"Strange Necessity"
By Fusion Blaster and Thew40
This story takes places between "Pieces of a Shattered Future" and "Tears of Sorrow, Tears of Hope"
Clamp Champ knocked on the door as Teela attempted to sew Addison's teddy bear's arm back on. Her son was currently napping in the next room and Teela had promised him that she would fix him. Even with Clamp Champ's arrival the door, it was not an easy task. Marksmanship she was good at. Threading a needle? No way.
"Come in," she beckoned.
Clamp Champ entered, the door giving just the slightest glimpse of the underground shantytown. "Teela, we have a situation."
"What's that?" she asked, still trying to get the thread in the needle.
"Hordak. Sources indicate he's found the Temple of the Sun."
"Wonderful," Teela grunted. "Can you do this?" she then said, handing him the thread and needle. His senses and hand-eye coordination were greater than hers.
He took it without replying and then, much to Teela's surprise, took the bear and it's arm. Swiftly, his fingers went to work, repairing the torn appendage.
"Thanks," Teela responded. "I'm assuming he's planning on raiding it. Suggestions?"
"Take Stratos and Mekaneck. Try and stop him."
Teela sighed. "Sounds like a good idea. I . . ." She stopped herself. Her heart felt a tug. She wanted to go with them. They needed another person and outside of Lubic, she was the one. But as Clamp Champ handed her the teddy bear back, she understood. She couldn't go. Her responsibility was in the next room, sleeping.
"Try and get Gwildor to help you," she advised.
"Of course."
"Good journey."
It's days like today, Evil-Lynn thought, that I wonder why I wanted to be the one in charge.
"Are you sure this is accurate?" She asked Karg.
"Yes my lady, Hordak has discovered the location of the Temple of the Sun. If he were to get his hands on the Sun Scarab his already great power would increase."
Lynn nodded. "Yes and once he used it's power on the rebels he'd break the treaty."
"Yes, that is my belief as well," Karg replied.
"Very well. You are dismissed," she ordered. The Mistress of Snake Mountain sat by herself for several minutes pondering the report before calling in Tri-Klops.
The three-eyed warrior came in a sullen mood. "What do you want?"
She gave him a glare. "Is this the respect you give your master?"
Tri-Klops was unaffected by the look. "Lynn seriously. You're not Skeletor. Stop trying to act like him. Just tell me what you need me to do and I'll do it."
Her glare intensified. "I am, however, the one in charge and you will give me the respect I deserve."
He shrugged. "Alright. What do you need?"
"I have gotten information from Karg," she began but was interrupted by her subordinate.
"It's about time he did something of worth."
She considered blasting him into the wall but decided against it. "As I was saying. We have word that the Horde has discovered the Temple of the Sun."
He looked blankly at her, or she assumed (she could never quite tell due to his visor) and said: "Well what exactly does that mean anyway?"
"You're trying to piss me off, aren't you?"
"No. If I was I'd be acting like Whiplash or like Skeletor at his most egocentric," he replied dryly.
She sighed. "I want you to gather a team and make sure the Horde does not retrieve the artifact there by any means necessary."
He brightened a bit. "ANY means."
"That is what I said, is it not?" Now it was her turn to be dry.
"I'll get a team together and they won't even know we're there."
"That would be best. I love to hear about Hordak getting fits about the rebels."
"I figured. You always laughed your ass off when Skeletor took his out on Beast-man."
She chuckled a bit. "That is true. Well gather your team and get them going Tri-Klops."
He walked out of the throne room and searched for the first warrior he thought he'd need for a mission of this sort. It was a short list.
The first one he knew he'd need for this would be the hardest to find. Ninjor. The silent warrior was hardly ever seen in the labyrinth that was Snake Mountain. From behind Tri-Klops in his blind spot he heard a quiet but firm voice.
"I'm in."
There are few in the world who could say they got the drop on Tri-Klops. There are fewer who can say they have seen him startled. There are even fewer still who can say they have lived threw doing these. Ninjor was one of them.
"DAMN IT NINJOR DON'T DO THAT!" Tri-Klops yelled.
"Can't help it. I heard what you two were talking about thought so I'm in. It's been too quiet around here and I need to test my skills. This will be a perfect test of them."
"Meet me in the hangar bay in 30 minutes. I'll get two more and we'll go."
"I'll be there."
The warrior walked down another corridor. Thankfully the second person he wanted on this caper was the easiest to find. That's because no one ever wanted to go where he hung out. Literally. Webstor had a habit of creeping out everyone in Snake Mountain. He was the least popular of the Evil Warriors, and if you consider that one of these is Stinkor, that is no small feat.
He walked into the part of the base where Webstor set up shop. He knew he was there because there were spider webs all over the place.
"Webstor you here?" he called out.
From an alcove above him he heard a shuffling sound. He stepped down and coming upside down was Webstor.
"Welcome to my parlor," said the Spider to the Human.
Tri-Klops looked confused "What?"
Webstor looked to the side and plucked Centipede from one of the webs and in a completely deadpan voice said: "Bug." He then bit it in half. "Oh. Where are my manners. Would you like it?"
Tri-Klops nodded his head and stepped back. "No thanks. Look Webstor I need you do come with me on a mission."
Webstor looked at him. "Will there be things to kill and eat?"
"I think so"
"Very well. When are we leaving?"
"In a half hour, be in the hangar bay."
"Very well." The Spider then crawled back up his thread so he didn't see Tri-Klops rapid retreat out of his parlor.
He then all but ran to find one of the few Evil Warriors he considered a friend. Trap-Jaw. He knew Trap-Jaw wasn't normally what he would need for this but he also knew that Trap-Jaw was one of the best shots he's ever seen, and that he's been working on a new arm mode.
He thankfully lucked out and found him in the Cybernetic warrior in his quarters working on it. He smiled. "Hey Trapper. How would you like to give that thing a trial run?"
His friend turned around. "Trik, are you serious?"
"Yep we finally got some action and I know you've been itching to try that thing out."
"Alright where and when?"
"Get it ready and meet me in the hangar bay in a half hour." Tri-Klops then left his friends room to gather his own equipment.
"So what do we know about this place?" asked Clamp Champ as the group hunkered down on a dune a mile away from the Temple of the Sun.
"Reports are inconsistent," Mekaneck replied. "But what we can gather is that this is a store house for some major celestial power. Every few years, a priest heads in there to deal out a fraction of its power to those the priest deems worthy. From what I've gathered, the current priest was almost beaten to death to reveal its location." He looked then to Stratos. "What strategy should we employ?"
"In and out, as fast as we can," Stratos answered. "With as little noise as possible."
Clamp Champ pointed to the main entrance. "Ain't going to happen. Two dozen Horde Troopers at the main doors."
"Half that at the back entrance, but we can't get over there without them seeing us," Mekaneck replied.
"No choice, then?" Stratos mused, leaning forward, his wings tensing. He thought about just how to handle the next few moments. A plan formed in his mind. He thought about it deeply, rolling it over, thinking as to just how it would play out.
"Gwildor . . ." he then uttered, turning the small red-haired key maker.
"Yes?" Gwildor asked, not happy with being involved with this mission. He hated adventure.
"Here's the plan . . ."
Minutes later, Stratos was in the air, the hot desert air flowing through his crimson feathers. His eyes locked onto the targets. Missiles launched. Five Horde Troopers exploded upon impact. The others turned and opened fir. Stratos quickly dodged the laser fire. At that moment, luckily, a portal opened via the Cosmic Key. Mekaneck and Clamp Champ arrived on the scene.
The battle was joined rather quickly. Clamp Champ's clamp swung open and then slammed shut around two Horde Troopers. His kick smashed another one in the chest. Again, his clamp took down one other, followed by a punch to the head to yet another Horde Trooper.
Mekaneck used his neck as a trip-wire, taking the heads off two approaching Horde Troopers. His club took down two more. A nearby explosion from Stratos allowed him the advantage of the Troopers temporary distraction. He fired his laser pistol at one, blowing its top right off. He then clobbered another, leaving it destroyed.
On the other side of the Temple, at the rear entrance, Tri-Klops and his motley crew studied the Horde Troopers on guard. The sounds of battle had alerted the group to danger, but Tri-Klops was still not quite sure as to what to do at this point. If one of those Horde Troopers reports back to Hordak that they were involved in taking the Temple of the Sun, then that would spell trouble for Snake Mountain.
Just then . . . all but two of the Horde Troopers rushed off, apparently to join in the fray on the other side.
"Well, that was a freebie," Tri-Klops grunted.
"Now what?" asked Trap-Jaw.
"Oh! A sand beetle!" yelped Webstor, picking a bug out of the sand and promptly eating it.
"Ew. Okay, two we can handle," Tri-Klops said. "Boys, take 'em out good and let's barge right in!"
Tri-Klops snuck towards the rear entrance to the Temple. He would have entered it with no noise what so ever if it weren't for the dry twig his boot stepped on. The Two Robotic troopers turned their guns locked on the three eyed warrior.
"Surrender or be EXTERMINATED!" buzzed their robotic voice boxes in unison.
Tri-Klops smirked as he drew his sword. "Couldn't they have put some personality in your voices?"
The Troopers didn't have a chance to respond before one was sliced in half by Ninjor in a death from above maneuver. The second was grabbed by a web line from behind and quickly swung round and slammed into a nearby wall. Trap-Jaw walked up to the exit with a disappointed look on his face. "Show offs."
Tri-Klops nodded his head as he entered the temple. He muttered as he entered "Its times like these I actually miss Skeletor."
The Evil Warriors wandered the halls of the Temple of the Sun for sometime, Trap-Jaw leading the way using a device to guide them. Unfortunately his device had one glaring flaw. It didn't detect living beings which lead to the collision he had with one Mekaneck. Both were knocked onto their rears rubbing their heads. Both teams quickly drew their weapons ready to fight but waiting for orders from their commanders.
Clamp Champ looked directly at Tri-Klops. "I take it you're here for the same reason we are?"
Tri-Klops saw no reason to lie to them. "If you mean stop the horde from takin' the artifact here. Yeah."
Trap-Jaw looked at his old friend. He whined. "Oh no. You can't be thinkin' what I think you thinking', Trik?"
Tri-Klops glared at his cybernetic companion. "Shove it Trap." He then turned to Clamp Champ. "Neither of us want the scarab to fall into Hordak's hands."
Clamp Champ finished his thought. "So we work together to keep the inevitable reinforcements out while we figure out what to do with it."
Tri-Klops smiled. "Don't worry I got a way to keep it from him."
"Explosives, right?" asked Clamp Champ.
"Yep."
There was a sudden sound from elsewhere in the Temple. Horde Troopers were now entering.
"Hold them off," Tri-Klops said.
"You aren't going to help us?" questioned Mekaneck.
"Can't have them know that we were here," Tri-Klops replied. "Our non-aggression would be broken."
"Would that be a bad thing?" Stratos asked.
"This isn't the time for a political discussion. Go ahead and take care of the Horde, I'll take care of this."
"Wait a minute!" yelped Clamp Champ. "Are you seriously thinking that we're going to stand here and let you take the Scarab back to Evil-Lynn? If she gains its power . . ."
"Would that be a bad thing?"
"What's the hold up!?" shouted Gwildor, entering the chamber, Cosmic Key in hand.
The Horde Troopers were fast approaching.
"We don't have time for this," Ninjor grunted. "If you don't trust us, have the inventor look after Tri-Klops. You handle the Horde Troopers."
"We'll need help."
Horde Troopers came marching into the corridors of the temple, their large boots echoing loudly at they clamed onward. Suddenly out from the shadows, a web snagged hold of two of them and pulled them into the shadows that were cast over the ceiling.
"What was that?" asked one of the units . . . only to receive a trio ninja stars in its dome head.
Clamp Champ slid out from behind them and started to smash up a few with his clamp – he was the champ at that. By his side was Mekaneck, who slammed his Billy club into every Horde Trooper he could find. At the other end, laser blasts from the well-hidden Trap-Jaw accompanied the mini-missiles from Stratos.
"IT'S DONE!" shouted Tri-Klops at that moment. "MOVE IT!"
The Evil Warriors and Heroic Warriors pushed past the mechanical men and leapt out the Temple's side entrance. The Horde Troopers walked into the main chamber and spotted the Scarab of Power sitting right below a large mechanical device.
"What is that?"
"Looks like a - "
There was no finishing that sentence.
As the Evil Warriors and Heroic Warriors regained their footing, the entire Temple exploded. Bursts and fits of magic flashed here and there as the power of the Temple itself was destroyed.
"Too bad," sighed Mekaneck. "It really was quite beautiful."
Tri-Klops shrugged. "According to legend, this place has been blown up and magically put back together about eighty times already."
"HEY GUYS!" shouted Webstor, taking up a defensive position between both parties. Trap-Jaw was by his side.
"WE GOT 'EM OUTNUMBERED!" Trap-Jaw added.
Mekaneck gritted his teeth. "Why you -- !?"
Tri-Klops patted Trap-Jaw's shoulder. "Not today, Trapper. Someone has to be a pain in Hordak's ass and it might as well be them."
"Awww," Webstor sighed.
Ninjor sighed.
"Let's get out of here," Tri-Klops said then.
"You know . . ." Stratos began. "We made a pretty good team. We know each others fighting skills so well, we'd be a perfect match against the Horde.
Tri-Klops shrugged. "Well, it's not my call to make. But hey, like I'd say . . . rather you than me. At least we don't have targets on our backs."
And with that, the Evil Warriors vanished over the dune.
"I suppose we should get back to Teela," Clamp Champ said. "You were right, Stratos. We would make a good team."
Stratos nodded a little. "I fear it'll never happen."
Gwildor shrugged. "It was a nice explosion, though."