Disclaimer: I own only Auertisse, Midnight and Jasiri.
The moment the pescitarian Keeper disappeared into the ground, Mal dived into the ground after her.
The swamp was silent for several moments before Herald emerged from the ground holding Aura gasping for air. He landed on solid ground and placed Aura on a stump to sit on. She coughed and gasped for air. Sand covered her from head to toe.
"We'll never make it," Aura gasped. "Might as well die here."
Herald turned Aura intangible making the sand on her fall off of her.
"No," Herald said comfortingly making them both tangible. He stroked her back. "We're almost out of here." He gave her the rest of the energy drink. She slowly drained the bottle. She stood up and the two continued walking.
"We'll be fine," reassured Herald. "I mean, name the horrors of the Ecto Swamp."
"Well, there is the green fire spurts," Aura started.
"There's a popping noise before the flames come out of the ground. We can easily avoid those," Herald answered.
"The Houdini Quicksand?"
"Well, thanks to you we now know what it looks like. We can avoid that too."
"What about the EOUS's?"
"Ecto-pusses Of Unusual Size? I don't believe they exist." The second Herald said that, an ecto-pus grabbed Herald's ankle and pulled him towards it. Herald retaliated by shooting an ice ray at it, setting him free. The eight-armed fiend tried again. The tentacle grazed Herald's side. He shot another ice ray at it. Another tentacle knocked him out of sight. The creature then laid its eyes on Aura. It picked her up and began constricting her.
"MAL!"
Herald then flies back into view and blasts the ecto-pus again. It flinched and dropped Aura. Herald caught her before she hit the ground. He placed her in a tree, out of danger, while he finished the fight. He flew back to the monster, ready to fight again. Several tentacles shot out at him. He dodged every one of them. The monster didn't give up. It kept trying to grab Herald but he dodged them by flying in all directions. Several minutes later the ecto-puss's tentacles were a tangled mess, completely immobilized. Herald then sent another ice beam at the ecto-puss, finally freezing the creature.
He then flew up to Aura and scooped her up bridal style. He then floated down to the ground and gently put her back on her feet. Aura thanked him with a kiss that Herald gratefully returned.
The two then finally made it out. Aura could easily see the ocean through the thin trees.
"We made it," Aura grinned.
"See? Told you we'd be fine," said Herald confidently.
The two were about to kiss again. When Prince Red X and his men approached the two. Red X was anything but happy.
"Surrender!" ordered Red X.
"If by 'surrender' you mean you want to surrender to me? Then I accept," Herald said smugly with his mask on again.
"I give you points for your courage," Red X stated. "Don't make an imbecile out of yourself."
Herald chuckled. "You won't catch us. We know the secrets to the Ecto Swamp. We can live a very happy life there. Of course if you feel like dying, you're welcome to come visit us."
Red X was losing his patience. "I'm telling you again. Surrender!"
"Forget it," growled Herald charging up his fists, ready to fight. While the two metas were swapping insults at each other, Aura noticed that several metas in SWAT uniforms aiming their weapons at Herald.
"I'm telling you one last time! SURRENDER!" roared Red X.
"OBLIVION FIRST!" Herald roared back.
"Promise me you won't hurt him!" yelled Aura.
Both metas looked at the Keeper, confused. "WHAT?" they yelled in unison.
Aura slowly walked toward Red X. "If we surrender and I go back to Jump with you, will you promise not to hurt him?"
Red X smiled grimly. "May I live for a hundred years and never hunt again."
Aura gestured toward Herald. "He's a sailor on the pirate ship Gabriel. Promise me you'll take him back to his ship."
"It will be done, my dear," Red X promised. Aura cringed inwardly at the way she was just addressed.
Red X leaned toward Slade. "Once we're out of sight, take him back to Jump and throw him in the Pit of Doom," he whispered.
Slade grinned evilly even though no one could see it. "I'll make sure of it."
Aura looked at Herald with her eyes slowly flooding with tears. Herald had a look on his face that spoke of pain, betrayal, and heartache. "I lost you once and it practically destroyed me," Aura sobbed. "I can't stand the thought of losing you again."
Red X then scooped her up and flew away toward Jump. Herald stared at them in a daze. Slade approached him, snapping him out of it.
"Come now," Slade said. "We must return you to your ship."
Herald scoffed. "Lying through your teeth won't get you anywhere. Unlike you, I'm a meta of my word." He then stared at Slade, squinting. Something was familiar about him…
"What?"
Herald snapped his fingers. "Now I remember! You look like the masked man!" he exclaimed. "Someone I know is looking for you."
Slade then shot a ray at Herald, knocking him out.
Mal slowly woke up, no longer Herald without his mask. He was strapped to an examination table in some sort of dungeon. He had a major headache. A girl named Jinx walked into the dungeon. She had grey skin, pink hair and pink cat eyes. She was wearing a witch's costume.
The girl approached Mal, carrying a try of medical tools. "Where am I?" Mal asked.
"The Pit of Doom," said Jinx as she started cleaning some of Mal's wounds. "Don't even try to faze out of this place. The walls are completely power-proof. No one's gonna rescue you. The only way out is secret. Only me, Prince Red X, and Count Slade know the way out."
"So I'm stuck here till I die?" asked Mal.
"Yeah, till they kill you," said Jinx.
Mal was confused. "Then why are you healing me? I'm gonna die anyway."
"Red X and Slade insist that their victims should be healthy before they die."
Mal paled. "So I'm going to be tortured?" Jinx nodded. "I think I can handle…t-t-t-torture," Mal stuttered trying to sound brave. All those years living without Aura was torture enough!
"No, you won't!" Jinx exclaimed cheerfully.
"Why's that?" Mal was afraid of what the answer would be.
"Since you survived the Ecto Swamp then that means you're strong," explained Jinx, "but no one will survive the machine."
Mal didn't like the thought of that. He looked at Jinx again who asked, "If you live through this, will you be my friend?"
Since Red X and Aura returned to the palace, she has been in a daze. All day she would wander the castle, her eyes void of any life. If she were a ghost she would have fit right in.
Red X and Slade observed her as she passed them for the fifth time that day. Slade looked at Red X. "What's the matter with her? She looks like she's in shock after witnessing a murder."
"I'm just as confused as you are," Red X replied. "She's been like that ever since the Ecto Swamp."
Aura tried to run towards the prison courtyard. Everyone in Jump was gathered there to witness the ultimate punishment for any meta: Oblivion! Only the most dangerous of metas are sent there as punishment. Once you go in there, you can never come back.
Aura pushed her way through the crowd. An executioner was floating behind a shackled Herald. Aura tried to call out to him.
"MAL!"
Herald turned around to see Aura but the executioner pushed him into the portal leading to Oblivion. "NNNOOOOOOOOOO!"
Aura woke up in cold sweat. Her nightmares were getting worse. The guilt was killing her. She had to break the engagement off and return to Mal. She went to Prince Red X's study to break the news to him. Her parents were going to be anything but happy about this.
"I love Mal Duncan!" Aura exclaimed. "Always have, always will! I would rather die than marry you!"
Red X looked shocked and looked to Count Slade. They then looked at Aura.
"Very well, my dear Auertisse," said Red X standing up from his desk. "Consider our wedding off." He then turns to Slade. "Did you return this Mal to his ship?"
"Yes, Your Highness," answered Slade.
"Then we will alert him," Red X stated. He turned back to Aura. "Auertisse, are you sure about this? Remember it was you who left him in the Ecto Swamp. I should also remind you that pirates are not metas of their word."
"Mal will always come for me!" Aura snapped. She knew Mal would understand why she did what she did for him.
Red had an idea. "How about this? You write four letters, one for each direction, and I will send my fastest ships. The Dread Pirate Herald usually visits Jump during this time of year. We'll deliver the letter to him. If Mal accepts, good for you both. If not, please consider me as a substitute for suicide. Deal?"
Aura nodded and left to write her letter. Aura really wished that Red X would get computers and Internet installed in his castle. She's not used to waiting several days for her grandfather to reply to her via snail mail.
Red X and Slade walked through a forest, chatting about Aura's sudden announcement.
"She's feisty for her age, don't you think?" asked Slade.
Red X frowned. "I'm aware of that. The people have taken a liking to her. It's strange though. When I hired Mad Mod to abduct and murder her on the night of the engagement party, I thought the plan was flawless."
"But?" Slade sensed a catch.
"It's going to be even more tragic when I strangle her on our wedding night. Once Steel is blamed, the people of Jump will want to go to war," Red X said an evil grin slowly appearing on his face.
The two metas eventually reached a giant dead tree with several knots at its base. Slade then started examining every knot as if he's looking for something.
"Now which knot was it again?" he asked himself. "I know it's here somewhere…AH! There it is!" He pushed on a knot, which sank further into the tree. A secret door was revealed.
Slade opened the door and turned to Red X. "Care to join me in the Pit? Malcolm's got his strength back and I'm thinking of using the machine on him tonight."
Red X patted the masked man's shoulder. "Slade, my friend, as much as I'd enjoy watching someone else in pain I must decline. I have a wedding to arrange, a wife to murder, and Steel to frame for it. My hands are full."
Slade grinned. "Very well, Your Highness but you don't know what you're missing! Get some rest. If you don't have your health, then you have nothing."
He disappeared into the tree ready to test his new invention. Red X slowly walked back to the castle, relishing in the fact that no one will stop his plans.
Slade glided into the Pit of Doom. Mal was strapped to an examination table with a large machine hovering over him. Jinx was lowering one end of the machine towards Mal's chest. It looked like a cattle prod.
Slade grinned evilly. "It's lovely isn't it? Took me ten years to invent it. I'm sure by now you're aware that I have an extraordinary interest in the science of pain. Currently, I'm keeping a journal with the results of the subject. Now, I want you to be completely honest and tell me how the machine makes you feel."
Mal scowled at the masked man. Jinx looked up at Slade. "If he survives, can he be my friend?"
"Be quiet!" barked Slade. "Otherwise you'll be my next test subject."
"Hey, Jinx," Mal said, "how about we switch places? You be the test subject and I'll be the Igor for a little while!"
"I said, 'be quiet!'" shouted Slade. He went to the control panel. "This will be our first try, so I'll be starting at the lowest level."
He turned the dial to one, the lowest setting. The machine came to life. The cattle prod then stabbed Mal's chest, electrocuting him. Mal howled in pain. For several minutes it was like this. Slade then turned the machine off. The machine then died down. By this time, Mal was gasping from screaming so much.
Slade then pulled out a journal and opened it. "Now, the machine is designed to cancel out your powers for at least twelve hours. I started at one so that means you're powerless for one hour. Now, be honest for me. How do you feel after this experiment?"
Mal's only response was a whimper that sounded like an injured puppy.
Slade raised an eyebrow. "That's an interesting response."
Red X sat at his desk, swamped. Papers were scattered all over his desk. A young man, about Mal's age, entered and knelt before Red X.
Red X looked up. "Mammoth."
"Your Highness," Mammoth answered.
"Rise," Red X ordered.
Mammoth did so. Red X rose from his desk and approached Mammoth. "As Chief Enforcer of Amity, I trust you with this secret: killers from Steel have infiltrated Bandit Woods. They plan to murder my bride on the night of our wedding."
The red headed oaf scratched his head. "That's weird. My spy network hasn't told me anything like that lately. Are you sure about this?"
Before Red X could answer, Aura entered Red X's study. "Anything from Mal yet?" she asked.
Red X approached her. "Soon, my dearest. Patience is a virtue."
Aura frowned at him. She could tell something was up. "Mal will come for me. You just wait."
"Of course."
Aura left the study to continue writing to her grandfather, her only comfort while she waited patiently for Mal to rescue her.
Once Aura was out of sight, Red X turned to Mammoth. "No one will murder her. On the day of the wedding, I want Bandit Woods cleared out and every resident arrested."
Although Mammoth was a total moron, he knew Bandit Woods inside and out. "Uh, you know many of the thieves and bandits will resist arrest. My regular enforcers won't be able to handle it all."
"Then form a Brute Crew. I want those woods cleared by the wedding," Red X ordered.
"It won't be easy," Mammoth said tentatively.
Red X sighed, frustrated. "Then you try ruling the world someday."
Bandit Woods
Mammoth's Brute Crew invaded the Bandit Woods the next day, the day of the wedding. A Cyclops named See-More approached Mammoth.
"Is everyone out?" asked Mammoth.
"Almost," See-More answered, "but we're having some trouble with a Romanian boy."
"Then give him some trouble," Mammoth ordered.
Dick was a wreck. He had spent the past twenty-four hours on the Internet researching nonstop on his laptop. His eyes were bloodshot; he hadn't shaved or eaten. He would have drowned his depression in whiskey but after experiencing his first hangover, he hadn't gone near the stuff. Instead, he's been browsing the Internet looking for information about the secret Herald told him.
Dick should have known that Herald was a meta masquerading as a human. All Herald had to do was not float and he could easily pass as a human, unless someone noticed he was glowing a little. Herald's little secret: he's really a secret hero who is looking for his true love, who happens to be Red X's fiancée. Hopefully the prince doesn't know about that.
A secret hero: that is the rarest breed of hero; one that does heroic things in the background without anyone finding out. Now that Dick thought about it, no one had looked into his parents murder. That must mean: the masked man was secret villain! If that's the case, then he's vulnerable to having his secret exposed. Too bad Dick was too depressed to tell anyone right now. He was also getting impatient.
"Alright, Mod, I'm waiting for you! You told me to go back to the beginning if I ever screw up. I've done that. Now where are you?" Dick muttered to himself.
See-More then appeared in front of Dick. "Move it, punk."
"I'm not moving from this spot!" Dick cried. He pulled out his Soul Shredder and waved it around wildly.
"Red X's orders…"
"I don't give a ghost's butt about Red X!" Dick yelled back. "I'm supposed to wait for Mad Mod. I'm not moving!"
See-More had enough of this young man. He called to one of the members of the Brute Crew. "You! Brute! Get over here!"
Dick wasn't paying attention. "I. AM. WAITING. FOR. MOD!"
"I hope you soon find the right answer," answered a voice that clearly didn't belong to See-More.
Dick looked up to see who was talking to him. It was Vic.
"Hello, Dick."
"Vic! It's you!"
"True." See-More tried to sneak up on Dick to knock him out but Vic was quicker. Vic knocked See-More out with a simple punch and then sucked him into a thermos.
Dick was surprised. "How did you...?"
"Meta Gloves," Vic explained. "I can fight metas in hand-to-hand combat. And this is the Duncan Thermos. It captures metas. All of this was given to me courtesy of Duncan Works."
The name rang a bell but Dick decided to put in the back of his mind for later. Vic looked Dick over.
"You don't look so good," Vic said worriedly. Dick burped in his face. "You don't smell good either."
"I guess, man. I feel fine," Dick said. He started to walk but fell to the ground. The sound of snoring indicated Dick fell asleep. That's what happens when one researches metas and heroes for twenty-four hours nonstop.
Now that they were reunited, Vic helped Dick regain his strength. He filled Dick in about Mod's death, Red X's plan, and the masked man, Slade Wilson.
"Okay, so where is Slade so I can send him away with my Soul Shredder?" asked Dick now fully recovered in a matter of hours.
"He's with Red X at the castle. It's guarded by at least thirty metas," Vic answered.
"Approximately, how much can you take?" asked Dick.
"I'm guessing about ten," Vic guessed.
Dick pulled out his holographic glove and did some math. "That leaves twenty for me. There's no way I can handle that many." He sits down, defeated. "If only Mod was here. He's the one with the brains."
"But I told you. Mod's dead."
Dick stroked his chin, deep in thought. He then snapped his fingers. "Not Mod! We need Herald!"
"Huh?"
"Think about it, dude. He was able to beat you in strength, your best feature! He bested me at Doomed! My favourite game! He must have outsmarted Mod. If there's anyone who is able to figure out how to infiltrate Red X's castle it's Herald. Let's go!"
Vic became confused. "Go? Go where?"
"To find Herald! Duh!" Dick snapped.
"But you don't know where he is," Vic argued.
"Don't bug me with your nonsense," Dick argued back. "After ten long years, I'll finally avenge my father's death! There will be blood tonight!"
Mammoth entered Red X's chambers to find him polishing his amulet. He kneels. Red X looks up.
"Rise and report," Red X commanded.
"Bandit Woods has been cleared out. We have thirty metas guarding the castle," Mammoth reported.
"Double it," Red X replied. "The princess must be kept safe."
"Got it. Don't worry. I have the only key to the castle gate," Mammoth said. He pulled out a key that was on a chain around his neck. Aura then entered Red X's chambers.
"Anything from Mal yet?" she asked.
"Ah! My dearest," Red X greeted. "Tonight is our wedding. Tomorrow, we shall be escorted to the Jump Channel where every ship in my navy will accompany us on our honeymoon!"
"Except those four ships you sent," Aura said dryly.
"Uh…yes! Yes, except for those four," Red X answered hesitantly. Aura scowled at him.
Mammoth, seeing that it was about to get ugly, slipped out of Red X's chambers. "Your Highnesses."
As soon as Mammoth was gone, Aura dropped her goody-two-shoes act and confronted the prince. "You never sent any ships, did you?" she asked accusingly. "Don't even bother lying to me. It wouldn't matter anyway. Mal will get me out of this rat hole."
Red X scoffed. "You're such a silly girl."
"Am I?" Aura asked. "Maybe I am for not seeing what you really are. A cowardly wimp with a stone cold heart!"
Red X leaned in close to Aura's face. "I would not say such things if I were you," he threatened.
"Why not?" Aura retorted. "You'll never hurt me. True love binds Mal and me together! You'll never break it! Not with a million swords! And by 'cowardly wimp' I mean you're the most pathetic meta to ever wander the earth!"
Red X went over the edge. He grabbed Aura's still blistered wrist, hard, and dragged her out of his chambers and locked her in her chambers.
"YOU'LL REGRET THOSE WORDS MADAM!" he yelled trying to keep what's left of his temper under control. He then left the castle and stomps off toward the Pit of Doom to dispose of his competition.
Red X stormed into the Pit of Doom. Slade was writing in his journal while Jinx played solitaire with some cards and Mal was whistling jazz songs. Red X marched over to Mal who ceased his whistling.
"You two truly love each other and so you might have been truly happy," Red X hissed.
Mal scoffed. "Might? I think you mean we will be truly happy."
Red X sneered at him. "What you have occurs once in a century." Mal gave him a smug look. "So I think no man in a century will suffer as greatly as you will."
Prince Red X then went to the controls of the machine, pushed Slade out of the way and turned the machine on. He then turned the setting to twelve, the highest setting.
Slade panicked. "NO! Not to twelve!"
The machine roared to life. The machine shocked Mal like never before. This kind of pain was worse than any torture imaginable. Mal screamed in pain. His screams were so loud, everyone in Jump could hear them. Aura's family heard it, Mal's family heard it, Mammoth's Brute Crew heard it and even Aura herself heard it. She did not recognize it but it still sent shivers down her spine.
Luckily Vic and Dick (Me: Hey that rhymes!) heard it too. They were trying to get through the crowded marketplace when they heard it. Everyone was silent as they listened to the mystery screams of agony.
Dick, however, recognized those screams. "Vic! Listen!"
Vic listened. "You mean that screaming?"
Dick gave him a deadpanned look. "What else? That sounds like Herald."
"Why do you think he's screaming?"
"Herald's true love is marrying some other dude tonight. Why else is he screaming like that? I made that same scream myself when Slade murdered my parents ten years ago. The Scream of Ultimate Suffering," Dick explained.
They then tried to follow the source of the screams that now faded away to silence again. Unfortunately the marketplace was far too crowded.
"Excuse me! 'Scuse me! Excus – Hey! Out of the way! Vic? A little help, please?"
"YO OUTTA THE WAY!" Vic shouted. The crowd immediately parted.
"Thanks," thanked Dick.
Eventually, two hours later, the two misfits made their way to the woods where the trail went cold at a dead tree with several knots at the base.
"Dead end," Dick muttered.
"Now what?" Vic asked. They heard someone coming in their direction and they both hide. Jinx then appeared. She was pushing a wheelbarrow, whistling a tune, happy as a clam.
Dick appeared and stopped Jinx in her tracks, the Soul Shredder poking her nose. Vic then appeared with the Duncan Thermos pinned to Jinx's back.
"Do either of you want to be my friend?" she asked.
"It depends," Dick replied. "Where's Herald?"
"Uh…I don't know what you're talking about," Jinx answered nervously.
"You got there from these woods, right?" asked Vic.
"Uhh…umm…"
Dick rolled his sunglass covered eyes. "Vic, how about you jog her memory?"
Vic then hit Jinx on the head (thanks to the Meta Gloved). Unfortunately, Vic hit her a little too hard. Jinx fell to the ground, unconscious.
Vic looked at what he just did. "Uh, Dick? I think I jogged her a little too hard. Sorry."
Dick face-palmed. "Never mind," he sighed. "Suck her up." Vic sucked the unconscious Jinx into the Duncan Thermos.
"So now what?" Vic asked. "Where do you think Herald is?"
Dick pulled out his Soul Shredder. "Okay, Mom and Dad," Dick whispered to himself. "After ten years, you're finally going to rest in peace. But in order to do that I need to find someone who can help me. Guide my sword."
Dick then started walking toward the tree. Vic slowly followed nervously. The tip of Dick's sword pokes on one of the knots. Dick, thinking he failed, put his sword away and walked away to sulk. Vic, curious about the knot the Soul Shredder poked, examined it. He pushed the knot deeper into the tree. A secret door appeared.
"Dick! I found a way in!" Vic called.
Dick looked up and saw the now visible door. "Nice job, Vic!" The two gave each other a high-five and entered the tree.
The room they were in now looked like a torture chamber. They saw Mal lying on the examination table, seemingly dead. Vic approached the unconscious meta and checked on his pulse. Dick found an open journal at the control panel to the machine and began reading it.
"He's still alive, Dick!" Vic called.
Dick nodded. "That may be true, dude, but in the state he's in now, he's powerless to fight. According to these notes, Herald's gonna be like this for the next ten hours."
"But we don't have enough time to wait for his powers to come back!" Vic exclaimed. "This is his only chance to rescue Princess Auertisse and your only chance to fight Slade Wilson!"
"Midnight, hold on!" Raven interrupted.
Midnight looked up. "What's wrong? Is your fever going up again?"
"No. Herald is going to get his powers back in time to rescue Aura right? I mean, how is Herald going to get his powers and trumpet back in time to stop the wedding? He can't wait ten hours."
"Do you want me to finish the story or not?" Midnight asked exasperatedly.
"Yeah," Raven answered, "but how are they going to rescue Aura? By the time Herald gets his powers back, it will be too late!"
Midnight winks at her charge. "What they need is more time."
Raven, curious about Midnight's hint, calmed down and listened to Midnight read again.
Dick then snapped his fingers. He smirked at Vic. "We Graysons don't give up that easily. Get Herald off that examination table. I have an idea. How much money do you have?"
Vic pulled out his wallet and counted his money. "Fifty bucks."
"Good enough," Dick mumbled. Vic removed the straps from Mal's limbs.
Vic tilted his head as he looked at Mal. "Are you sure this is Herald? This guy doesn't have a mask. Herald has a mask."
Knowing that time is of the essence, Dick just simply stated. "Long story short: that's Herald without a mask. Now come on! We need to get to Timeline Tower."
"Why did you ask me to count my money anyway?" asked Vic as he threw an unconscious Mal over his shoulder. "And why do we need to go to Timeline Tower? I thought we were going to rescue the princess and avenge your parents."
"Because, my simpleminded friend, Timeline Tower is the only place in Jump where one can buy more time."
Dick and Vic eventually made it to Timeline Tower on the outskirts of town. Dick pounded on the door. "Go away!" cried a voice from behind the door.
Dick kept pounding on the door. Eventually, an African woman opened the window on the door. "What do you want?"
Both Vic and Dick furrowed their eyebrows. "You're not Clockwork," Vic stated though he had hearts in his eyes.
"Yeah man," Dick agreed. "Clockwork's a dude. He used to work for the prince several years ago."
"You mean my short-tempered brother who fired Lord Clockwork and banished me from the castle? Thank you for reminding me of such painful memories!" she exclaimed bitterly. "We're closed!"
She slammed the window in their faces.
"KAREN (Bumble Bee)!" a more superior voice called out. "Show some manners!"
Dick, curious, knocked on the door again. The window opened again only this time a blue ghost with a scar on his left eye answered. "Leave now or I will call the Brute Crew."
"I am the Brute Crew," Vic answered.
Clockwork looked Vic over. "Indeed you are the Brute Crew."
Dick decided to cut to the chase. "We need your help."
Clockwork sighed as he changed into an old man. "I'm retired. What would you want with someone the prince fired?"
Dick jabbed his thumb in Mal's direction. "This guy is the one who needs help."
Clockwork thought about it. "Very well. I'll take a look. Bring him in."
The two misfits entered the tower, following the meta and the ghost to the top floor. Vic placed Mal on a table. Clockwork, now a child, looked him over. He poked Mal with his Time Staff. "I've seen worse," he muttered.
He continued poking Mal for several minutes. Dick tapped on Clockwork's shoulder. "Uh, I don't mean to rush you, but we're kind of in a rush."
The Ghost of Time turned to Dick. "If you rush me on this miracle, you're going to get a lousy miracle."
"We have money," Vic stated.
"How much?" asked Karen.
"Fifty dollars."
Clockwork frowned, changing into an adult. "I've never worked for so little."
"Yes, you have," Karen argued.
"That was once, Bee," Clockwork responded, "but it was for a noble cause."
Dick threw arms over his head. "This is a noble cause!" he exclaimed. He pointed to Mal. "His…uh…sister is blind and his…um…nieces and nephews are on the brink of starvation."
Clockwork frowned. "If you're going to lie to me, you're going to have to do better than that."
Dick sighed in frustration. "All right. I need him to help me avenge my parent who have been dead for the past ten years."
Clockwork gave Dick a deadpanned look. "You're first story was better."
"Does he owe you money?" asked Bee. "Let's ask him."
"How?" asked Vic. "He's unconscious."
"He looks completely dead to me."
Clockwork, now an old man, glared daggers at Karen. "On the contrary, Karen, their friend here is a meta."
He continued poking Mal with his staff. Seeing that the boy was not responding, Clockwork simply whacked him on the head. Mal moaned as a response.
"He's still alive," Clockwork stated. "He's quite the fighter."
"What's he fighting for anyway?" asked Karen.
Clockwork smiled, turning into a child. "True love."
Dick gave Karen a victory smirk. "Can't get more noble than that."
"Well, I still don't understand why we should help him," she responded sceptically.
"Because Malcolm here is Auertisse's true love," Clockwork answered.
Vic raised his eyebrows, surprised. "How do you know that?"
Clockwork turned to Vic and smiled. "I know everything."
Dick stepped in. "Look, you need to help him so we can stop Prince Red X's wedding."
Both Clockwork and Karen looked up at Tucker. Karen was the first to speak. "If we help him, my brother suffers?"
"Embarrassments galore, Princess!" Dick exclaimed.
Clockwork, who transformed into an adult, smirked. "Now THAT is a noble cause."
Clockwork finished reading through Slade's notes Tucker took from the Pit of Doom. He then knew how to cure Mal.
"Give me the fifty dollars. I know how to fix this."
Vic got excited. "Really? How are you going to cure him?"
Clockwork glared at the friendly giant. "I'm the Ghost of Time, not the Ghost of Miracle Cures. According to these notes, that machine cancelled out his powers for an extensive amount of time. Malcolm's powers have been cancelled for twelve hours. He'll get his powers back in the next nine hours."
Dick was getting impatient. "Then how are you going to fix him?"
Clockwork, now an old man again, smiled. "I simply fast-forward the so-called 'treatment.'"
"How?" Dick and Vic asked in unison.
"Fast Forward." Clockwork pressed a button on his Time Staff.
Mal's body started glowing; the sound of a ticking clock could be heard echoing in the room. Clockwork kept his eyes on the watches on his arm. Eventually he pushed another button on his Time Staff. "Time in."
The ticking clock sounds died off and Mal's body stopped glowing. Dick and Vic looked at the unconscious Mal and then at Clockwork, who turned into a child.
"What did you do?" Dick asked.
"I sped up the nine hours of what's left of Malcolm's 'treatment' to thirty minutes. He'll wake up soon."
"Sweet! Now we can crash Red X's wedding and I can avenge my parents!" Dick exclaimed excitedly.
"Take Karen with you," Clockwork stated.
Karen, Dick and Vic looked at the Ghost of Time, dumbfounded. "WHAT?"
Clockwork, now an adult, smiled. "Someone has to rule Jump once you shove Red X off of his throne."
Dick, Vic, and Karen made their way to the top of the outer wall of the castle, with Mal in tow. They looked down at the castle gate. SIXTY metas in SWAT uniforms were guarding the entrance. Vic, visibly horrified at how many metas there were, turned to Dick. "There are more than thirty…"
"I don't care," Dick whispered. "What difference does it make? We've got him!" He jabbed his thumb at Mal, who was still unconscious, lying against the wall.
"It's been well over thirty minutes," Karen whispered. "Why hasn't he woken up?"
Dick walked over to Mal, knelt down next to him and slapped his face. Mal moaned and slowly opened his eyes. As his vision came into focus, he immediately became alarmed.
"Where am I? Why am I against this wall? Who is this woman? Where's Aura?" he asked faster than his brain could process. Karen slapped her hand over his mouth.
"Shhhhh! Chill out, dude," Dick whispered. Karen slowly removed her hand from Mal's mouth. Mal looked at the three misfits in front of him.
"Why are you helping me?" Mal asked, wondering why they were helping him after what he did to them. "Why does my body feel like it's full of cement?"
"You've been unconscious for most of the day," Karen answered. "I would feel that way too after going through the torture you've endured."
"Okay," Mal answered slowly. "So again, why are you helping me?"
"Long story, short: Auertisse is marrying Prince Red X in thirty minutes. All we have to do is break into the castle, crash the wedding, steal the princess, and make our escape after I destroy Count Slade," Dick explained.
"Well, that doesn't give us much time to goof off," Mal replied dryly. He looked at his hand; one of his fingers became intangible.
Vic got excited. "One of your fingers became intangible! That's awesome!"
"Eh, I've been a fast healer for as long as I've had my powers," Mal answered casually. He turned his head to Dick. "What's blocking the entrance?"
"Only one working castle gate," Dick answered. Vic picked up Mal so he could see over the castle wall.
"There are over sixty metas guarding the castle," Vic added. He put Mal back on the ground, his back against the wall.
"Add the fact that this entire castle is a dead zone which means that there is no Internet connection or cell phone signal," Dick added.
Mal slowly took this in. "What are our advantages?"
"Your brains and horn, Vic's strength, my sword, and whatever Karen has," Dick replied.
Mal did not like these said advantages. "That's it? If the wedding was a month away that would give me plenty of time for me to plan. But this?" He briefly became invisible.
"You just became invisible!" Vic exclaimed as Mal became visible again. "Doesn't that make you happy?"
Mal scowled at him. "My brains and horn, his sword, your strength, and whatever she has, and you think two seconds of invisibility is supposed to make me happy? I knew I should've brought my Duncan Thermos."
"You mean these?" Vic held up not one but two Thermoses. His three friends looked at him in shock.
"Dude, where did you get another Duncan Thermos?" asked Dick.
"I found it in that torture place where we found Malcolm," Vic answered.
"It's Mal," the meta muttered. "Where did you get the first one anyway?"
"Duncan Works."
Mal's eyebrows went straight up. "Wow! I never thought my family would still be in business after I left home ten years ago."
Dick turned towards Mal. "You left home ten years ago?"
"Business went downhill after one of our customers, a sword smith, was murdered. My mom sent me to Logan Farms to work as a farm boy and earn money for my family."
Dick's eyes became the size of dinner plates. "Dude! Remember? I told you my dad was a sword smith who died ten years ago! Now that I think about it, I remember my dad going to some shop for special tools to make the Soul Shredder."
Mal lowered one eyebrow. "Yeah, now that I think about it, he did have a kid around my age at the time. We played Mario Party while our parents worked. You wouldn't happen to be that same kid, would you?"
"What was your name again?"
"Mal Duncan."
"Dick Grayson."
The two looked at each other and smiled. "DUDE!" (Me: Dear lord I'm starting to think like Beastboy!) They said in unison. They gave each other a high five (well, Dick had to lift Mal's immobile hand to do it).
"I can't believe I didn't recognize you at the Cliffs! I can't believe I didn't remember your name!" Mal exclaimed.
"Puberty and trauma does weird things to people," Dick answered.
Karen interrupted their brief reunion. "What's going on here?"
"Let's just say we haven't been in contact with each other for so long, we didn't recognize each other," Mal explained.
"You two know each other?" asked Vic.
"Long ago," Dick replied. "We met shortly before my parents died."
Karen interrupted again. "Okay, back to the problem at hand! We have two thermoses, a giant with incredible strength, a swordsman with a weapon that can harm ghosts, and an immobilized meta with a horn. They have sixty metas and my brother!"
"For the record, I'm not actually immobilized," Mal said matter-of-factly. "I'm just lacking the strength to stand at the moment. Give me a few minutes and I should be able to do so."
"So, how are we going to get past the guards?" asked Vic.
The amulet around Karen's neck began to glow. Her smooth skin became more reptilian. (Me: What can I say? I LOVE DANNY PHANTOM! I still can't believe they cancelled it. Along with the Teen Titans.)
Aura was having a wedding from hell. And by hell, that meant marrying a spoiled prince and wearing a pink wedding dress with pink hearts that itched like no body's business. She did NOT want to marry Red X that's for sure. She'd have a happier marriage with Jack the Ripper!
Other than the thought of marrying Red X, Aura had her mind on Mal. Where was he? Why hasn't he come for her? Was he planning on making a dramatic entrance as Herald when she was at the alter?
Red X entered her chambers and fastened a pearl necklace around her neck. Aura briefly wondered if he would strangle her with it.
"You don't seem excited, Cutie," Red X said in concern. It took everything Aura had not to gag at that pet name.
"Why should I?" she asked dryly.
"All brides should be excited on their wedding day," Red X stated.
Aura scoffed. "Yeah, brides who are excited to marry the ones they love! I feel nothing but resentment towards you." She turned around, facing away from the spoiled prince. "Mal will stop you and get me out of this nuthouse." She turned her head slightly. "For the record, it's bad luck for the groom to see his bride right before the beginning of the ceremony."