Gravestone's point of view on the events of "Supertroopers". Set during the episode "Supertroopers".
Based on the song "Child in Time" by Deep Purple
Thanks to Robyn for beta-reading.
Disclaimer: 'The Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers' is copyrighted by Hearst Entertainment, Inc.
This is a work of fanfiction, and I make no profit of it.
Wolf Den Base was coming into view. It was strange to go back there, but he was prepared. He had learned how to fight at Wolf Den, and he was capable of surviving the outside world; now he was going to pay back those who had belittled him.
Sweet child in time
When they said 'run,' he ran, and when they said 'jump,' he jumped. When they said 'diverge and attack the perimeter using Warta's tactic without the geometry,' he stood rock still until they explained it to him in simpler terms. He did not understand everything at Wolf Den, but he did not have to. Those who understood more did not fare any better.
Killbane and Gooseman may have been smarter and given command more often, but they also had to take extra lessons in the evening and were put through endless physical training to hone their transformations. While these two still were practicing to change from molten lava to iridium to insect to reptile and back, he already went to play darts with his comrades. Intelligence did not earn you any comfort, and he preferred to have some fun.
He never saw a need to master a huge number of transformations. He was organic granite, and there was hardly anything that granite could not take. It absorbed laser beams, withstood explosions, made him invulnerable against even hard impacts, impenetrable to stabs, and lethal when he charged. In addition, he could maintain his transformation long after Killbane or Gooseman would have needed to reform.
After a lot of urging from Shimmerer and Darkstar, he finally managed to create gills, but he failed to see why that should have been so important. After all, granite did not need to breathe, and if he ever needed to float, he could include more air bubbles.
you'll see the line
Despite all her skills to play tricks on the human mind, Shimmerer had to depend on her enhanced reflexes on a battlefield or on a BDC to shield her because her powers took too much time to work. Darkstar may have known all about the human body and how to treat injuries, but that would not save her if someone snapped her neck.
Rainbow with her heat manipulation ability was always a good power source to aid in his transformations if they were on the same team and not much of a problem when they were on opposite teams. The same was true for Stingray, and while Jackhammer could throw Gravestone around with his sonic blasts, he could not do much damage to him.
There was really only one lesson he had needed for life, and he had learned it early: If you want to survive, you fight.
The line that's drawn between the good and the bad
He did not understand why the BWL had turned on them and chased them, but he understood that you did not let your enemies win.
Shimmerer had explained to him that the BWL had wanted to use them but tried to get rid of them when they grew too powerful to be controlled, and it made sense to him.
He had learned both to follow and to give orders, but he would not follow an order to walk into the cryocrypt.
Humans were too weak to fight, and therefore, he would never again take orders from them.
Wheiner was just a pathetic excuse for a leader. Even a fly had more courage than he did. He was glad when Shimmerer put the senator to sleep and ended his whining tirades.
They were five warriors, ready to take back what was rightfully theirs
Stingray and Darkstar had refused to help them. That could only mean one thing: if they did not fight, they weren't Supertroopers anymore!
See the blind man shooting at the world
When he stood opposite Negata and Walsh, he was surprised how much smaller they were than in his memory. But this time; they faced each other on the battle field; they were on equal footing, and Walsh and Negata could not just watch from above. Walsh was a soldier, but age had weakened him. Negata was just a civilian and looked even more harmless in his brain unit than he had in person. But Negata could think where Gravestone could not follow, and that made him both dangerous and valuable. He would serve them.
Gooseman, hard-faced, stood next to Walsh and Negata. He looked older and wore a Galaxy Ranger's uniform, but he was still walking on a leash. He assumed Killbane would want the fight. If not, Gravestone would be more than happy to break the runt's bones.
Bullets flying, taking toll
"I always warned you. Some people never learn," Walsh said, and before Gravestone could figure out what the loser of a confrontation could warn them about, the battle droids came to life. Dormant automatic artillery reappeared; flying droid bats opened fire. One ground droid came for him. He turned into granite. The droid's hammer shattered, and Gravestone's fists took apart the rest of it. This was child's play; he had never played anything else.
The battle droids assailed them just like in the old times, but he realized the Supertroopers to stand against them were fewer.
Shimmerer was running from the bats but slipped and fell down. Before he could get to her, she had already shot the flying devices.
Now the bats were converging on Killbane, but Gravestone was distracted by a group of droids that approached him. He became stone again and pulled on the leg of the first droid. It toppled and shut down among sparks. The remaining three droids hit him, but they could not penetrate granite. He struck them down one after the other.
If you've been bad, Lord, I bet you have
From the corner of his eyes, he saw Gooseman tackle Jackhammer, and Brainchild moved to pick up Batch-22. Several bats fired on Gravestone, and when he had the chance to look again, Negata's brain unit ran over Brainchild.
Gravestone roared. Negata was the scientist who had been there from the beginning: the one who assembled his genes; the one who invented stupid obstacle courses for them; the one who made incomprehensible remarks about the Supertroopers' bio-systems and never had a word of recognition for Gravestone. Negata always said he was too slow, but not this time. Gravestone smashed the droids who tried to obstruct his path even as the bats' laser system annihilated Batch-22. He charged Negata.
The machinery encasing Negata's brain offered no defense against his wrath. His feet struck again and again.
He saw a shadow flying toward him. He toppled over the hard ground, his skin taking a few abrasions. Gooseman landed three meters away from him. A laser cannon targeted Gravestone, but he shook it off, reforming into granite. Negata would pay.
And you've not been hit by flying lead
Another robot approached him, one of the spider designs, and another, and another. He stood his ground.
The battle droids could not harm him, but they were too fast for him to take them out. The dust obstructed his sight.
You'd better close your eyes and bow your head
He realized Brainchild had shouted something, but he could not see him. Then he heard Shimmerer's shrill voice.
About the third time the cry sounded, he understood its meaning: 'Retreat!'
His feet moved to their escape ship.
And wait for the ricochet
They leapt into hyperspace just as the Space Navy interceptors appeared. As his heartbeat slowed down and the battle fever subsided and he realized they all were alive, he swore one thing:
They may have had to retreat from this battle, but the war was not over!