Bobby to the 4th Power

"Here's the story, of a boy named Bobby, just a normal kid trying to be the best person he can. That is, until the night when he and his family were granted unique powers and tasked with saving the world. That is until my jealous cousin Oliver learned of the Infinity Scones and decided he wanted to rule all of reality. Now my family's dead and I'm all that's left. The only person I can count on? This paralyzed alternate version of me. Together, we need to figure out a way to stop Oliver before all reality ends."

"Wow," the paralyzed Bobby Brady said as he leaned against the wall. "Sounds like a science fiction movie."

"More like a horror movie," Alternate Bobby said as he stood up and got ready to face The Brady Slayer. "Since you're this world's Bobby, I guess that's your name. You can call me Bob. I'll have to use the last of my powers, but I guess I have no choice."

Bob pulled out a pair of drumsticks and tapped them together until an energy chain turned them into a pair of nunchaku. A purple armored uniform appeared on his body and started to blink in and out as he ran toward The Brady Slayer, who used her bow staff to block Bob's weapon as the two started fighting.

Bobby pulled himself up as he looked for something to help in the fight while he tried to make sense of what was happening. He was watching an alternate reality version of himself fighting one of his sister's high school rivals, and apparently all because Oliver, his murderous cousin, had expanded his goals to all reality.

"Dad would think I was doing drugs if I told him what I was seeing," Bobby said to himself. "Have to help him, but how?"

Bob's powers were fading as he used his weapon to block The Brady Slayer's bow. She brought down her weapon, breaking his chain sticks, and went for another hit went Bobby tossed a trashcan lid, hitting Brady Slayer in the head. She turned toward him as Bob managed to kick her in her armored chest, sending her back into a dumpster where he closed the lid and used a broken handle to keep it locked.

"Gotta go!" Bob said as he picked Bobby up and started running. "Gotta find somewhere safe."

Earth 9195

"I want both of those Bobby's dead!" an echoing voice said as he slammed a gloved hand on the console. "I've always hated Bobby, he's always managed to weasel out of things. This time I want his head! Maybe I should send help to finish the job."

"That won't be needed," the Brady Slayer told him. "I'll finish both of them. They're alone and powerless."

"That world's Bobby still has hit siblings, they should be eliminated,"

"Only if they get in my way," Brady Slayer said. "This world's Peter is already dead, and I'd like to keep Greg around and breathing."

"Whatever, just kill Bobby. You'll have help on standby. Do not fail me, cheerleader."

"How did you get keys to this place?" Bob asked as he carried Bobby into Sam's butcher shop and put him on the counter.

"He gave Alice a set of keys for an emergency," Bobby said. "I had a set in my pants at the hospital. I… kind of had a copy made when she wasn't looking. For when I needed a place to get away from everyone. And to masturbate in private. Puberty's been a bitch."

"You know what? It really has," Bob told him. "We'll lay low until we figure out our next move."

"Is your family really dead?" Bobby asked.

"Most of them," Bob replied as he looked out the window. "Parents disappeared as soon we were given powers. Haven't heard from them since. The girls and Peter were killed by Brady Slayer and Oliver's dark Rangers. Greg sacrificed himself so I could escape here. The only one that I think is still alive is our robotic sidekick, Alice-1, but I can't contact her."

"You were draining your powers with that fight," Bobby noticed. "Can they be recharged?"

"No," Bob said. "Oliver destroyed our power source. I had to use the last of my powers to get us to safety. I can defend myself in a fair fight, but Oliver's Dark Rangers don't fight fair."

"I realized,"

"Are you cold?" Bob asked. "You don't have shoes and those hospital pajamas are pretty thin."

"I can't feel anything below my waist," Bobby told him. "It's… pretty dead down there."

"I'm sorry," Bob said as he looked around for electronic equipment. "Maybe I can scrape together something to communicate with my world. In the meantime, we should find something to defend ourselves."

"No guns," the two said in unison.

"Jesse James?" Bobby asked.

"Time traveled back to the old west a few years ago, he was a real dick," Bob told him. "Don't know what I ever saw in the guy."

"We have to warn my family," Bobby told him. "I can't leave them defenseless.

"They'll ask questions about two of us, especially one that's my age," Bob told him. Let's find a phone."

"Bobby, you need to come home, I can't believe you ran away from the hospital," Greg said as he thought about it. "HOW did you run away? You don't have any legs!"

"It's a long story," Bobby told him. "But you need to get the family somewhere safe before someone shows up looking for me."

"I get that you were worried about Oliver, but he's dead," Greg explained.

"This is worse than Oliver," Bobby told him. "I can't explain, but… the family could be in trouble if they don't get out of there."

"Maybe we should try to tell him," Bob said as he grabbed the phone. "Bring a change of clothes to Sam's butcher shop, I'll explain everything if you're willing to listen, then you have to get your family to safety."

"Okay, but—" Greg said as the phone was hung up. He looked at his sisters. "What in the hell is happening lately?"

"Why?" Bobby asked.

"I— I needed to see him," Bob whispered. "One last time."

"Okay," Bobby said as he put a hand on Bob's arm. "We'll talk to him."

Greg packed some of Bobby's clothes in a backpack as the kids exited the house, just as Lucas was walking up the driveway.

"Can't talk now, Lucas, we have to… go somewhere," Greg said.

"I know Bobby ran away from the hospital, he needs his physical therapy," Lucas told him. "Do you know where he is?"

"Yeah, but—"

"Come on, Greg, I know I shouldn't be pushing him, but… I really care about Bobby. He's my friend and I want to help him if he's in trouble."

"Bobby's a little insane right now," Cindy told him as Jan hit her shoulder. "Well, he is. I think Oliver drove him looney."

"Bobby is not insane," Greg told her. "We just have to talk him down. I guess you can come with us. But don't upset Bobby, he's been through enough."

"My parents are probably searching the entire city for me," Bobby said as Bob was making a sandwich. "Where did you get that?"

"He has a small office with a fridge, I hope he doesn't mind," Bob told him. "I'm starving. Aren't you?"

"I'm too nervous to eat," Bobby said. "I just want all of this to be a bad dream."

"I know, we've through a lot of lately," Bob said as he went back to his project, having scrambled together a lot of wires and parts from a radio, a smoke alarm, and various other bits around the shop into a small radio. Okay, I think the last of my power should boost the power just enough to contact my world." Bob pulled out his drumstick, with a small bit of purple energy in the tip. He tapped it onto the radio as it sparked. He jumped back as static filled the airwaves. "Hello? Is anyone out there? This is Bobby Brady of Earth 9185. I'm in trouble. I anyone there?"

Static filled the air before a female voice suddenly spoke up.

"Bobby? Is that you?"

"Alice-1!" Bob shouted as he got close to the radio. "It's me! I'm stranded on a parallel Earth and the Brady Slayer is here! is there anyone left to help me find the Infinity Scones?"

"No,:" Alice-1 told him. "I'm sorry, Oliver got everyone. The only one left is Dr. Glass, and he's pretty badly beaten. Oliver and Dark Rangers stormed his lab looking for the generator. If they get it working, they'll be able to track the stones easily."

"Dammit," Bob said. "It's just me and an alternate version of me, and we're both powerless. I used the last of my power fighting The Brady Slayer unless you got something."

"Dr. Glass thinks they can restore the Geo Crystal, but it'll take time. Plus you'd need replacements for the other Rangers."

"We'll focus on that later," Bob told her. "Stay safe, I'll try to keep in contact."

"Alice-1?" Bobby asked.

"Our robotic assistant, our friend Dr. Glass built her," Bob said. "I'm losing all my friends lately."

"You still have me," Bobby told him as a knock came at the door. "And them. That might be Greg with my clothes."

After explaining everything, Cindy just stood in front of Bob, gently feeling his face.

"It's amazing," Jan whispered. "He's exactly like Bobby. Every freckle, every scar. They're identical, but how?"

"Alternate realities," Bobby told her. "There's an infinite amount for every possibility you can think of, and they have very few things in common. Some realities, my biological mother is still alive. In some, the girl's father is still around. In others, both our parents are dead and Alice is raising us."

"Don't the realities have anything in common?" Marcia asked.

"Well… one thing," Bob told him. "In every reality, Bobby is a closeted gay kid. Every. Reality."

"Even ones where I end up marrying a woman?" Bobby asked.

"Every. One," Bob told him.

"Wait, so you're gay, too?" Bobby asked.

"Currently engaged to a guy named Tommy Jamison," Bob smiled. "So I have to get home to him."

"Which means finding those Infinity Scones," Bobby told him. "How do we do that?"

"It won't be easy," Bob told him. "They could be anywhere."

Not too far away at a local bar, the drunken patrons were being entertained on the piano. The piano player performed a large medley while his partner, a shorter man covered in a trench coat and fedora hiding his face, played off of each other. The piano player was dressed in a vaudevillian costume complete with the hat.

"Hey, Robby, I asked your sister to dance last night! But it turns out that I have two left feet!" Rob told him.

"Really, well then, where do you buy your shoes?" Robby asked as the audience booed while his partner continued to play the piano.

"You know, the other night my wife said I was immature! So I just looked at her and told her to get out of my pillow fort!"

The audience started booing even more and tossing objects at him.

"Wow, tough crowd," Robby said. "But at least they're not throwing your own jokes at you, those would kill us!"

A wine bottle hit the wall over Robby.

"And it looks like that's the end of our act, so we are outa here!" Rob told him. "Be sure to tip your waiter!" another bottle hit the wall behind him. "Or leave your waiter alive, he'll probably thank you!"

The two ran off the stage before they could be pulled off. Getting backstage, Rob wiped the sweat off of his brow. "We need to have them turn down the lights, that heat is seriously messing with my perm!"

As soon as they left the stage, Rob stopped into the bathroom. Too much ginger ale, while Robby went to try his luck with the vending machine. As Rob came out, he noticed the tall blonde woman staring at him.

"Here for an autograph?" Rob asked as Kathy tapped an icon on her shirt, causing a full suit of body dark pink body armor to form over her while holding a flaming crossbow.

"Not quite," the Brady Slayer said.

To Be Continued…