Virtual Insanity!
To Raliena: Hey there, Rae! Indeed. Virus has one down and several more to go! He's going to make quick work of it, though. Enjoy the new chapter!
To todd fan: Hey there, todd fan! I'm glad you liked the last chapter! Enjoy the new one, and I can hardly wait for new chapters of "Tales From The Magic Roundabout", "X-Men: Evolution, the Musical", "Slugs and Snails", and "Little Shop of Mutants"!
To Red Witch: Hey there, Red Witch! I read the new chapters of "Valor, Venom, and Other Stuff" and "Memories Are Made of This", and I loved them! So that's how the feud between Althea and Zanya began, and maybe Jinx and Jean had the same voice actress. Oh yeah, our heroes are going to be in big trouble! Yeah, I can imagine that Whithalf would be causing Virus a lot of problems in the game. I basically do have a plot now for this fic. Enjoy the new chapter, and I can hardly wait for new chapters of "Valor, Venom, and Other Stuff", and "Memories Are Made of This"!
Disclaimer: "I never met a man I didn't like." - Will Rogers
Chapter 5: Viral Rule!
Hi-Tech's Lab, Malibu Base
"Hi-Tech, ye have tae get Hardcase out of there!" Rahne exclaimed at the blond technological operations expert.
"I'm trying, Rahne." Hi-Tech said to the Scottish-born red-haired mutant werewolf. "But that idiotic little snot Virus keeps blocking me out!" On the screen, the silver cage holding Hardcase expanded, as if it was preparing to hold quite a lot more people.
"Get me out of here!" Hardcase's yell could be heard from the screen.
"I've been reading the files of this little virtual reality program…" Virus announced. "Interesting…a prototype video game starring the West Coast Misfits, aye? Sounds like this could make some interesting stuff…In fact, that gives me an idea…mind if I come and visit?"
"What the-?" A shadow covered in glowing electronic green binary code leapt out of the console, causing Hi-Tech and Rahne to jump back a bit. The shadow transformed into a certain teenage psychotic English Dreadnok with a futuristic backpack on his back. The shadow had turned into its human form of Virus, complete with Battle Pack.
"Hello, me friends." Virus grinned crazily. "I hope you've had a wonderful day so far here in sunny California, because it's the last sunny day you'll ever see." Rahne growled. She started to shift into her werewolf form to take Virus on, but a gun with a circular nozzle popped up from a panel on Virus's Battle pack, and folded itself so it was over his shoulder. A sound like a pistol with a silencer firing was heard as the gun fired a small black disk at Rahne. The disk hit the transforming girl, and she fell to the ground.
"Rahne!" Hi-Tech exclaimed. Virus's gun fired another black disk, and once it hit Hi-Tech, it sent the Joe's mind to virtual reality, and Hi-Tech's body slumped to the ground. Virus smiled happily. "Oh boy oh boy oh boy!" Virus jumped up and down gleefully, clapping his hands in some form of some bizarre dance. "I'm gonna kill some Joes and Misfits, I'm gonna kill some Joes and Misfits…" Virus continued his bizarre song-and-dance routine as he left the room.
The Virtual World
Rahne materialized in a virtual reality world.
"Where am I?" Rahne looked around. She found herself in… "Is this…Scotland?" She found herself on a highland like the highlands of her native Scotland. The sky was bluish-black, and it was lit by a full moon, slightly obscured by clouds. Some big clouds rolled through the sky. A fog rolled over the ground. The sounds of owls were heard hooting. She saw a large fearsome-looking black castle in the background. "Och, this is spooky…" Rahne wrapped her arms around herself in an attempt to keep warm. She looked around and familiarity sparked in her eye. "Oh, wait…this does look familiar…"
West Coast Misfit Manor, yesterday
"Hey guys!" Hi-Tech ran into the West Coast Misfit Manor, carrying a disk. "Look at this thing! I got it from a friend of mine!"
"What is it?" The Apache super-athletic mutant born John Proudstar and codenamed Thunderbird asked from his position. He was playing a video game alongside the Compton-born speedster/aerokinetic born Terrell Mason and codenamed Velocity.
"This I gotta see!" Terrell grinned. He leapt off the couch and yelled into the kitchen door "Yo Rahne! Come out here! Get a load of this!" Terrell ran back to the couch.
"I'm comin'!" Rahne called from the other side. She walked out to the living room, wiping her hands with a dishcloth. "Terrell, ye had better get yuir bum in the kitchen once I am done washing the dishes. It's your turn to dry them today."
"What?" Terrell blinked. "I thought it was Ace's turn today!"
"Ace dried the dishes yesterday." Rahne told the speedster. "What is it, Hi-Tech?"
"It's a prototype of a video game." Hi-Tech grinned.
"I'm not surprised." John chuckled. "You get that kind of stuff all the time. You also have that famous episode with Geraldo where he got into a fight with those skinheads and got his nose broken."
"It's not just any video game." Hi-Tech grinned. "Let me show you guys." The computer expert ran to the video game system and changed the disc in it. Then Hi-Tech grabbed the controller and started playing a little. The screen showed a teenage kid wearing a knight's breastplate over a green t-shirt, blue jeans, helmet, gauntlets, and was carrying a sword and shield. Hi-Tech played through the level, having the kid slash zombies, skeletons, and suits of armor until the character went into a room.
"Is that…me?" Rahne blinked at the screen. She saw what appeared to be herself on the screen, talking to the kid character.
"Yeah." Hi-Tech grinned. "You see, I was given this prototype level from a game company that a couple friends of mine work at. They wanted to create a game based on the West Coast Misfits. It's a combination platform and RPG."
"And let me guess, that's me level?" Rahne chuckled.
"Yeah." Hi-Tech nodded. "Your level is kind of like the Scottish Highlands meets Army of Darkness." Rahne snickered.
"Mr. Cassidy loves that movie. He'd be very tickled ta see me fighting Deadites." Rahne giggled.
The virtual world, Present Day
"Now I remember! This was me level from that West Coast Misfit game. At the end of the game, the character met me, and the character asked me help. I said if he beat me in combat, I'd help." Rahne looked around. "Well, what do ye know?" She picked up a chestplate. She found a helmet, sword, gauntlets, and shield nearby. "These are cute…" She put the shield down. "But I won't need these." She tried to activate her powers. With no luck. "Hey! Me powers! I cannae use me powers!"
"That's right, mate? Ain't that a real pain in the bum?" An English-accented voice laughed.
"Virus!" Rahne snarled.
"That's right, mate. Don't bother looking for me. I'm just everywhere!" Virus giggled madly. "You like? This is based on that video game prototype that Hi-Tech was messing around with. I believe you know what to do next. I disabled your powers to make the game more fun."
"Ye're twisted!"
"Actually, I prefer to think of meself as reasonably eccentric." Virus's voice mocked. "Aww, don't worry Rahne. There's a secret in this level: If you find the Full Moon Gem hidden in the castle, you'll get your powers back. It may be a help to fight the boss. And I would be quick if I were you." A digital clock appeared in the air displaying one hour. "I trapped all your Joe friends in VR. If you don't get your powers back and find them in that hour…they're dead. And if their minds die here, their bodies will be brain-dead." Virus cackled. "Good Luck, Rahne!" Rahne snarled, grabbing the chestplate.
"Ye're a dead man, Virus. Arrogant little spaleen is gonn end up losing his spleen when I get through with him!"
Well, well, well! Looks like Virus had laid down the terms! What insanity will happen next? What other wacky worlds are our heroes in? Can our heroes save the day? Find out in the next chapter! Suggestions needed badly!