You probably thought that I wasn't gonna show up. Well guess what, kiddies…I'm here. My name is Another Joe, Version 2.0. I'm super strong, and unbeatable. No, I'm not bragging, I'm just being truthful. Nobody has beaten me yet.
I have all of Joe's powers…and none of his goofy attitude. So I'm definitely a match for that kid, Nick. More than a match even…I'm the superior one. They all die TONIGHT. Hero and Traitors.
I've got a plan, you see. I'll weaken them all by scattering them into the wild jungle, where the doctor's creations have bred with other animals, creating deadly, vicious beasts. I've been inside…and what they do to their prey can be disgusting.
What's in there? Oh the usual. Gigantic insects, 100 foot long snakes and lizards…the occasional dinosaur, with large flocks of man-eating avians…and naturally one can't forget about what's present in the jungle's lakes and rivers…heh heh heh…
Of course, the were-animals are gaining power too. Too much so…they keep attacking the lab. Any JAGOW soldier or guard that's been outside the lab has been taken into the jungle and eaten alive. I've heard some awful screams. Of course, It's kind of fun to watch them kick and scream as they're dragged away, hands outstretched, begging for my help…
But that's the way things work. The strong survive. The weak perish…and perish Nick and company will. In fact, the doctor himself is in trouble too if he can't find a better location to conduct his experiments…the were-animals are beginning to look for breaches in his security, and they might get INSIDE soon. Not my problem though…I'm stronger, faster and smarter than them. Than ANYONE. Even the doctor.
I would gladly crush his heart if I could, he drives me nutty with that ugly face of his…but it's in my programming not to. Oh well…
The kid and the traitors will have to suffice. Maybe I'll save Rachel for myself…heh heh heh.
"You might think I'm crazy…to hang around with you! Or maybe you think I'm lucky…and that's something to do! But I think that you'll your wild…inside is some child! You might think I'm foolish…but baby, it's untrue! You might think I'm crazy…all I want is you!"
Nick was just happily singing a song by "The Cars" as he walked towards the village. Right behind him, slogging away…was Cameo Leon and Rachel. Nick had used Mach Speed to get ahead, and he had gone about two miles ahead of them before he'd realized they were left behind. So he waited…and when they caught up, they were bushed. Rachel needed to recharge, and Cameo Leon was just plain tired.
"Come on guys, let's sing!" "Uh…no."
Cameo Leon groaned. "Ugh…of all the heroes that Movieland has…why did I get stuck with the eccentric do-gooder?"
Rachel moaned as well, adding her two cents to the mix. "Why did I go along with this human? He's…what's the word Joe used? Oh right…loopy."
Nick just shrugged, smiling a little. "You guys need to loosen up. Chillax, dude and dudette."
Cameo Leon took another step forward…and then collapsed. "I…I need to take a break. Just five minutes, honestly…"
Rachel simply fell face first, all worn out. "Shutting doooowwwnnn…" Then her pure white eyes suddenly turned black. She'd shut down. Nick rubbed his chin, and looked around.
"I suppose this is as good a spot as any to set up camp. Good thing I still have a capsule left…" He tossed a left-over housing capsule onto the ground, and in a "POOF" it became a big trailer. "Come on in, guys! Plenty of room!"
Cameo Leon shrugged, and followed Nick inside, carrying Rachel. Soon they were all sprawled across beds, just relaxing…or in Rachel's case, recharging.
"Maaaan…I'm bushed! Mach speed is really exhausting!"
"Can't…take…another…step…"
Beeping noises came from Rachel's bed. She hadn't moved one inch, and was now plugged into the trailer wall, recharging.
"Beep…beep…beep…"
Boom…
Cameo Leon suddenly sat up, eyes bugging out more than usual. "I felt something…something shook the trailer!" "Huh?"
BOOM.
Nick felt THAT! He sat up on his bed, looking around wildy. "The hell was that?"
BOOM!
Cameo Leon rushed to the windows, and took a good look out. A second later, another "BOOM!" resulted, sounding a lot closer than before. The chameleon's eyes opened wide, and he ran over to Nick, stammering.
"There-there-there's…some-something o-out th-the-there! It looked…it-it-it looked like a-a dinosaur!"
"Are you serious?" Nick asked, afraid. He'd seen ALL of the Jurassic Park movies. Cameo Leon nodded very quickly. "A T-Rex, I'm sure!"
"Well then…let's get the hell outta here!"
Suddenly…
BOOM!
Our two heroes slowly turned to face the window. There, just outside…was King Kong. A GIGANTIC ape was peering in through the window. He had shaggy, dark black fur with a bluish tinge. His fists were bigger than the trailer itself, and his eye was at LEAST five times bigger than your fist. He grunted a little. His nose was the largest part of him…except for maybe his you-know-what.
"HOLY-!" "WOW!"
Nick ran outside and waved. "Hey, double K!" King Kong grunted. Nick looked down and saw that King Kong's legs were thicker than a Redwood tree…and that reproductive organ was VERY, VERY big. Nick wondered who Kong's dad had been.
"How's it going?" Cameo Leon and a newly-awakened Rachel warily stepped outside and regard Kong.
"Uh…how come you're not nervous?" "Everyone knows that Kong's not really a bad guy! Besides, he knows a nice guy when he sees one." Kong then executed a "Rock on" symbol with his right hand. Nick repeated the gesture. "Plus, he's been hanging with Joe and the gang." "I can tell." Rachel was looking at Kong with the utmost fascination. "Amazing…simply amazing!" She said, walking towards Kong and gently rubbing her palm against the Herculean apes hairy arms. Kong smiled a little.
"So Kong, what's up?" Kong grunted in various octaves. "Uh…I don't understand Ape." Kong sighed, and held out a finger. He pointed to the ground and then drew the following words: "I'm alright."
"Cool! So you're doing okay? Well, we're looking for Doc. Cranken's lab! Seen it?"
Kong scratched his chin, then his butt, and wrote some more.
"Sure. That big, ugly building? The one with all the satellites and wiring and stuff? It's THAT way. But you don't want to go there…"
"Why not?"
"EVERYTHING in this jungle could kill you. Currently I'm hunting down a gigantic snake that's been eating the locals." "Yeesh!"
"So maybe I should come with you." "We would well and truly appreciate it, double K." "Word up."
So Kong lifted up the trailer and took it in his hand. Then, with his other hand, he wrote "I'll bring this to the village. Meet you there." Then he took off with thundering steps that shook the Earth. Nick punched the air. "Woo-woo! That was so freaking cool!"
Cameo Leon and Rachel looked at each other. If she could have, Rachel would have rolled here eyeballs.
"Out of all the superheroes in the world…"
"…we get the crazy one."
"EXACTLY! Finally, someone who understands the problem!"
"Guys, are you gonna stand there, or are you gonna come with me to the village?"
Rachel and Cameo Leon looked to their left. Nick had already taken off, and was waving at them from a dirt path.
"Let's go!" They quickly ran after him, and all three of them took off towards the village, eager to get somewhere safe.
Not very far away, a form sat on a large wooden chair, ornately decorated and masterly crafted. He was flicking bugs off of the armrest of the chair, and sighing.
"Still no news on any prey for tonight's banquet. What on Earth is my tribe to eat if we can't find any prey that can be caught? Those natives are tricky, and they stick together. The doctor's creations are either too large to hunt or too close to his home…what are we to do?"
Suddenly another form knocked on the door of the first form's hut. "Chief! Chief! I bring important news!"
"Come in, then."
The messenger stepped inside and bowed. "Oh great Chief, we have found new prey, three beings who travel together. One a large chameleon, another a woman of gold, and a youth with white skin and unusual clothes. They are currently travelling in the direction of the native's village."
The chief let out a "Ahh…" of relief and happiness. "Two words, Nuntius Panthera…CATCH THEM."
"Of course, Chief Magnus."
The messenger saluted with his left hand, and then took off out of the hut, heading towards another hut, one longer than the first. He knocked on the door. "Open up, Salamandra! It's Panthera. We've got prey to hunt. They're heading for the village, but if we catch them-"
"Say no more." The door opened, and a grinning being stepped out, accompanied by another. "Feles Magnus will accompany us. You remember Feles?" "I prefer "Felix" actually." "Yes, I remember Feles-Felix, I mean. Come…we have to hurry."
The three of them nodded, and then took off running through the forest.
MUCH farther away, Alastor was talking to Nick's family and Matt. Matt was playing cards with Alastor as the devil interrogated him.
"So tell me…what's Nick like? He seems to be quite powerful…and a little violent."
"Oh, Nick can be violent, but he can be really nice too. You should see him when he's helping people out. He really gets into it, you know? Like when I needed help with a Chemistry problem set, he just stopped doing his social studies homework and walked right over to me, and then he sat down. I didn't even have to ask him to help, he could just tell. And he didn't get back to his work until I'd gotten the problems!"
"I see…"
"But Nick can be one of the most selfish people I've met." Said David. Alastor looked up, surprised.
"Really? He seems so…unselfish right now." "Generally he doesn't mean to be unselfish, it just happens. He'll be doing one thing for someone, then get distracted by something he wants to do…or sometimes he'll just put off work to hang out and play." Barbara had added her two cents as well. Alastor blinked.
"However, when he gets in the right mood, he can do practically anything…but he even when he's doing what he's supposed to be doing, he kind of…has this ATTITUDE about him. Kind of like a rebellious, "I'm my own man" attitude. He likes to view everyone as equal, and if he had the chance, he'd call all of his teachers by his first names. He's just that kind of kid." "Disrespectful?"
"Well, by society's standards. But he says "Respect for someone is not as important as liking him or her as a friend and as a good human being." He said that everyone should be treated equally, age be damned."
"Hmm…"
"Plus, he likes to sing. Sometimes just for the heck of it, you know. He likes getting lost in the moment."
"Uh…gee…"
"But he's also a big idealist. He has this idea on how people should behave, and he tries to point out to people what's wrong with the world, and how it can be changed…but some of his ideas are a little…naïve."
"Um…"
"He thinks people are basically good at heart…ALL people. Naïve much? AND he has these ideas about how people should run their lives. He says that being honest is more important than being respectful, that being passionate in what you do is more important than being smart. Can you believe him?"
"Well…"
"He's got these ideals, and he thinks that being a superhero would be the coolest job in the world! He can be so childish. Yet, all he wants is to make things right in the world. Seems like a lot though…"
"But he can put things right in the world now, can't he?"
"Yeah, since he's a superhero."
"I…"
"Yes?"
"I…I think I get him a little bit better. But tell me…why does he sing songs whenever he feels like? Why does he have this melodramatic flair about him? Why is he so wrapped up in fantasy?"
"Well he's got Asperger's Syndrome, but he's gotten over most of the problems that come with that, so I don't think that's the problem."
"He probably does it just because that's what he feels like doing…and because he thinks that stuff will make him a better person."
"He likes watching cartoons a lot, he thinks it'll enable him to keep his innocence. I really don't get him…and I'm his brother!"
"I think I understand him less than I did before now that we had this talk. How is it possible for someone to be some contradictory? Immature yet wise? Kind yet selfish? Innocent yet naughty? Annoying but likable? How can anyone be such a big jumble of contradictions? Who IS this kid?"
"That's just Nick." They all said. Alastor groaned and whapped his forehead with his hand.
"Ugh…"
Back at the jungle, Nick stood on top of a hill that overlooked a big patch of jungle…and a village by the beach! "There it is! We're about…half a mile away, so let's go!"
Cameo Leon nodded, but Rachel hesitated. Something wasn't right…
Her sensors hadn't fully come back online, but now they were…and she was faintly detecting something…three forms…coming fast at them.
"Hold on…"
"What is it NOW?" Nick asked, impatient. Rachel held a hand up, asking for quiet. "My sensors are picking up heat signatures, coming at us FAST…"
Cameo Leon suddenly whipped to the right, and he pointed his clawed hand at the jungle. "I see something, they look like…"
Suddenly three animalistic beings burst out of the jungle. They looked like men when it came to things like the basic form, chest, legs and arms…but their heads, feet and hands were different. And in the leader's case, his arms had jagged spikes going up and down them. The leader had the face of a red lizard, a salamander, Nick realized. His red tongue darted out a little bit from his mouth, and he blinked his large eyes right at Nick. The two other beings were a panther/man being and a jungle cat/man. With corresponding heads, tails, and really furry skin. Nick knew instantly what they were. Three were-beings!
Oddly enough, Salamandra was wearing a blue jacket that looked army-issue, and Felix had on tight-fitting black pants. And Panthera had on a headband…weird…
"A were-salamander, a were-panther, and a were-jungle cat?" "Clever creature. You're a human, all right. But you dress differently than we do…than the natives do. Where are you from?"
"I kinda landed in Movieland because I went in to rescue my family and friend. I ended up on the other continent, then came here, and met Bloody Rachel and Cameo Leon here." "It doesn't matter what your names are…"
The were-salamander flexed his claws, and the cats beared their fangs.
"We are taking you to our village to be our banquet for tonight!" "Who the heck do you think you are?"
"I am Salamandra Eques. This is Nuntius Panthera, and that is Feles Magnus, or "Felix."
Nick chuckled. "Latin names…interesting. Well I'M Nicholas Michael Grey, better known as Nick. And I'M a superhero!"
"A what?" "You know, like Viewtiful Joe!"
The were-beings suddenly stiffened. "You…you know Joe?" "Yeah, Joe and the others gave me this v-watch!" Nick flashed the v-watch, and smiled. "Like it?"
Salamandra gasped. "You…you must be gods!"
(SFX: Record scratch)
"Sorry, didn't quite catch that…"
"They are with the gods Joe, Blue and Sylvia!"
"Oooh…"
Nick looked at his friends, mouth forming the words: "Uh oh…"
But Rachel was quick-thinking, and she said "THAT'S RIGHT. BOW BEFORE US."
The were-beings promptly sat on their knees and bowed deeply. "What the hell are you doing, Rachel?" Nick whispered.
"These beings think we're gods…we can use that to our advantage!"
"But…but…"
Then Cameo Leon joined in. "That's right! I am a God! I can turn invisible, behold!"
And he did his vanishing act. Panthera gasped. "Where did he go?" Suddenly something tapped him on the shoulder, and he whirled around. At first there was nothing, but then, a moment later…Cameo Leon re-appeared.
"Yikes!" Panthera leapt at least two feet into the air when the former JAGOW appeared.
The other were-beings "Oohed" and "Aahed". Nick just slowly shook his head. This felt so wrong.
"Well if you are gods like Joe and the others, we should treat you as such! You can come to our banquet tonight! We were going to have you as the meal, but you deserve to be the guests of honor, don't you think Felix?" "Indeed."
"What were you planning to make?" "Well uh…"
Felix spoke up. "We hadn't actually caught anything yet to eat…"
Nick sighed. "Then we'll help you. Got a preference for anything that's not a human being?"
Salamandra rubbed his large chin. "Well…"
Twenty minutes later…
They'd arrived at a very, VERY big lake. It was in the middle of a large jungle clearing, and it seemed to stretch on for at least a mile. It's sparkling color and nice, warm water made the place seem very much like a good vacation spot.
"Don't be fooled by this place's appearance…it's deadly." "How exactly is it deadly?"
"Watch."
Salamandra picked up a rock, fingered it in his claws, and then flung it across the lake. The rock got four large skips in before something GRABBED the thing and pulled it under the water…
Then the rock went skyrocketing out of the lake, headed for the forest. Whatever had pulled it in had also flung it out.
"The hell was that?" Cameo Leon said. Panthera gulped. "That…was the Kraken." "There's a bloody giant squid in here?" Nick said, suddenly feeling very nervous.
"No, a Kraken is worse than a squid…" "How so?" "Well for one, it's a lot bigger, and it's got 8 tentacles…and a large, circular mouth. But it's also a lot more cunning and dangerous than a squid."
"I can understand the cunning, but how is it more dangerous? Anything specific? Does it shoot fire, or does lasers come out of it's butt?" Nick was trying to make a joke, but Salamandra simply said "It's tentacles can stun you if they wrap around you even the tiniest bit…AND he seems to be able to go out of the water to some degree…"
"WHAT?" "He walks on his tentacles…" "He's eaten quite a few of us that way…so we hardly ever go fishing." "But you want us to kill it." "If you don't mind?" Salamandra said, smiling in a "Pretty please" fashion.
"Well…" Rachel said, trying to look for an excuse. Nick simply nodded. "You'll be eating octopus teriyaki tonight!" He slammed his fist into his hand and said "Let's set up a trap."
Not so far, far away…
He was stealthily walking through the jungle, searching for his targets. Nick and the others would die, that was certain. They stood no chance.
The gleaming white eyes behind that red visor looked out across the lake. Pretty…but not useful to him. Being pretty wasn't what mattered in life, what mattered was POWER. And Another Joe had an incredible amount of it.
He was about to turn around when he heard something. Two things actually. One was the shout of Nick, calling out "More to the west!"
So he's near the lake, thought Another Joe. But that wasn't the most important thing right now…right now he had to do a little…extermination.
The other thing he'd heard was the sound of hissing. A freakishly large, brown/green python with great big fangs was rearing above him, licking it's lips with it's long, red tongue. Another Joe just dusted himself off and whistled.
The snake hissed again, raising itself higher, fangs gleaming. Another Joe was tapping his foot and humming, not caring one bit.
The snake lost patience. The prey before him wasn't going to run, so what? It lunged, and it's maw completely engulfed the red being. The tongue wrapped around it, and it gave a gulp, swallowing it's prey. It went down his throat nice and easy. The snake hissed in pleasure and satisfaction, and turned around to go back into the jungle, to find more prey…
Then…pain. Something was hurting the snake…from the inside? It's stomach! Someone was-
That was all it had time to think. Its stomach was ripped open from the inside, and Another Joe stepped out. The snake gave a rattling cry, and tried to bite Another Joe in revenge…but the robot was quicker, and with one punch he broke the snake's head open. The corpse collapsed on the ground, and the robot scraped slime of stomach juice and digestive enzymes off of it's form. "Gross…biological life is disgusting." He turned towards the lake again, and took a good look, zooming in on a vague form far away with his binocular vision.
"Ah ha! There you all are…and you brought friends, too? How nice. But what ARE you doing? Making something…a trap? For what? Maybe I should wait this out and see what happens…"
Fifteen minutes later…
"Well…we did it!"
"Are you quite sure that this is going to work, Nick?"
"Sure it's gonna work, Rachel!"
The plan, Nick believed, was simple. When the Kraken reared it's ugly head to grab some bait, Nick would activate a primitive seesaw, that would go flying into the head of the beast, smashing it's brains out. It just needed a BIG push…or a SLOW one.
The trap did look like a big see saw. It was like one of those themepark rides that go back and forth, back and forth, higher and higher. All it needed was a push to get started…Nick would provide the push…but what would be the bait?
"Uh-UH! No freaking way! I am NOT going to do this!" "Come ON!" Cameo Leon refused to do it. Rachel flatly said "No", and the were-beings became very interested in the color of the grass when Nick popped the question to them. Nick sighed.
"Then…we'll have to find a goat or some-"
Suddenly they heard a rustling sound behind them. Nick whirled around, and saw gleaming white eyes shining out. A form stepped out, and there he was. Another Joe greeted Nick.
"Hello." Another Joe said simply, waving a bit. Nick's eyes widened a little bit, but then he got into battle position. "I know you! You're Another Joe-but wait…in the game, weren't you really Alastor in a Joe suit?"
"In "The game", yes I was. But I am something different now, something BETTER! I…am the one and only Another Joe Model Alpha! I am the beginning of a long line of incredible mechanical warriors…and I am the ender of your lives."
Another Joe looked EXACTLY like Joe did when Joe was in his viewtiful attire…but a grey metallic visor covered this robot's lower face, and a light blue visor covered the upper region. Two glaring, non-pupiled white eyes stared out from behind the visor. Nick flicked the robot off. "I'm not afraid of a mere machine!"
"You should be afraid!" Suddenly Another Joe took a battle stance, and twirled around, shouting "HENSHIN A BYE-BYE!" He suddenly began to spin faster and faster and faster…until he became a whirling red and white tornado, heading towards Nick! Nick took up his traditional viewtiful pose.
"TIME TO ROCK! HENSHIN!" Nick shouted, transforming again in a spectacular fashion.
Nick then activated SLOW and the whirling tornado slowed down, revealing Another Joe spinning not-quite-so-fast. Nick lunged forward, punching the robot in the shoulder, sending it reeling back. Another Joe staggered to it's feet, and then looked right at Nick. Nick was sure that the robot was grinning underneath that mask…
"If I'm going to massacre you…I should at least have my theme music on while I do it!" He touched a button on his fake v-watch.
BGM: Another Joe (Another Joe's Theme)
'We don't need FIVE male heroes with v-watches anyway. Whoever loses is…is going to…uh…"
"Is going to be Kraken food."
Nick gulped…but then just smiled and struck a pose. "Fine by me! Let's dance!"
The faker clapped his hands. "Such bravo…it will not save you, filthy organic. I'll destroy all of you with ease…starting with this meddling teen!"
Another Joe leapt at Nick, feet first. Nick cartwheeled back, but Another Joe ran up to him with incredible speed, and kicked him right across the chest, sending him flying across a patch of lake, clear to the bank! Nick staggered up, and groaned.
"Ooh…you're tough…but I can still stop you!"
Nick began running in place. "Hoo…hoo…let's see how fast you can really go…MACH SPEED!"
Nick sped across the lake with MACH SPEED, running right towards Another Joe, who also sped towards Nick. Nick arched his fist back, and Another Joe did so with his…but then Nick played a trick.
Just as they were about to collide, Nick used SLOW with MACH SPEED, and now only HE was moving fast. Another Joe didn't even have time to gasp when Nick's incredible double-power punch slammed into the side of his face. He went flying across the lake and into a tree as Nick zoomed back to the others.
The were-being jumped up and down, clearly enjoying themselves. "Amazing!" "Wow!" "Do it again!"
Nick just shrugged, and in the best John Wayne style voice he could muster, said "Jes doin' me job."
Another Joe let out a terrible scream, and Nick was shocked to see that the facsimile of Joe was tearing up trees with his bare hands…and…oh SHIT!
"RUUUUN!" Nick went running away with MACH SPEED as Another Joe hurled trees right at him and the others. The were-beings split up, and Cameo Leon grabbed Rachel, jumping to safety. Nick rushed back across the lake towards Another Joe, jumping up a little and aiming a side kick towards the robot…but Another Joe ducked, and Nick went flying into a tree, getting his foot stuck in it!
Another Joe leisurely walked over and proceeded to kick the crap out of Nick, striking Nick in the stomach, head and ass as Nick groaned or yelled in pain.
"How does it feel to be WEAK!" Another Joe asked angrily, obviously getting a kick out of it. "Go…to…hell…" Nick said, suddenly wrenching his foot free, kicking Another Joe on the side of his face with SLOW.
Another Joe reeled back and looked up, seething in anger…then he noticed Nick was glaring quite angrily at him…no, not glaring…it was as if he was peering into the robot's very core…
"ZOOM!" Nick shouted. Everything suddenly became clearer to Nick, the spotlight was all on him! The whole universe was about to see the power of Nicholas Michael Grey! He rushed up to a surprised Another Joe and delivered a super-fast Red Hot One Hundred punch volley to the robots face. Every blow on the faker's body made him quiver or shake, snapping the robot's head back several times. Then Nick arched his fist back, and with a mighty scream, slammed the final RHOH punch into the robot's face…and then activated REPLAY.
Once! Twice! Thrice! The robot went sailing over the lake, clear to the other side where the Kraken trap was. He landed with a nasty thud and a sickening CRACK, and made a groan before shutting down.
(Music is ended.)
Nick dusted off his hands. He used MACH SPEED to run over to the faker and pointed right in the robot's face.
"You've been terminated, motherfucker!" He wittily responded, and gave the body a kick for good measure. The were-beings, Rachel, and Cameo Leon all cheered, and Nick grinned, punching the air with his fist. "I WON!"
Fifteen more minutes later…
The robotic body of Another Joe was hanging from a tree branch that stretched over the lake, and Nick was banging a big gong.
"Come un get it!" He shouted in a western-style voice. Rachel put her hands on her hips. "Niiick!"
"Sorry, but he deserved it, the jerkwad…"
"It's bad enough you're using the body as bait, do you have to degrade him too?" "Okay, I'll stop-WOAH!"
Nick suddenly noticed that something big was rising towards the suspended body of Another Joe. He motioned for the others to look, and they watched as the Kraken arose from the water.
To say it was big wasn't enough. To say it was friggin huge wouldn't do justice either. It was just MONSTROUS in it's size, that was the only way to put it. It had a single big greenish eye, with a big black diamond-like pupil that focused in on the body. It's tentacles were long, and looked incredibly strong. Each sucker was bigger than a man's HEAD too! It's color was that of a deep blue, with black markings on it's large, octopus-like head. But the mouth…the mouth was present just below the head, in the middle of the tentacles. It was circular, with sharp teeth that were arraigned to close whenever prey was tossed in…reminding Nick of a garbage disposals opening. The maw of the Kraken was open and eager to feed, and it was emitting a sort of grumbling, roaring sound from it's mouth. One tentacle reached for the body, and pulled it off the tree with ease. Then it lowered it towards the mouth, which lay calming waiting, wide open. The eye of the Kraken was closed, not anticipating anything more than an easy meal…
Wrong.
"Now!" Rachel shouted. Nick gave a mighty SLOW shove to the see-saw trap, and it went flying towards the Kraken's head…whacking it, but not killing it! The Kraken flung the body into the jungle, and Nick suddenly realized the danger…
"That thing can walk OUT of water for some time, right?"
"Yes…"
"It's coming after us! We need to make the end SHARP!"
Cameo Leon raised his hand. "We'll use fire to burn it into a pointed end! Me and the were-beings can do it while you and Rachel distract the Kraken!"
Nick nodded. "Why not? What have we got to lose?…"
"Our LIVES?" Rachel said. Nick simply shrugged. "We'll win. The good guys always do in the movies…eventually."
The Kraken had sunk into the water, but now he broke the surface, roaring angrily, pulling himself towards the bank. Nick took a fighting pose, and Rachel, using her robotic strength, ripped a tree from it's roots and prepared to whack the Kraken. When it had fully pulled itself out, she swung it towards the beast like a baseball bat…
But it grabbed it, tossing it aside with relative ease.
"What the…" Rachel said. Suddenly a tentacle shot out to grab her, and she had to jump to the side…only to find four more reaching out to grab her!
But she was strong. She grabbed them all, and with a mighty heave she pulled the Kraken towards Nick, who used a SLOW uppercut combined with REPLAY to whack the Kraken into the water again. Nick cheered when he saw the beast go flying.
"We did it! We did-ARGH!"
A tentacle had wrapped around his leg! He was pulled along by the Kraken and when he hit the water, he gasped…wait! His face visor had activated, covering his mouth and preventing him from drowning! Perfect…he was going to get eaten instead of drowning. A FAR more better way to die. Number 3 on the "Top Ten Suckiest Ways to Die"...getting eaten alive!
The Kraken's eye glared right at Nick, who tried to wrench free…but to no avail. He was about to rip the tentacle off with SLOW when suddenly another tentacle whacked him on the head!
It didn't kill him, thank God…but it stunned him a little bit. A second later he found himself a few feet away from the open mouth of the Kraken. He screamed, but then the tentacle released him, giving him a final push into the open, waiting maw. He floated right into it, and the teeth closed off the exit behind him.
He suddenly found something was stuck to his suit…then he felt himself slowly falling down…onto some kind of strange, pulpy mass…then he realized what was happening. The mass was vaguely translucent, and he could see the remains of fishy (and other poor animals) bones inside…the thing was the Kraken's digestive track, and once Nick was inside, he'd been slowly broken down into…
AAAGGGHHH!
Nick struggled angrily, kicking out, lashing out at ANYTHING within hand or foot range. He struck SOMETHING, because suddenly the stomach gave a lurch, and Nick felt himself being sucked OUT…
Eww! He'd made the Kraken throw up! He was puked back into the water, and the Kraken gave some coughing fits before glaring at Nick again. It's tentacles arched up, then sped down, aiming to crush the annoying human…
But the annoying human was ready this time. He grabbed the tentacles, and using the power of ZOOM and SLOW, whirled around, flinging the Kraken out of the lake.
The Kraken went flying down…down…down towards bank, where it landed with a crash. It awoke a moment later, barely awake…and stared right at a sharped, heated up tree trunk on a swing.
"NOW!" The were-beings and Cameo Leon heaved at Rachel's order, and the sharped trunk end was swung right into the Kraken's face…piercing it straight through the eye and brain. It gave a shudder…and then died, slumping to the ground. Those on the bank danced a jig as Nick broke the surface of the lake, smiling.
"You did it? Awesome!" "Nick, get out of the water! You've got LEECHES on you!"
Nick looked at his chest, shoulder, and hands. Bulging, black forms were trying to break through his suit.
"OH SHIIIIIIIITTTT!" Nick screamed, and paddled as fast as he could to the bank, while Rachel and Cameo Leon chuckled. Nick brushed them all off quickly, and luckily none of them sucked his blood, but he still demanded that "You guys tell NOBODY about this." Scout's honor, the two chuckling allies said.
Nick and the others then headed for the were-clan's village, with a gigantic octopus in tow, being dragged to the village on a big, specially made wooden serving cart. Things were looking up!
Meanwhile, in the jungle…
Sensors are back online; all systems seem to be functional. The robot stood up, shaking dirt and mud off of his head. He looked around…no Nick, Rachel, Cameo Leon or were-freaks. The faker punched the earth angrily.
"Curse those meddling organics!" He said, clenching his fist hard. "I'll find them and exterminate them! Just they wait…"
Then a little "pinging" noise from his systems alerted him to the fact that he was only at 25 energy and strength-wise. His battle capacity had taken a real nosedive. "Bah!" said Another Joe. "I'll bide my time, and wait to strike…they're dead meat…just they wait…"
The robot was so bust with ranting that he never saw the form that slowly came out from behind him. The large spider, more than 80 feet tall looked down upon perfect prey…and it's pincers seized this prey in an instant.
It struggled, as they all did…but then the pincers dug deeper into its flesh, dulling the senses of it. It wouldn't fight back now. Another Joe didn't even have the strength to scream or twitch as the pincers brought his body closer to the open mouth of the spider. The maw opened wide, and he was flung right in. The spider gave a large gulp and then a satisfied "ah" of satisfaction. Inside its belly, the spiders prey was already being broken down and made into vital nutrients that the spider needed. Satisfied, it walked off, going back into the jungle to find more prey.
So perished Another Joe. Alastor shook his head.
"What a fitting end to such a bigoted little…oh well." The blade master shrugged, and took off.
Destination…the were-clan's village.
Author's Note:
Don't forget...read and review:)
