InterLUDE: A Quest of Rings
By Xenomorph666
Disclaimer: I own only Perfection and Wraith.
DigitalMan and K2 are © My close friend.
Everything else is copyrighted to their correct owner.
Universe: Spliced-Verse
The Big Q
"This is impressive." Lance blinked as he admired the ruins of Mach Picchu.
"Indeed they are." Kwame agreed as he set his back on the ground. "We should now be able to get a signal for our satellite phones."
"I hate this..." Low Light growled. "How did I get dragged into this?"
"Because Wanda decided to go to some dancing contest and you overheard our plans." Fred said.
"If it weren't for the fact that I like these guys I'd have made sure to enforce the whole being grounded factor." Low Life growled back.
"Grounded?" Kwame asked, slightly worried.
"Uh, lets just say Stanley and Arcade can get a little carried away in Smash Brothers." Lance chuckled. "Same goes for everyone else on the team."
"Toad wasn't getting carried away." Fred said.
"Which is why he and the others are covering for us." Lance reminded Fred. "Remember it's a Misfits' Shadow Op."
"Hawk approved it." Low Light smiled.
"HOW DID HE FIND OUT?" Lance growled.
"I told him.." Low Light smiled.
"COULD SOMEONE HELP ME UP!" Hank shouted as he hung perilously from the cliff that the others had climbed.
"Sorry Dr. McCoy." Fred said as he pulled the X-Man up. "So I guess this explains the X-Men meeting us here."
"Yup." Lance grumbled.
"I'm not happy about this either you know..." Bobby grumbled as he followed Dr. McCoy up the side of the cliff. "I mean I have to deal with Boom-Boom for cripes sake."
"Hey watch it Ice Cube." Tabitha shouted as she free climbed her way up. "Man this is exhilarating!"
"The only reason she's doing this is because I can extend a hand of rock out to grab her, right?" Lance glanced at Beast with an odd look.
Beast merely shot Lance a look as if to say "This is TABITHA we are talking about.
"Yeah, I didn't think so." Lance sighed. "Tabitha, get your psycho rear UP HERE."
"I'm comin' Lance, don't get your fishbowl in knot." Tabitha shouted back.
A few minutes later Tabitha crested the edge of the cliff. "Woohoo! Boom Boom makes another record for the X-Men!" Tabitha jumped up in celebration.
"Can we get moving please." Lance snapped.
Soon the group found themselves touring the inside of the ruins, Beast was giving the entire history of the site and of the people. Fred was even commenting on some distant ancestors that came over from Holland and introduced the concept of buffets. Unfortunately the group quickly found themselves lost in the ruins and Fred gave no sign of stopping his stories.
"Fred..." Lance finally growled. "We're lost in ancient Incan ruins, can you please shut up?"
"Oh, sorry." Fred said. "So, how do we get found?"
"I dunno." Lance shrugged.
"I must admit..." Beast looked at the map that the X-men had downloaded with a confused look. "I am completely lost."
"Well don't look at me..." Low Light snapped.
"Hmm..." Kwame looked at the floor. "I think we have greater problems."
"What do you mean?" Lance asked.
"These floor tiles are made of metal." Kwame said as he dusted off the sand and dirt. All of a sudden a screech like an unearthly bird crying for it's mate peeled through the halls.
"Something is wrong here..." Lance said.
"Yeah." Fred agreed.
"We must move towards the screech." Kwame said.
"What?" Lance did a double take. "That sounded big to me. Very big."
"And it was also in pain Lance, we cannot let if suffer." Kwame said. "Please?"
"Kwame's right here guys." Tabitha spoke up. "Besides what if it's some legendary creature that Cobra or someone's torturing."
"Well it's definitely a Cobra hideout." Low Light said as he examined the floor tiles closely. "But I've never seen this color scheme before."
"It looks like Karai's costume." Bobby said. "Think the foot are involved."
"I wouldn't put torture past them." Lance said. "We're with you Kwame."
"Yeah." Bobby said as he iced himself over. "Let's freeze us some ninja snakes."
"How can a snake be a ninja?" Fred asked, completely serious. Everyone just sighed.
"Well what do we do?" Lance looked at Kwame.
"Yeah, what do we do?" Bobby agreed as everyone looked to Kwame.
"What? Why are looking at me?" Kwame gulped.
"Because you're the only team leader here." Lance said with a smile.
"Lance has a point." Low Light said. "You got a plan?"
"Um..." Kwame blanked. "No I..." Kwame froze. "I do not know what to do."
"Well, it is Cobra, you haven't fought them before..." Lance said. "Want someone else to lead?"
"Yes, Lance could you?" Kwame breathed a sigh of relief. "I bow out to your experience here."
A few minutes later Fred, Bobby, Tabitha and Lance came rushing down the hall on a small flowing wave of dirt that was ripping up the metal floor tiles as it moved. As the burst into the hide out that the thought was inhabited by Cobra or foot soldiers they instead found an empty room with a large snake caught in a very small case.
"AHHHHHHHH!!!!" Beast came charging in covered in white powder. "I AM THE ABOMINABLE SNOWMAN!!!"
"Dr. McCoy, I do not belive anyone else is here." Kwame blinked as he walked in and spotted the snake. "This reminds of Dr. Blight's work."
"BLIGHT!" A voice boomed. "I curse that name! Had it not been for my power she and that monster Sinister would still be here torturing the girl!"
"Who said that?" Lance jumped and gulped.
"The serpent in the cage you fool!" Everyone turned. "Free the girl, she has been in there for weeks." It gestured towards a small pod and soon everyone but Kwame were gathered around with worried looks talking about the resemblances the girl had with one of their friends.
"You are Quetzalcoatl." Kwame approached the serpent.
"Yes. You smell of my servant Kezqua." The god cocked it's head before recognizing Kwame. "Ahhhh... Earth Sculptor... You come for your ring."
Kwame looked over at the pod that the others had opened. "It will have to wait, she needs our help."
"It cannot be I am afraid." The winged serpent said sadly. "The spirit of these ruins that once held your ring is now dead and the ring now lies with that witch."
"Then we will get the ring back." Kwame said, "But now our worries must lie with an injured girl."
"She will bring both great joy and sorrow." Quetzalcoatl said. "She will need the help of all those around her."
"Then she shall get the help of those around her." Kwame said confidently.
"You cannot abandon your quest Kwame." Quetzalcoatl said as it unfurled it's great rainbow wings.
"Why would I do that?" Kwame asked.
"You fear leading your friends to their death." Quetzalcoatl said.
Kwame was shocked, and he knew the god was right. He had been thinking of leaving the Planeteers long before the Chaos Spark and since then it had become a greater concern of his.
"If you leave your friends will fall and though this world would survive the darkness, it would destroy you." Quetzalcoatl.
"But..." Kwame grabbed his head, not wanting to believe what this god was telling him. "I am no leader!"
"No man who leads is." Quetzalcoatl said as it pu it's wings around Kwame. "Let me tell you a secret young mortal." Kwame looked up and strangely felt himself growing younger until he was a child staring at a great myth. "Just because you cannot lead does not mean your opposite cannot."
Kwame's mind split again as he was suddenly back to his true age. In his mind he saw the team splitting up, Gi and Ma-ti joining a government agency while Linka vanishe and Wheeler joined the Avengers. But to his great horror he saw that Captain Planet could not even materialize and was stuck in the Astral Plane while Captain Pollution roamed free with the other Eco-Villains. He saw the world that so loved it's wild life descend into the hell that they had come from.
"Why me?" Kwame gasped as tears flooded his eyes.
"No other has taken the mantle. No other has the courage and willingness to lead." Quetzalcoatl said gently. "It is a burden to lead Kwame, but is not a burden you will carry on your own."
Kwame looked up and blinked. "What do you mean?"
"You lead a team. Teams only work if they have respect for the one that leads them. Your team must also love you as family, something you know they do." Quetzalcoatl said this confidently. "If you cannot lead them, who can they trust to lead them?"
Kwame's mind went back to when they first started. The group was barely tolerant of each other, he and Wheeler argued almost constantly. Then as time went on the arguments lessened and altogether faded and became jokes and friendships. The questions on who was leader were always from outsiders who didn't understand the group.
"How can I deserve to lead if I have not seen this?" Kwame asked, "How can I return?"
"A humble heart always lights the blackest of roads." Quetzalcoatl said before he vanished and Kwame passed out.
"He's awake again!" Lance shouted as Kwame came to.
"Whoa, you ok man?" Bobby popped his head in over Kwame. "You gave us a start."
"Yeah, just be glad we got you back here in time." Toad said.
"Bb-but... Quetzalcoatl..." Kwame said.
"The big winged serpent that knocked you into a wall when you let it out?" Lance said. "What about it?"
"It was talking to me..." Kwame said as he sat up. "Did the others say anything?"
"Yeah, everyone but Linka, we lost contact with them." Lance looked worried. "They were captured in Latveria."
"WHAT?" Kwame shouted. "We must mount a rescue!" Kwame pushed himself off the bed.
"Whoa, cool it!" Toad said as he pushed Kwame back. "Even if you had your new ring you aren't exactly at your best, yo."
"I don't care, we can't let them stay captured there!" Kwame was furious. "I won't abandon them there."
A sudden and bright flash filled the room, blinding everyone. Kwame placed his arm in front of his eyes and a tall rock golem filled the brightness, much to his surprise.
"You have passed." The Golem spoke. "I have many names for I am many things of this earth. Call upon me as Golem and my power is added to your own. May Gaia grace your leadership."
"What was that?" Lance jumped back.
"Whoa, Kwame look at your hand!" Toad blinked.
Kwame held up his hand where a golden ring entwined with a copper setting held the familiar new symbols from Ma-ti's ring. This time however a desert was in the center, the heart at the top. At this time Kwame also felt a strange renewal of strength.
"I'm going to save Linka." Kwame said as he stood up.
"Wrong." Wheeler stepped in front of him as Ma-ti and Gi joined him.
"We are going to save Linka." Ma-ti said with a smile.
"And the others helping too." Gi smiled.
Kwame gave a foolish grin, laughed deeply and hugged his friends, even though Wheeler tried to get out of it. "My friends, I am so sorry I almost left you."
"What?" Everyone asked in shock.
"But that is not our worry now." Kwame said. "I am here to stay."
"Well that's good news." Wheeler said. "We'd be lost with out you man."
"Now let us free our friends." Kwame smiled, and for the first time in a long time he felt as if he could accomplish anything with the other Planeteers... no with his friends, all of them, by his side.
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AN: Yes the girl is Madelyne...
Perfection: I think you screwed up the time line...
That's putting it lightly...
Wraith: I think he killed any resemblance to the time line when you turned Hulk into a glorified Boy-Scout.
Hulk: SCOUT-BOY!
Wraith: completely terrified Whatever you say sir.
Why won't you talk to me like that.
Wraith: Can you turn me into a puddle through physical beating?
... Good point.
Wraith: Exactly...