Guardians of the Multiverse

Book Two: "Wheels Within Wheels, Worlds Without End"

Chapter Two

Earth-122. Taranee and her team watched in disbelief as the powers from their new friend's rings flowed together, combined, and produced a tall man with blue skin and green hair. "Seriously?" Taranee quipped, one eyebrow raised.

"By your powers combined, I am Captain Planet!" The man declared, then flew towards the attacking Jenova creatures.

Irma walked up to the redhead and tapped him on the shoulder. "Um... Are you aware that a man just came out of your rings?"

"Well, yeah, he does that all the time. My name's Wheeler, by the way."

"Irma. But, still... A. Man. Came. Out. Of. Your. Rings! Don't you find that a bit over the top?"

Taranee stepped forward, put a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Irma. We get it. There's more important things to worry about right now though." Looking to the Planeteers, she asked "Is there a way to communicate with him from here? He needs to know not to touch those things, they drain life energy on contact!"

"Nyet." Linka answered. "We can't communicate unless he's right here with us!"

"Hay Lin, can you catch up to him?"

"I'm on it!" The Air Guardian spread her wings and flew off in a burst of speed.

"Wow, she's fast." Wheeler said.

Gi nodded. "Yes, how can you move so quickly?"

"Most of us can't." Irma said, "But Hay-Hay's element is air, so..."

"That makes sense then." Gi said. "I suppose we should introduce ourselves... "I'm Gi, my ring holds the power of water. Wheeler there is fire, Linka is air, Kwame is earth, and Ma-Ti's ring holds the power of heart."

"That's kind of like us..." Taranee answered. "My power is fire, Hay Lin's, like we already said, is air, and Irma here is water. We also have an earth Guardian, though our fifth is quintessence, life energy, rather than heart... Then there are four Guardians with powers based on positive emotions, though they're all with other teams right now."

"And your other friends?"

"Tifa and Blunk are from other worlds that our enemy is also threatening."

"What enemy?" Ma-Ti asked, "What is all this about anyway?"

"Settle in." Taranee answered, "Even the short version is a long story..." With that she began to explain what she could about Jenova and the monsters she created, Tifa helping out when Taranee came to parts of the story she didn't know about...

W7W7W7W

Meanwhile, the Captain was flying directly towards the attacking monsters. As he drew close, he pulled up and looked down at his quarry. "Whoa! You guys could win every 'ugliest mug' award in the universe! Oh well, time to take out the ugly trash!" He streaked down towards the closest of the creatures, but pulled himself to a sudden stop as Hay Lin swooped in and blocked his path. "Whoa! What's up little lady?"

"You can't touch them!" Hay Lin exclaimed, "They suck out your life and make it their own!"

"Yikes! Good thing you warned me miss... Still, we've gotta stop them somehow..." He looked around the area, hoping for something useful. Settled on the nearby logging equipment. "Always recycle." He quipped, and dived down, Hay Lin following.

"Can I help out?" She asked.

"Sure thing, you can use your wind powers to help cool these things off once I'm finished."

"Finished with what? What are you gonna do?"

The Captain grinned. "Just watch..." He then began to spin around rapidly, heating up into a pillar of fire that descended onto the heavy machines. As the metal frameworks melted away, he captured the molten steel and forged it into a large thick slab. "Okay, cut loose with some cold wind!" He yelled as the slab took it's final form.

Hay Lin complied, and the Captain added cold water to the stream, quickly cooling the slab to a managable temperature. He then hopped a short distance away and selected a large tree trunk that had already been cut down. "Let's give this guy one last job for Mother Earth!" He said, and shoved the tip of it into a hole in the slab. Hoisting the entire assembly by the tree trunk, which Hay Lin now saw was a handle, the Captain said "What'dya think? World's biggest bug swatter for the world's biggest bugs."

"They're... actually more like jellyfish..." Hay Lin answered. "And, actually, I'm not so sure this will work. I mean really, a big flyswatter?"

"Only one way to find out!" The Captain cheerfully said. Carrying his new weapon, he flew back to the creatures, which were still slowly advancing on the Guardians and Planeteers. With a great swing, he smashed the swatter down onto the first monster, killing it instantly.

"I don't believe it." Hay Lin thought...

W7W7W7W

Taranee had cut off her story in mid-sentence when she saw what Captain Planet was doing. "He can't be serious." She said.

"I know, it looks nuts." Wheeler agreed, "But trust me, he does crazy stuff like this all the time, and it usually works no matter how much it shouldn't."

"Da. The laws of reason rarely apply to him." Linka agreed.

They watched as the Captain squashed the first creature, and then a second. But as he approached the third, it planted it's tendrils firmly on the ground, opened a jagged mouth, and screamed, the ultrasonic burst forming a coherent stream of energy that slammed into the Captain, knocking him to the ground and demolishing his swatter.

"What the... They've never done that before!" Taranee exclaimed.

"I guess they're learning!" Wheeler said, "But what matters is, here they come!" Sure enough, the remaining monsters were now moving faster than before, converging directly on the teen's position.

Forming a ball of flame in her palms, Taranee said "Get ready to fight then!"

Linka answered "Da. Small problem with that..."

"Yes. It takes all of our power to summon Captain Planet. When he is active, our rings are powerless." Kwame explained.

"Spiffy." Taranee grumbled.

Tifa said "We've still got three Guardians plus my spell materia. We can do this!"

"Danged straight!" Irma agreed.

"We're not actually out of the fight yet!" Gi said, "Hold the line, we'll get the Geocruiser and use it's weapons."

"Hurry." Taranee said. "Blunk, these things hate Passling smell. Think you can use that?"

"Blunk will try."

"Alright, here they come..."

W7W7W7W

Hay Lin flew down and landed next to the Captain. "Are you okay!?" she exclaimed.

"Ugh... Did you get the number on that bus?"

Giggling, Hay Lin helped him to his feet. "I'm so sorry, I didn't know they could do that!"

"That's okay, I'll be alright. Though, I feel a bit weak... I wonder if..." He tried to fly, but only made it a few feet in the air before falling back to the ground.

"Omigosh! Did it somehow drain your energy away at a distance!?"

"I don't think so... But, I'm powered by the planet itself. Healthy ecosystems give me strength, and pollution weakens me... Now, you said these things were made by a being of pure hate, right?"

Hay Lin nodded. "Yeah. This Jenova has killed who knows how many worlds. She hates everything that's alive. Why?"

"A while back, when we went back in time to the second world war, I found out that pure hate can hurt me the same way. Emotional pollution, I guess. I'd say that's what's happened here."

"So what can we do?"

"I've got to get to someplace clean, maybe a pristine stream or something, to wash away the pollution and recharge..."

"I saw a river to the west when I was scouting earlier!"

"Perfect. Let's go..."

W7W7W7W

As the Jenova monsters approached, Taranee and Tifa cut loose, combining Taranee's Fire Guardian flames with Tifa's Fire Materia magic, burning their enemies with a heat rivaling the surface of the Sun. Burning, the monsters still came. Irma englobed one in a sphere of water, allowing Taranee too create a fire underneath it, trying to boil it alive. It emerged reddened and slowed down, but still coming.

Blunk made his move, standing before one, fanning himself, trying to drive it away. He ended up having to run as fast as he could when it reared back from the stench, then it's nostrils closed up protecting it.

"Wheeler was right!" Taranee realized, "They're learning now, adapting!"

"Why now and not before?" Tifa asked.

"Good question."

"We need Hay Lin!" Irma said. She thought into the mental link "Hay Hay! Where are you!?"

"Helping out a friend! He's lost his powers untill he washes the hate off!"

"'Washs the hate off?' What the heck does that even mean!?"

"I'll explain later!"

Through the link, Taranee and Irma heard the Captain say to Hay Lin "I can make it from here. Go help your friends."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes Hay Lin, he's sure!" Irma practically shouted into the link, "Get over here!"

"On my way."

"Now what?" Tifa asked.

Taranee answered "Once Hay Lin is here, we can start combining attacks! Fire fanned with wind to higher temperatures, water and cold wind to freeze them, that kind of thing! With any luck it'll stop some of them, or at least slow them down!"

"What about new friends?" Blunk asked. "Where they go?"

"I don't know, but they'd better get back here with that help in a hurry!"

W7W7W7W

The Planeteers ran as fast as they could back towards their vehicle. "I hope they'll be okay 'til we get back!" Gi said.

"They seem pretty tough." Wheeler answered.

"Da, but so is what they're up against... And so is the Captain, but you saw what happened!"

"Speaking of the Captain, I hope he is okay as well." Ma-Ti said.

"This is bad either way. We've never faced anything this big!"

"Anything how big?" A disembodied voice asked. As the planeteers stumbled to a halt, a large ghostly image, as of a woman's face, formed before them.

"Gaia!" Linka exclaimed.

"Greetings Planeteers." Gaia said. "Tell me please, what is happening? I can sense a disturbance, but something is blocking my ability to look more closely."

"What's happening is monsters from another dimension!" Wheeler exclaimed.

"Truely?"

Gi nodded. "Yes. We've met a team of heroes from another world as well. They say that these creatures were made by a being called Jenova..."

Gi was cut off as Gaia's eyes grew wide and she said "Jenova? Here?"

"You've heard of this being?" Kwame asked.

Nodding, Gaia said "Yes. The spirits of various worlds do gossip with each other from time to time, and I have heard tell of Jenova. Lost several friends to her, in point of fact. If she is here we are all in mortal danger."

"Well, she's not actually here herself, just some really strong freaks she made." Wheeler said. "Speaking of which, we don't have time to talk, they need our help!"

"Go." Gaia said, and vanished.

Alone again, the Planeteers quickly reached the Geocruiser and took flight. "I'll pilot." Gi said, "Everyone else on weapons." Rising into the air, they turned and headed for the battleground...

W7W7W7W

Hay Lin's winds fanned the flames Taranee was creating, pumping in oxygen as if from a bellows, heating them even hotter than ever. The closest monster was finally burned to a crisp, falling to the ground in a heap. "One down." Taranee said.

"Let's make it two!" Irma shouted, "Hay Lin, Tifa, help me out here!" Pugalist and Wind Guardian looked and saw immediately what Irma had in mind. As the Water Guardian used her powers to draw the water out of the very air, Hay Lin pulled on the air itself, leaving one of the monsters in the midst of a vacuum. Irma then created a shell of water surrounding the vacuum, and froze the outer layer of it solid. "Hit it hard!" Irma shouted to Tifa, who ran in and punched the ice shell with all of her considerable might. the water was forced in through the vacuum, hitting the monster with a tremendous blow, nearly pulping it's body mass.

"Water hammer effect." Taranee nodded in understanding, "Pretty smart. Especially for you Irma." Irma grumbled while Hay Lin and Tifa laughed.

"Okay, that's two for us and two for the Captain." Tifa said. "How many are left?"

"Too many." Taranee said, pointing to the horizon where nearly a dozen more were still coming.

"Can you do that trick again Irma?" Tifa asked, "I've got plenty of strength left for pummelling a few more."

"Pick your target." Irma said.

"No, no, there's too many! We're gonna get overrun!" Taranee said. "We need more help!"

"Then just call me Captain Helpful!" A voice said from overhead. Captain Planet flew down and landed next to them. "Nothing like a refreshing bath. I'm back baby!"

"And so are we!" Everyone looked up to see the Geocruiser fly in and hover directly overhead.

"All right! This is more like it!" Tifa said, slamming one fist into the other.

The Captain said "Everyone pick your targets!"

"Done!" Everyone exclaimed.

"Then let's do it to it!"

Taranee and Hay Lin combined forces once more, creating super-hot fires that even Jenova's creations were unable to survive. Together, they took out three more of the beasts.

With Hay Lin busy helping Taranee, The Captain provided the wind-powered vacuum removal for Irma's water hammer trick. shielded from direct contact with the monsters by the ice, blows enhanced by the uncompressable water, Tifa struck down two more monsters in short order.

Aboard the Geocruiser, the Planeteers were also able to handle three creatures.

As everyone regrouped after the first round, only four of the monsters were left. The Planeteers attempted to fire on another, but the Jenova creatures again displayed their ability to adapt to attacks. This one dived behind a pile of debris, then rose up, wielding pieces of metal and scrap as if they were shields. It's fellows saw what it was doing and did likewise.

"Now what?" Irma asked.

"Now we use their plan to our advantage." Taranee said. She leaned over and whispered in the Captain's ear.

He grinned. "I like it. You've got a mean streak though." He then flew up a short distance and locked his eyes onto a pile of trash. "You things like trash? Lemme give you some more!" Spinning like a tornado, the Captain picked up the trash pile with the winds he was making and threw it all at one of the monsters, which was quickly buried in garbage.

Getting the idea, Hay Lin found another pile and did the same, while Tifa slid an Aero Materia into her gloves and also began casting wind magic. The piles of trash grewbigger and bigger, swamping the remaining monsters who began to be crushed under the weight.

Three of them didn't make it out at all. The fourth however made it's way to the top of the heap and jumped, not running away but still determined to press it's attack at any cost. It focused on Blunk as the weakest link. The Passling let out a yelp and started to run away, seeing that no one was close enough to help him. Then he stopped. "No! Blunk tired of running!" He exclaimed, turning to face the approaching beast. As it drew near, the creature made one last, long leap directly towards the Passling...

...Who calmly opened a fold in it's path. The creature fell in, and Blunk closed the fold behind it.

"Wow! Nice move Blunk!" Irma said.

Taranee asked "Yeah, but where did you send it too?"

Blunk pointed straight up. "Two miles that way." He said, and was still laughing when the creature struck the ground at it's terminal velocity and expired...

W7W7W7W

Five minutes later, the Planeteers had landed the Geocruiser and everyone was gathered together. "Awesome job! We all make a pretty good team!" Wheeler said.

"Totally." Irma agreed.

Taranee said "I'm just glad we were able to solve this so quickly. Now we can head back to Kandrakar and see if they've figured out what planet Jenova herself went to."

"I understand you have to go," Ma-Ti said, "But it's too bad that you didn't get to stay at least a little longer. We didn't even get to show you Hope Island!"

"Well, maybe we can come back once this is all over." Hay Lin said. Then she paused for a moment and asked "Does anyone else hear that?"

"Hear what?" Tifa started to ask, but before she could there was a tremendous explosion. Everyone was thrown backwards, though they were far enough away to not actually be harmed. As they looked up to where the blast had come from, they saw a hovering aircraft. It was unfamiliar to Tifa and the Guardians, but the Planeteers recognized it instantly.

"Doctor Blight!" Linka exclaimed.

A woman appeared on a screen on the bottom of the vehicle. "That's right tree huggers! I'm here for a prize!" A winch appeared from an opening

between the wings and grabbed up the body of one of the monsters. "An extradimensional lifeform!" Blight gloated, "Just think what I can do with one of these!"

"Stop! You don't know how dangerous those things are!" The Captain shouted. He flew up, planning to intercept Blight before she could escape, but the demented doctor simply threw a switch, dousing the Captain in polluted water, causing him to fall from the sky.

"You're right about one thing Captain Loser, I don't know. Don't care either. All that matters to me is, that once I clone an army of them, with just enough modifications to let me control them of course, I'll be unstoppable!" Laughing maniacally, Blight switched off the screen and flew away with her prize.

Everyone ran to where Captain Planet had fallen. He was down, trying to get to his feet but unable to get past hands and knees.

"Ohmygosh twice in one day!" Hay Lin exclaimed.

"Are you okay my friend?" Kwame asked.

The Captain managed to nod. "I... will be... But I think I need a bigger rest than just a bath this time... Until next time Planeteers, the power is yours!" He vanished in a flood of light, powers seperating and returning to their respective rings.

"So..." Irma said, "I guess we'll be seeing this 'Hope Island' of yours after all..."