The Eon Prime Chronicles
Chapter 2 "Fallen Heros"
Greetings my dears and welcome back to my crooked house in this most crooked of realms. Don't worry my children I've left my armor hanging on the wall and as such I'm a little more personable tonight.
As I sit by the fire and listen to a great quacking sound of something horrid stomping back and forth outside in the darkness of my front yard. Whatever it is, sounds angry and from time to time the most dreadful of moans can be heard over the wind and snows. I know there is nothing to fear from anything outside these walls but are a bit unsettled. Not any of those that have been here very long mind you all of them know just how safe they are.
Lyn and Kirby are new, however. The pair are taking turns pacing about and fretting over something going bump in the night a bit louder than most.
While they are fretting I'll be by the fire and tell a story or two I think to pass the time. Considering the circumstances I know just the story I'll tell. The one about how those two lost children came to seek safety in my home is fitting I think.
I'll skip the basics we all know about alien devices full of secrets falling into the hands of the unlikeliest child imaginable. No point really in retreading that ground. Let me instead say Not every Max Tennyson in the Omniverse was a hero who passed a legacy of adventure to his grandchildren. In some worlds, Max Tennyson was just another corrupt Policeman that instead passed on a legacy of secrets and lies.
I entered the world between two ticks of the clock. Knowing time to be a window, hoping other things could just maybe become a door.
I looked down on the massive energy barrier over Mount Rushmore being bombarded by mystic rock creatures, 21st-century mortar fire, and one massive suit of powered armor. Captain Nemesis's voice bellowed over a loudspeaker while marking certain sections of the field with a laser targeting system. His voice was tried like an old lion forced to roar one last time.
"You are not getting away this time Tennyson! The world knows what you are! Pierce had proof you sold your own teammate to a Techadon! Proof you traded Galvan technology to that Vilgax monster! You killed that boy to cover it! The world knows it, Tennyson and you can't hide!"
The section he targeted suffered a bombardment from artillery two miles away. Military hardware that dominated the better part of a century joined mystic blasts and high gain plasma bolts from the armors own hands. Slowly the shield was failing under the onslaught.
I watched from just outside time as the "heroes" close in on the great " villains " of the age.
Flocks of scritans circled overhead firing mystic energy at the barrier but in the end, broken rock rained down to earth almost as fast as the Mount Rushmore defense grid could destroy them. Each uncaring of its fate just flew out of another portal its great eye firing at the energy shield only to be destroyed a moment later.
The bodies of the fallen litter the field. The armored titan Captain Nemesis's once good looks replaced with a hunted vista of a man that could never forgive himself. The building-sized mecha knelt opened and began to detach from the smaller armored suit that made the captain famous. The haunted looked man stepped out onto burned earth. Charmcaster walked beside him her flesh stitched together like a doll repaired by an uncaring hand. She spoke before the Captain did.
"Why are you stopping? We lose options at dawn without the stars to draw on! Feeling nostalgic for the little monsters you made? "
Targeting computers in the armor want to lock on but he overrides them. He knew what he wanted to accomplish in the time remaining to him. The Captain speaks up his voice tired and full of guilt.
"We have all the time in the world. Since that video went viral and I gave the FBI the location of that Wheels kids remains, the world has turned those monsters! I thought I'd found my in with the next generation when they came to be with the Highbreed. Keep me relevant with the kids I thought. You're right though I funded them, I made them household names and I WILL NOT LET THEM GET AWAY BY RUSHING THINGS."
Charmcaster bore cracked teeth in a snarl.
"No moon or starlight means the dimensional ward I have on the area is weaker, "Captain". Lyn Tennyson is a backwater savage but she isn't stupid. The ward won't stop more than one portal at a time without the extra power. They get clever, use a null void projector and they are OUT. "
The Captain hung his head his heart heavy with choices made and futures not nearly as bright as expected.
"Not this again, please! Words in from the extranet, the fleet from Galvan B broke the stalemate over the Highbreed homeworld. Vilgax refused to be taken and blew the Chimerian Hammer's warp core. The war these little monsters started is over and a task force is coming for the Ultimatrix if nothing else. Let them run to the Null Void, they have no friends there anymore."
Charmcaster spoke with a smile knowing her words would make his blood run cold.
"My master is getting impatient Nesmith."
The captain snapped.
"NOT NOW DAMMIT! We are so close! This nightmare can end if we hold ourselves together just a little longer. We owe the fallen that much. Charmcaster we ARE winning RIGHT NOW. We do something foolish and that all goes AWAY! What will Diagon think of that?"
For a long minute, there was no more sound but the buzzing of his armors power core a few feet away. Charmcaster spoke as she turned to leave.
"No sense in the living and the living dead turning on each other I suppose. Once this is done we can all rest peacefully in our graves."
Then she turned to leave and Captain Nemesis spoke to himself.
"I plan to live through this."
I knew he wouldn't.
Inside the mountain, the "villains" watch their world come crumbling down while sitting at a largely empty roundtable. At its center, a faded logo for "hero generation" once the most popular show in the world. Cooper's voice wasn't full of fear per-say but it was close. Behind him, a bank of monitors from the 90s played a mix of news shows.
"We've got a few hours tops. The shield is tough but it's 30 years old and hasn't been maintained since the year I was born. We lose one breaker and no way the backups hold for long enough for me to change out parts. We NEED an exit plan."
Cooper sat down breathing hard his overweight frame making the chair Creek. Eunice sat in a blur not following the conversation her mind struggling with "aftermarket modifications". Oblivious to the dire situation she grabbed the remote and changed the channel. The room went silent as an episode of a now-canceled reality show began to play.
Everyone winced at the uncomfortable reminder of better days.
Cooper sounded exhausted as he spoke again.
"You need to let me take a look at her."
I circled the table. Those sitting at it stuck between heartbeats. I glanced at Cooper, hardly giving him a thought I mutter to myself.
"Weak, and blind."
I circled the table to Gwendolyn and then looked over my shoulder at the TV screen. The girl at the table seemed to be almost trying to escape the girl on the screen. The long red hair was cut short and frosted purple. A star-shaped tattoo on her right cheek glowed a faint yellow in time with the crystal choker around her neck. Lastly, a shiny "Lyn Tennyson - Hero Generation" pin on her yellow leather jacket reminded everyone America's sweetheart was playing the rebel now.
I muttered to myself as I go.
"You got tired of the illusion you sold the world. Now you're desperate to change it, or you were until the house of cards came down."
Walking past Eunice I hardly glanced at her at all peaking only at the back of her neck.
"Archetype is damaged, probably because it's been altered to keep it compliant. Grisly, but who cares."
I came at last to the fallen hero. The table was round but even now no one doubted who was sitting at the head.
Were his cousin was trying to escape being America's sweetheart, he was desperate to get back to being the golden boy. His hair was perfect, the custom green jacket had to be new and the Ultimatrix was on his arm. The collection of other gadgets either strapped to his back, around his neck, or on a belt just looked out of place. The jacket's " Kirby - Hero Generation" logo seemed out of place with the bleak scene.
I stopped and smiled under my helmet, knowing where this was all going.
"You crawled your way into the limelight with your own cunning, but you believed your own hype and something shattered the illusion. I feel your pain, really I do."
I knelt and looked closely at the Ultimatrix on his wrist.
"Matrix core is intact, but the codon stream has s been cut back to a trickle. This knockoff can't function in standalone mode. However, there is just enough in the capacitor for one change every hour or so. So Primus is damaged maybe? If it was Azmuth he'd just cut it off totally. Maybe that war you started spread far indeed. The rest of this menagerie looks like he's trying to compensate. Still, the Ruby Ray of Ulo is no small prize."
A tap on the console on my arm restarted the clock, but to everyone seated I continued to not be there.
Kirby spoke calmly and clear.
"The last time I let you look at a Matrix core you triggered one of the fail-safes. Let me worry about Eunice, Cooper. You are right though, we need an out. Any movement on the door to anywhere?"
Lyn spoke ignoring Eunice.
"Sorry boys, nothing at all. Charmcaster is good but not that good. Adwaita has to be blocking me himself. As far as turtle man is concerned we have nothing to talk about."
Kirby shook his head and joked.
"Give the guy Hex you'd think he'd be up for Charmcaster. Shame she's not as pretty as she used to be, huh?"
Lyn smiled, Cooper didn't. The blonde boy looked at been with narrow eyes.
"Kirby, that's not something to joke about. Half the mess outside is because Captain Nemesis literally dug her out of a shallow grave. If that didn't happen we wouldn't be in this mess! How'd she die again?"
Kirby didn't raise his voice, he just looked over at Lyn as he spoke softly.
"The witch got jealous that's all. Lyn was the one with the singing contract, I had a movie deal, you did commercials for Apple. She had a website with no traffic, and that community college she bought in Jersey full of people that dye their hair white while failing to learn magic. Her idea for magic revival on earth came up short."
Lyn stood and walked to Cooper's side and put her hand on his shoulder.
"Coop it's not the time to dig up old lies again. We need to worry about the next few hours."
He looked at her with big worried eyes.
"Three months ago everyone loved you, Lyn, now there are bets on your jail sentence in Vegas. That video came from Pierce's phone, I built all our phones by hand. It looks legit. I don't like where this is going."
She just made eye contact with him and spoke. Nothing more, no magic at all.
"Cooper, love, we've been over is powerful, and we beat him before. Charmcaster gave him an opening to get back at us. He made enough people believe in a fake video to get the rest wondering. It's that simple. We need time to work this out. Either to find Pierce or to prove how Charmcaster got his phone with that video. Why don't you go keep an eye on the shield and I'll come to see you in a minute."
He got up to leave and Kirby just looked at her. He didn't even really wait for Cooper to be that far up the hallway before talking.
"That kid will believe anything you tell him. It's kind of impressive, and sad at the same time."
Lyn put a hand on her hip and smiled a wicked smile.
"America's sweetheart Kirby, the literal dream of every loser out there."
Kirby chuckled a tired chuckle.
"Ha, that's the truth. I'm sorry you got stuck with Cooper so long. You could have been with whoever you wanted if I hadn't brought up getting him as a replacement tech monkey for Elena."
She just shrugged.
"Not like it kept me from dating. Cooper never leaves the base and just believes me when I tell him me and whoever I'm spending time with are just making a commercial together or something."
Kirby stood up and walked over to his cousin. Slowly as if afraid to do it wrong somehow he hugged her.
"You need to go. When the shield goes down just go. You get far enough away from here and you'll be able to manage a teleport if it's just you."
She returned the hug just as awkwardly.
"No way doofus, it's been us against the world since we were ten remember? We killed the old man, and haven't let anyone lay a hand on use ever since."
Kirby pulled back and looked her in the eye. He sounded so sad and unused to remorse.
"I did this, as in me, not you. Charmcaster came after ME because the watch is giving out and I'm the weak link now. Pierce was so close he got that video with his stupid phone. I did not even think to look when I rolled their bodies into that ditch and buried them. I'm sorry Lynnie we had it all and now it's gone."
She just smiled again, but this time it was the fake smile she used for the cameras. Sad she was trying to make him feel better.
"Hey, none of that. We are in it to win it remember? Even if we can't, we go down as if we could. I wind up Cooper one last time, get him to overclock the defenses with his powers. It won't last but we try to break out."
Kirby turned away and snarled.
"No way that buys enough time to even find Charmcaster. Captain Nemesis'll find me. If we stick together, we could maybe take out one of them. No way we could get both of them. With the watch working, I could take out both of them myself."
She sounded so sad when she spoke, Kirby gritted his teeth.
" It is enough time if we leave Cooper, Eunice, and …Ship to keep them busy. We run, just run. We'll find a way off-world sooner or later."
Kirby Growled.
"You want me to leave my dog and girlfriend to get killed?"
Lyn really did look sad now.
"The Unitrix is a machine, you traded Elena to Techadon SO they'd give you that hacking tool to make sure she'd be totally LOYAL. Yes, she's glitchy as hell, but she IS loyal. We need that loyalty now like we need Cooper being a lovesick puppy."
She looked at the ground and sounded a little ashamed. These two really only have any compassion for each other. It is Heartwarming really isn't it, dears?
"OK bad choice of words but you get my idea. We can't hold anything back, not THIS TIME. For crying out loud Kirby she's sitting over there watching our old show. She can hear us."
Kirb looked grim as he walked over to Eunice still watching TV.
"Yea your right, like usual. Ship's a good dog, but we are all dead if this ends their way."
He touched two circles on the back of Eunice's neck and she vanished without a word. The Unitrix itself fell on the floor and rolled under the table. Lyn forced a smile and turned to leave.
"Good. You get your toys ready, and I'll go motivate my fat 'boyfriend'. Whatever happens, happens."
She left and Kirby fished under the table for the unitrix. While he did I pondered a Ben and Gwen Tennyson that where about as far from the prime reality as one could get.
"Criminal degenerates, but still bonded. A loving family even. More grief over "The dog" than using and discard the people around them."
Kirby picked up the Unitrix and pulled a black rectangular tool from a container on his belt. The boy hesitated for a moment.
"If I could change more often, one of the smart aliens would fix you right up, but I can't wait an hour for my next transformation. Sorry girl, you were something, but I need muscle."
Plugging the techadon tool into the Unitrix Kirby began his work before going out to meet his fate. He erased Eunice's mind without another thought and preloaded her power set to a silverback gorilla. She spoke in her same feminine voice but without an ounce of emotion or humanity.
"Techadon combat droid OS 10.0.17763 loaded on non-standard hardware. Note any warranty you may have is now voided. Please, set the requested mode of operation."
Kirby rolled his eyes.
"If we get out of this I am never going to get you back, not now. Maybe I can get a hot brunette. Set mode to the bodyguard. Lyn and Kirby Tennyson. Set Lyn to priority one. If you have to pick who to help, and who to leave, you are to pick her, understand?"
Eunice's beautiful face twitched unemotionally as the foreign program trying to make sense of a body it was never designed for.
"Bodyguard mode enabled. Priority one protectee Lyn Tennyson, priority two Kirby Tennyson."
Kirby nodded and walked off to find his "dog". I decide to take a chance at missing part of what's coming to take a moment to check on something dear Kirby said. It's a risk, I may walk in eternity, but not as well as some, my children.
Stepping back in time better than half a decade. I check the usual turning points in a very special summer of adventure. Finding the one I'm looking for in one of the usual places. It's near to the middle of summer, and dear grandfather's birthday. Most sets of Tennyson cousins get a valuable look at their futures at this point. Come to think of it the same was true for Lyn and Kirby too.
Grandfather had been gone for hours but like good caring grandchildren grateful for a summer of adventure they had prepared a party with CAKE! Such good grandchildren, or maybe just warry. Then Grandfather returned long past dark. Kirby was asleep at the dinner table having walked into town to bring back the cake. Lyn was awake the poor girl when Grandfather returned smelling of whiskey and cigars. He stumbled into the rustbucket more than walked. A black eye promised a bad attitude. Lyn coddled her magic book and shivered while filling with an odd bracelet locked on her wrist. For a moment I wondered how soundly Kirby would be sleeping if he wasn't exhausted. The old man spoke with a raspy voice.
"Stupid redneck and his crooked dogfighting operation. They stole my money!"
His eyes caught Lyn's and she fiddled with the bracelet clutching the book to her chest. He spoke again his voice calm and only a little raspy like a used car salesman.
"Hello, sweetheart. Sorry, I'm coming home so late Verdona err Gwen. You and Ben hahaha Ben and Gwen Ben and Gwen. You two look like you put a party together. Good kids the pair of you. How would you like to get off being grounded early? "
The look on that girl's face when dear grandfather kept rhyming their names I think I get why they go by Lyn and Kirby. The girl holds the bracelet close to her and the fear in her eyes stills. Those are the eyes of a child old beyond her years. She speaks and I hear a faint echo of that fire I know is in her.
"What do you want me to do? Rob someone? HURT someone?"
The fake smile got a little dimer on the old man as he stepped closer to her.
"Now Gwendolyn you know grandpa stops bad people. You WANT to help me get bad people, don't you? I'll take your bracelet off and you can have your powers back so you can help again. Some bad people at a dogfighting ring took all of Grandpa's money. Now that makes me think maybe dogfighting is bad, and if we took their dogs away that would be a good thing. So you'll just slip in under a fence I'll show you, and you can burn the place down."
I missed Ben waking somewhere along the way I know now, but he must have been watching. I wonder if he saw Gwen press her lips together and decide to not be afraid.
"You want me to burn someplace down? Kill a bunch of dogs NO! That's sick Grandpa!"
The old grabbed her by her favorite blue shirt and the bracelet glowed as she tried to call power on a level she was years away from understanding. The old man let the mask drop.
"Little bitch, your father was too much of a pussy to beat the freak out of you like I did with him!"
Then someone decided to be a hero, the poor idiot. Kirby's voice filled the rustbucket.
"PUT HER DOWN GRANDPA!"
The old man dropped her without a second thought and moved to the boy with anger in his eyes. Kirby had the Omitrix core popped out. He had been ready to change when he spoke and slammed the core down as his grandfather drew near. Diamondhead didn't look afraid, but Ben did when Max touched the Omnitrix symbol on his chest and he reverted to his human form. Kirby tried to be brave.
"You're just a bully grandpa."
Max carefully wrapped one big hand around the Omnitrix, and began beating the boy with the other.
"Ungrateful little BRATS!"
I'll admit my dears that though I walk in eternity I have yet to learn to dance my way across it like some (oh let us call them) people. Maybe that's why even I am unable to tell you where that little girl was hiding that knife, or how she got to it so fast. What I can tell you, is that she went for her grandfather's neck on the same side as the hand Max had gripped on the Omnitrix. If he let go to defend himself Kirby would be free to change. Such a smart girl.
The knife found his carotid artery, and he half stumbled half fell out of the motorhome. Then it was over. The two children found each other in the dark and hugged in silence. It was adorable, and horrific all at the same time.
I'd like to see the whole of their trip to see more of what made them who they are, but I'm losing my tether on the moment I left and have to hurry back.
I watch Lyn readying for what she knows is her final battle. Did she speak to Cooper and make him believe they could win this? Did she whisper magic words into his ear? Sadly I missed that part and bending time anymore around now will attract attention.
What I did return in time to catch was the girl packing her bag. Actually, I should say repacking her bag. It had been ready to go and it looks like she's just rechecking for peace of mind.
A girl at the top of the world with wealth, fame, and power at her disposal had a bug out bag ready for how long? I can respect a little healthy paranoia, but still poor girls probably never had any stability whatsoever.
Then I see what's in the bag, or some of it at least. What can I say she knows how to accessorize. She has two charms of Bezel at least, a plumbers badge, a Grimorum Arcanorum, a mask of Au punch, ten thousand dollars, and a credit cube that looks old but it's silver.
I'm starting to wonder if Kirby's collection of gadgets was originally his own set of emergency supplies.
Lyn put the bag securely on her back and walked out past the room Cooper was preparing in without even stopping to say goodbye. As she did she tapped an earbud with one hand.
"Kirby, I'm dressed for a party. Are you driving or walking? Oh really now, that will be interesting."
I stand on President Washington's nose and look down on a battlefield. Piles of dead rock creatures cover the ground like gravel. It's enough to make you forget they are not constructs.
Charmcaster and Lyn are lighting up the preDawn sky as Nemesis and Kirby made the ground shake.
An evolved Vaxasaurian sent a barrage of bio-organic mini-missiles into the left kneecap of Captain Nemesis building-sized mecha. The armor held but only just. Kirby roared.
"You can't win this old man! Just let me and Lyn walk, tell the world whatever you want. My cousin and me, we just leave earth and you never see us again."
The loudspeakers on the mecha answered as a fist the size of a car came down on Kirby driving him into the earth.
"You arrogant little punk! You use ME to get everything you ever wanted, selling out the galaxy along the way, and you want to walk away?!"
An evolved Necrofriggian floated intangibly up the mecha's arm leaving it frozen in a quarter ton of ice within a few degrees of absolute zero halfway to its shoulder. Kirby spoke in ghosty tones.
"I do Carl because it gives you everything you want. You get to be the hero, you get your company back, and you get to tell the universe you killed us. Earth is safe, you get to be the hero again."
The Ultimatrix timed out, and Kirby landed on the scorched earth. The 40-year-old Mark 1 plumber suit he was wearing filtering out a sea of dust and smoke.
Nemesis screamed into the loudspeaker as the mecha struggled to free itself.
"You're done now, BOY!"
Kirby pulled the Sword of Ek Chuaj, in its time the weapon of a being like unto a god. Now a faded ember of power faded, but still a potent thing. The boy ran TOWARD the mecha to his credit. As he passed the pinned war machine's already weakened left leg. He whispered as he did.
"Polaris strike."
The blade of the old god roared to life and for a moment it flared like days long past. It cut through the armor at the knee joint and send a column of light out into brightening sky. The mecha fell one arm trapped one leg gone it was crippled in a kneeling position. The Sword went dark, its power faded for the moment at least. Kirby cursed.
"Dammit! Every time I cut loose with this thing it dies on me!"
The mecha didn't so much open as the chest-plate exploded outwards Nemesis sending a barrage of laser fire and insults at Kirby.
"Performance issues son? If you'd consulted your elders they could have helped!"
Kirby brought his left hand up to fire the Ruby ray of Ulo, and he missed by a mile.
Nemesis slammed into Kirby's chest doing close to 30 miles an hour. He then grabbed the boy by the front of his plumber's suit and dragged him along the ground for close to a mile digging a ditch as they went.
He stood over Kirby as the boy's faceplate opened on its own. Kirby spoke through labored breaths as the Captain looked down on him with blasters charged and glowing.
"Come on old man, you lose your nerve?"
The Captain took a deep breath, stilled himself, and spoke. As he did I admit I hold mine.
"Benjamin Kirby Tennyson, by the authority of the UN security council, under the provisions of the Galactic Code of Conduct you are bound by law. You will be remanded to Coda Coda for trial. If there's anything left of the place that is. I look forward to seeing you sent to the Null Void you little punk."
Kirby, I swear started to cry.
"Damn you old man. The alien tech we brought you made $1.5 billion the last two years, the show and the merchandise were just cake on top of that. Wasn't that enough?"
Nemesis didn't flinch.
"You killed them, Kirby, you killed the better part of MY team to cover yourselves. How could you do that boy?"
Kirby closed his eyes as he spoke, like me he knew what was coming. Still, he sounded like he was a heartbeat from sobbing.
"How many punks would have gotten a slap on the wrist but ended up in jail for years because "CAPTAIN NEMESIS" made them look like monsters after you bought them in? How many people did you kill from your board room while running YOUR company CARL? If you'd just done what I told you to earth would move out into space with knock-off alien junk from OUR company. Don't blame the game just because you lost."
Nemesis lowered his weapon.
"I didn't lose son, you did."
Kirby spoke clearly having swallowed his emotions.
"Ship, now boy!"
The ship emerged from the light of the rising sun and began to merge with Nemeisi's armor. The armor itself convulsed and spit out electric shocks and hybrid alien technology began rejecting the takeover violently. Captain Nemesis trapped inside screamed.
"You little MONSTER I TRY TO TAKE YOU IN ALIVE AND YOU PULL THIS? IT WON'T WORK KIRBY I KNEW ALL ABOUT YOUR ATTACK DOG! WHEN I GET CONTROL BACK, YOU ARE DEAD!"
Kirby forced himself to a sitting position and level the Ruby Ray of Ulo once again. This time at a relatively stationary target.
"I am so sorry Ship, I am so sorry boy."
The creature offered a reply as Kirby fired. I will never know what it intended to say.
"Shippppp."
The ray caught Nemesis in the stomach and burned clear through to the other side.
Ship turned to dust, and Captain Nemesis fell to the scorched earth.
Nesmith trapped in his armor tried to keep going. His legs didn't move.
"Armor computer status? Emergency reboot? Com systems Weapons? Work DAMMIT!
Lyn Tennyson burned a bright yellow in her energy form as she descended from the sky like an angel or a demon depending on your perspective. If only I had not bent time so far maybe I could have seen Lyn's side of the fight. Oh well, my dears unlike some "people" I know I don't pretend to be God.
The girl's voice was full of fear and concern.
"Kirby?! Oh no no no!"
She knelt beside him and turned back to her human form. Her pretty face looked like it had been slammed into concrete a few times, and maybe it had. She lay Kirby down a gently as she could and waved her plumbers badge over her cousin. Kirby spoke as she worked he was crying now.
"I killed him Lynnie, I had to kill my dog to get the old man."
Lyn spoke softly and calmly trying to not hurt him anymore.
"Your suit took most of it, good. I can get the rest. Things are worse than we thought Kirby. Cooper went silent ten minutes ago. Someone got into the base as soon as the shield failed. There's another player here."
She placed a heavily cracked Charm of Bezel of Kirby's forehead as Nemesis hacked up blood.
"Another player? Who do you think I sold things to all these years? Here is a hint, YO JOE you little monsters."
The charm flickered to life for ten full seconds before it sputtered and died for good. Kirby sat up slowly as Lyn smiled.
"Good, it had just enough left in it. We need to go."
Kirby stood on uneasy legs.
"They sent the joes? That means we are not getting far, and if they have Cooper they have the old mark one Null void projector in storage. We can't escape through the null void either. Lyn do you have enough left in the tank for a portal or a teleport?"
Lyn shook her head.
"Without help no way. I could maybe do someplace easy to get into. Dimension 12 maybe?"
Nemesis sounded in agony, but he was defiant.
"You're NOT getting away either of you."
Kirby looked down at the man, and back up to Lyn
"What if we could get one big flash of magic could that do it?"
She looked down at the crippled man and back up at her cousin she turned just a bit paler.
"Yea that will work, but we have to be quick."
Kirby knelt at Carl Nesmith's side. The man spoke in confusion.
"What are you two up to?"
The sword of Ek Chuaj flickered back to life in Kirby's hand. I know why they clearly don't.
Kirby brought the blade down across the man's neck cutting through what's left of the armor like it wasn't even there. Lyn Tennyson transformed into her yellow energy state the star-shaped tattoo on her face pulsing in time with the crystal star on her neck. She captured the escaping essence of the fallen hero burning it for fuel it in the act of working the spell.
With that, it was over. The rest is simple enough for you to guess without me holding your hands. They faced that broken realm bravely until they found there the way to my crooked house and the safety it offers. Being a good host I gave them all the aid I could. Then took a walk back in time to learn their tale that I might know just who is guest in my home.
Story enough for now I think. Good night dears, and sleep tight.
Next "A Saturday Lost "
Notes
Thanks go out to my beta reader DrWhoFan13 for translating my words into something much easier to read.