Quivering Quasars!
Disclaimer: "Dancing is forbidden!" - Master Shake, Aqua Teen Hunger Force
Chapter 9: Sacrifice
Project Pegasus
"Looks like AIM decided to bring the mothership down to visit us." Alpine frowned.
"I guess they just don't know when to quit, do they?" Pietro chuckled.
"Ha!" The lead AIM man laughed. "You guys are in trouble now!"
"Pal, don't make us blast you." Alpine warned.
"Let me do it!" Lila pointed her laser crossbow at the lead AIM man. "I got a special arrow that'll make him have ants in the pants for hours, ha ha!"
Hmmm...that crossbow looks futuristic. The lead AIM man thought. I'll have to see if I can get that up to the ship. Our weapons boys would love to examine it. The mountaineer Joe sighed.
"No, Starway." He shook his head. "Let's not subject him to the Misfit treatment quite yet."
"Ah, yer no fun." Lila mock grumbled, slightly pointing her crossbow downwards.
"Get ready for anything, kids." Cover Girl glared up at the ship, tightening her grip on her gun.
"Activate external speakers." Getz ordered. "This is Advanced Idea Mechanics." The external speakers of the ship boomed. "We wish for the user of the energy bands to turn himself over to us. If you do not, we will destroy you, this complex, and take the bands ourselves."
"...up yours, AIM!" Lance responded, flipping off the ship.
"Lance..." Cover Girl sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.
"Atta boy, Rockhead!" Lila clapped in approval.
"Nice job, Lance." A smiling Pietro nodded.
"Indeed." Xi agreed. "We must not let AIM take the bands."
"Nor this place's tacos." St. John added randomly. "This place's cafeteria has awesome tacos."
"...I highly doubt AIM would be after tacos, St. John." Xi blinked in confusion. Lnace shook his head.
"Xi, you should know this by now. Pyro's not quite on the same plane of reality as the rest of us."
"That's the understatement of the century." Pietro grunted.
"Pyro, you're off topic again." Shipwreck joked. He then heard a rumbling. "What the hell is that?"
"It's coming from the rubble..." Alpine realized. The heroes looked at the rubble...and saw it was shifting.
"Aw, hell..." Lila grumbled, pointing her crossbow.
"It's still alive..." Xi growled, pulling out some more explosive shuriken.
"Aw, no..." Wesley groaned.
"Here we go again..." Wendell gripped his gun.
"Doesn't this thing ever die?" Pietro wailed as the rumbling and shuffling of the rubble increased. And then...
BOOM!
"RRRRAAAAAARRRRRRHHHHH!" The creature roared in rage as it burst from the pile of rubble. From the ship, Lyle Getz watched this on the ship's main viewscreen.
"My God..." The AIM member gasped. "That thing is one ugly mother..."
"Holy-!" Wendell yelped.
"That thing just doesn't die. It just doesn't bloody die..." Lila groaned, aiming her crossbow.
"Aw great!" Shipwreck aimed his gun. "Just when we thought things were getting just a little bit easier..."
"SHOOT IT!" The lead AIM man roared. "SHOOT THAT THING!"
"Wesley, where's its hand?!" Cover Girl yelled as she fired at the creature.
"It's over there!" Wesley spotted the hand, which had manged to flip onto its fingers and started to crawl towards the creature.
"Grab that hand, and get the creature to the core! We'll deal with AIM!" Alpine ordered.
"Right!" Wesley nodded. He pointed his fist at the hand, and the gems' glow instensified. "Come here, ya little varmint." A beam of light erupted from the crystals in the band and formed into a cube that covered the hand. Wesley could feel the acidic skin eat through the construct, so he had to act fast. However, something was very wrong. Wesley suddenly found himself feeling dizzy. "Huh, wha-?" He saw...images of stars? Planets?
"Will, you alright?" Wendell asked, noticing that Wesley was shaking his head and rubbing it.
"Yeah, just a bit...dizzy..." Wesley grunted. "I guess I must be pushing myself a bit too hard." He shook his head. The hell is going on with me? The Texan test pilot wondered to himself. Is it these bands? Are they causing it? A panel on the ship opened.
"The men on the ground won't be enough to kill that monster." Lyle Getz remarked from the bridge. "Send down the Assault Droids." A group of what looked like featureless yellow men wearing only futuristic black jetpacks with armor pieces and blasters built into the armpieces flew out of the panel and started firing on the heroes.
"Aw, dammit." Lance groaned. The creature roared at the droids and fired its acid at them. The Assult Droids were agile creatures, nimbly dodging the guns of the Joes and SHIELD, and the acid spit of the creature.
"What are those things?" Pietro asked Wendell. Unknown to the young agent, Dr. Gilbert Vaughn had made his way back to the battle field. Taking cover behind some boxes, the elder scientist had watched his son, worry on his face.
"I've seen those in SHIELD's files before." Wendell explained. "They're called Assault Droids."
"Essentially robotic footsoldiers." Wesley added. "They're the bulk of AIM's forces. Easier to replace and rebuild than people."
"Wesley, those gems are glowing brighter than ever!" Wendell noted. "I think your power use is causing it." A proud smile could not help but form on Gilbert's face.
That's my boy. So smart...
"It's not like I can't use this power." Wesley countered. "We need every able hand we got to stop AIM and MechaGodzilla over there."
"Will, I think this power is messing you up! If something glows and keeps glowing stronger, it's usually not good."
"It's not like I have much of a choice, pal." Wesley frowned. "Somebody's gotta help stop that monster."
"Leave it to the Joes and SHIELD!"
"I can't just stand by, Wendell." Wesley shook his head. "Not with these bands. I know its risky, but I have to do something! Besides, I'm a test pilot. It's my job to test out stuff like this." He glared at the monster, who was swatting at the heroes and the Assault Droids and scattering them with its acid spit. "Somebody has to try and get that creature to the geothermal plant." Wendell nodded.
"I understand. Good luck."
"I'm gonna need it." Wesley smiled. "Tell the gang to keep the bad guys distracted."
"Will do." Wendell nodded. Wesley took off towards the monster. He expertly dodged and weaved through the fire and attacks of the assault droids.
"Hey, MechaGodzilla!" Wesley taunted. "I got a nice steaming hot lava bath for ya downstairs!" He formed a construct of a fist. "Let me bring ya down to it!"
WHAM!
He decked the monster with the fist across its jaw, only for it to quickly respond with a backhand, knocking Wesley into a wall.
"Wesley!" Lila yelled, nocking an explosive arrow in her laser crossbow. "Get that monster to the core and fry it!" She fired her arrow at the creature, hitting it in the eye. The gimmicked arrow made the eye explode. "Hurry! Don't try to fight this thing! Make it follow you!"
"Right!" Wesley nodded, glancing at the hand. He sighed. "Wish I could help fight, though. Don't seem right to leave these guys to fight those damned beekeepers alone...HNNNN!" Wesley found himself convulsing.
"Wesley!" Cover Girl gasped. "What's happening to you?!"
"Ooh..." Pyro remarked. "He's all glowy." Wesley looked down at his hands. His body felt like it was about to burst with power. The Texan test pilot looked up at the ship. A determined look crossed his face.
"What's happening to that man YEOW!" The lead AIM man demanded, only to barely dodge a stream of acid spit.
"Oh, that's not good..." Xi remarked. Dr. Vaughn gaped.
"My God..." He mumbled. "It looks like some kind of energy overload building up..." Wesley grunted.
"Oh, God..." The Texan mumbled. He could feel it. The energy building up inside of him. He looked at the bands. The bands must be doing this! Is this some kid of side effect? He looked at the ship. His eyes narrowed in determination. I know what an energy buildup can lead to...an explosion. If I'm gonna go out, I'm gonna bring this son of a gun down with me! He flew upwards towards the ship, dropping the hand.
"The hell is he doing?!" Alpine wondered.
"He looks like he's about to explode!" Lance yelped.
"HEY AIM!" Wesley yelled. "HOPE YOU MADE ALL THE PAYMENTS ON THIS SHIP! BECAUSE YOU AIN'T GETTING A REFUND AFTER I'M DONE WITH IT!"
"Oh, God, no!" The lead AIM man yelped. Wesley, his body glowing brighter and brighter, flew towards the AIM ship's engines.
"What?!" Getz yelped as he saw this from the bridge. "Activate the shields and get us out of-!" But it was too late.
BOOM!
The glowing test pilot slammed into the engines, making them go up in a mighty explosion. The ship wobbled in the air as it tried to flee from the facility.
"WESLEY!" The heroes yelped in unison. Light flashed off the golden bands as they fell from the sky. With a clinking noise, the bands hit the ground.
"The bands!" The AIM man yelled. "Get those bands!"
"Like hell you will!" Shipwreck snapped, pointing at the AIM men, only to dodge a stream of the acid spit. "Dammit!"
"Great! Just great!" Pietro groaned. "Tex is dead, and now we have to deal with AIM and a monster!" Wendell glanced at the bands.
Well, well, well! Looks like things are kicking up! What insanity will happen next? Who will get the bands? Will William Wesley's sacrifice be in vain? Can our heroes save the day? Find out in the next chapter! Suggestions needed badly!