.
"Organics!" The male voice boomed. "You are now under the total control of Tors-ten."
All eyes were on the silhouette as the voice echoed through the dome.
"Prepare for the ultimate test!"