The day everything went down south in the Forsaken Valley was one to remember, probably one of the worst days in Niles' military career. Even starting out at age twelve and staying in this fight for eight years long, none of the deaths or atrocities which happened on various fronts could simply compare. It began like no other, starting off as a fresh morning in a fusion-tanged waste. The green sky was temporarily hued to the blazing sun stretching high over the eastern horizon. Its golden rays pierced through the dense canopy of the jungle, casting a warm glow that painted the verdant foliage in hues of emerald and amber. The jungle itself seemed to come alive with the first light of day, as birdsong echoed through the treetops and the gentle rustle of leaves hinted at unseen fusion creatures stirring from their slumber. The jungle sprawled out like an untamed beast, its thick canopy stretching as far as the eye could see, punctuated by ancient trees and tangled vines that intertwined like a living tapestry of geographical beauty.
The soft wisp of flowing water gently spread from the riverbanks, a waterfall quietly crashing down in between some of the rock in its own private little corner. Beside this small riverbank, a wooden bridge had been completely destroyed. Several logs which held the beams and rope in place were the only thing that remained, as charred planks held together by rope dangled idly in the current of the river.

Large craters from powerful blasts showed the history of this area, including the powerful barrages fired off by Mandark's ship. The lanky palm trees which one stood were completely fried and left to fall to ash. The grass and dirt underneath had burned to an earthy crust, turning the forest itself into an obstacle course with how many of these there were. It was easy to get lost in this forest, since the sun fought hard through not only the green sky but also the thick treeline. It would peer through and shine down on glimpses of the grass and exposed spots but leave it to a partial darkness nonetheless.
Planted dead center in the center of the forest was the long, rectangular black remnants of one of Mandark's mightiest military inventions: the ship. The nose had pierced the veil of the ground, its rear end sticking up and towards the sky. The engines in the back had gone out, a large puff of smoke billowing from several exhausts to indicate its damage. Hulking scrapes and deep tears were carved alongside both sides of the ship, including the bottom. With either claws or drills the size of construction equipment, this ship took a heavy beating before it was inevitably pulled down and forced to crash on land. The metal hull groaned and creaked under the strain of its impact, adding a well-known tension in the air. Every now and again, sparks flew from the wreckage, indicating that it was a ticking time bomb that would go off at any moment.

Lying beside one another back to back on the ground were the remaining bots mandark created to serve as soldiers on the ship. They were neatly stacked together like sardines in lines while the ones who were assimilated from the crash were having their metal limbs gathered from the crash sight and destroyed pieces of metal all around. A handful of fusion-infested dinosaurs were calmly stepping onto these robots and hacking up fusion matter from the confines of their stomachs and their lungs. Their puke slowly filled in between the parts like glue, allowing the influence of Fuse to slowly take over and reanimate them to his cause. The process was slow and tedious, each dinosaur working on their own separate pile of units while the others fetched more to construct. However, the long run proved to be beneficial as it was more fire for Lord Fuse to channel. Sick irony was his favorite, and not the robotic kind.
Rested on the top of a mountainside overlooking the entire valley, a tiny camp with a puff of smoke nuzzled comfortably. Three poorly made tents were bundled together around the fire though it had little to no life within it. Despite the two trees which the camp rested underneath in, the wide and open view of the valley was strategically perfect.

A single man sat cross-legged and his arms clasping a black scrunchie in his lap, his eyes closed while listening to the calming sounds of the hillside wind around him. His long black hair flowed elegantly in the wind, the white komoto he wore slightly twisting a certain way. Next to him in the grass was a sheathed katana with a gold and black handle, a pair of sandals on his other side. Despite the unfortunate circumstances around him, he seemed to be at total peace. The loose strands of black hair which tickled his forehead and nose didn't seem to bother him, his mind a bulwark of pure will power.
Samurai Jack was the longest standing warrior positioned in the Forsaken Valley; he alone had been responsible for gatekeeping nearly thousands of Fuse's troops from the Dark Lands as a whole. By the front door to the main foothold of the tyrant's operations, many of the troops sent to either destroy Mandark's ship or cross the seas to the other lands were stopped. He always had prep time, and if he didn't, he still had the command over a robot army to help assist in his fights. Almost notably well known for his one-man fight for the dogs against the drones Aku had sent initially first in the future, the legendary title of 'one man army' still held true to this day. He was unkillable on the battlefield, one of Fuse's most despised enemies during this entire fight. Even getting to be able to slip past a small number of monsters was a victory in Fuse's eyes, as he knew that ninety percent of them would be wiped out by his steel.

Kneeling beside him on one knee was a younger soldier dressed in tattered black and gray agent armor. The sleeves had been ripped off, patches of the clothing and the armor ripped from claws and shots. Both of his black boots were on, though one had a hole in it. In one clasped gloved hand was a black beret, the other holding up binoculars to a tan face. Long and stringy brown hair had been worn down by grease and uncleanliness, resting awkwardly on his shoulder plates. The facial hair was forming a near ginger goatee, showing signs of distress with a lip bite. The view of the dinosaurs slowly infecting the robots brought a sense of fear as he took a deep breath and shook his head.
Lowering the binoculars, his bagged squinty green eyes stared out toward the crash sight. He blinked once before speaking up gruffly, "That thing's about to blow any damn day now. Not to mention," he turned to look back toward the camp. "They're cooking up the bots."

Standing in the middle of the camp, a busted robotic suit stood upright. The torso was a bright red, its arms and legs white while the boots were purely black. The blossom dynamo suit stood upright with a black cape attached to it, blowing softly in the wind. One of the plates was open, being operated on within by a much more disheveled and uncleanly Niles. His greasy hair flowed slightly in the breeze too as he leaned his head to the side a little, his facial hair slightly wisping. "I wonder what it would take to set it off," he sighed. "Blossom would know."
"Will you stop bringing up your girlfriend for five days, Arachnid? You're starting to piss me off."
The man turned to look up and over at him, breathing heavily and pointed his tweezers over at him. "Shut the hell up, and go back to watching like you always do Tex. That's all you're good for anyways."
The man furrowed his brow at his response, standing up and took a long good look at him before approaching.
"And she's not my girlfriend; she's my mentor, clearly something you didn't get in special training ."
The soldier immediately shoved Niles off his armor, causing him to drop his tweezers and a couple of loose wires onto the ground. The suit watched the two of them confront each other in silence, the constantly angry glare on its face prevalent.
"I don't care if she's your girlfriend, your mentor or sister, I'm telling you to shut the hell up about her now!" he demanded, grabbing onto his t-shirt and hoisting him up close with a glare. "Every time we've run into a problem in this forsaken place, you always say 'oh, but she'd do this', 'here's what she would have to say', 'oh that wouldn't work her way'. I DON'T CARE, NILES!"
The agent let go of him aggressively, rolling his shoulders and letting the binoculars strap to the side of his hip before pointing a finger at him. "We ain't superheroes, and she ain't even here! So can it with the super remarks and just drop it! You're such a boot licker-"

WHAM!

Niles fist directly landed into Tex's jaw with a loud smack, causing him to stumble back and fall on his rump. The man glared down at him with a shaky fist and pointed his finger, raising his voice. "Then how come every time she gets something done, it's right?! When we do things around here, it goes to hell almost every time! She usually knows what to do in these scenarios and I'm just following a code of conduct!"
Tex rubbed his jaw, sitting up and glared back up at him. "You're never going to be a superhero, Niles. You're just a soldier, you idiot, and nothing more than that. That's your code."
Niles motioned out with a hand toward the valley, "I don't care, I want to do good things and help people. I talked to one of the best models for that kind of thing anyways and now look where that got me: a suit and some higher ranks."
"What people? Everyone is dead or long gone!" Tex responded coldly.

"ENOUGH!"

Niles and Tex turned to look at Jack, who had now fully stood up and faced the two of them. He had put on his sandals and hooked his scabbard on in the middle of their arguing, his hair flowing in the wind as he continued by himself.
"There is no sense in fighting one another; you not only doom what is at stake but yourselves. Get it together."
There was a moment of silence from the two as they stared at Jack, then picked themselves up. Niles gathered the things he dropped and calmly replaced them back into his suit while Tex stood up and brushed himself off from the impact.

"Fuse is preparing his deadliest attack on us yet in order to find the book. We mustn't let it get into his hands, or else we will know for sure that this war is completely over."

He gestured with a hand to Tex.

"Your information is always insightful and helpful,"

Then he switched it over to Niles.

"and your powerful suit helps give us the extra edge in every combat."

He tapped the butt of his katana with his hand, sighing. "Both of you are important in every aspect for the sake of this mission; all of those who came with you who passed played their own crucial roles too, they will be missed. We cannot forget them and shame their names because we cannot get along, wouldn't you agree?"
Niles closed the little plate opening on his suit and turned to look back at Jack, nodding to him.
Tex crossed his arms, remaining silent and shrugged along.
"I have not had many encounters with superheroes, but I do know this: they fight for others and share an empathy for everyone. Would a hero unfairly lash out on his friends and allies simply because he is frustrated?" Jack asked.
Niles took a moment to respond, "He wouldn't intentionally, no."
"And a soldier: he understands his duty on the battlefield. Would he be wise to talk down to his fellow men and have no faith in them?" He followed up.
Tex let out a long sigh and shook his head, "No, he wouldn't be."
"Then please," Jack gestured with his hands. "Let us get along in these trying times so that we may succeed."

There was a moment of silence as the two begrudgingly stared at one another. In the back of Tex's mind, he still thought Niles was a kiss-up. In the back of Niles' mind, he thought that Tex was stubborn. Regardless, the samurai's words swelled deep within them and they stepped forward. Their hands locked on as they dabbed each other up, pulling each other in for a tight hug while they both looked past each other in their own directions. They held on for just a moment, letting out some of that steam on physically harshness before letting go and stepped back. Their stares remained on each other now less of anger towards one another and more so determination for the next steps ahead.

"Now then," Jack turned to the side and grabbed onto his scrunchie, beginning to tie his hair back up into a bun. "At some point soon, the robot military will be awakened by fusion. They will begin their march through the forests and try to find their way up here. We must try and prolong this fight as much as possible and also set up a radar beacon so that we may call for help. Tex, you will have to look out and find the best possible route we can take. Niles, you will have to set up the beacon and make sure it works. I will do my best to stall in the meantime; this is no major threat." he smiled ambitiously.
The soldier reached over to where he was initially kneeling and picked up a long, high-caliber blue sniper rifle. It had the logo 'dexlabs' engraved in a rugged black on the barrel, as well as a small box of bullets loaded together in disposable magazines. "I got it."
Niles calmly went into his tent and retrieved a pair of pop guns, holstering them in the suit. Lastly came his slasher blade, scrubbed off with a dirty rag which was first stabbed into the ground. He sheathed it on the back of the suit, unfolding the locks and started his climb inside. "Can do!"
When the three finally gathered up together, Tex turned to look at the two of them and started doing some stretches before they took off. "So, how is the radar thing going to work?"
"My guess would be to rip off the one big enough on Mandark's ship, since there's no other tech here anywhere. There's really no source of power, so I'll need to either get a battery from the ship to hook it up to or.. use my helmet." Niles explained simplistically, making a couple of hand gestures with his bulky arms.
The soldier nodded, reaching over and handed the two of them small earpieces. "Here, in case we're a bit too far out. I let them charge overnight, so they should all be good."
"Thank you."
Jack nodded, awkwardly placing it in his ear and tapped it. He wasn't quite the best with technology, yet still did his best to understand it.
Niles easily snapped it in place, switching it on and gave a thumbs up.
"Alright, let's do this!"

Little did the three of them know that it was going be quite a sad end to their reign together.

The charge down the hill and toward Mandark's ship was probably the highest point in that fight, bolstered with confidence. Jack's words had moved Niles in a way that really inspired him, encouraging him to fight his best and be keen in tough situations. It was hard to get that kind of inspiration with the current state of the Future, but with one of earth's best it was hard not to give that up. On the other side of the forest, the robot army slowly began to wake up. The fusion that began to eat through the metallic armor and attach itself together started its near undeath process, manufacturing not only the robots into more creations, but chunks of the ground to go with them as well. One of the deadliest aspects of fusion was the ability to adapt to almost any kind of hard surface, unless it was near completely dead. The liveliest of areas fell to infection first, followed by flat lands and grass until finally it hit something as dead as molten rock.

When the three arrived, they were led immediately into a world of strife.

Samurai Jack flew elegantly into battle with a squat in the air, raising his sword up high and screamed his energy into each swing. Niles had leaped forward on another end with great distance and outstretched his hands to let off an energetic blast. As for Tex, he kept running onward and just took a shot point blank at a creature in front of him. The way he handled snipers was like repeaters: taking a shot and immediately cocking it onto the next one without a second thought. He was a star on the field, unironically remembered as the 'Point-blank Sniper'.

Niles knew he made the mistake of being so mad with him at times.

Chaos ensued once they arrived at the wreckage of Mandark's research ship; both dinosaurs and robots were being mowed down left and right by all three of them. Samurai Jack was the first and the strongest, zig-zagging through near dozens of them and cutting into them. With one slash, he cut a group of three. The next, he cut two more, then finally he managed to squeeze four into one big strike. Both oil and fusion matter completely coated his body, yet he still persisted.
He grit his teeth once he had been surrounded on all sides, jumping into the army by himself and creating a whirlwind of cuts and swirls. He was like a tornado of death, spinning around and taking out each one merely with one take. His katana had precision to it, making it capable of cutting into almost any fusion with ease.

Another three got sliced in half, followed by another two behind him. The sunlight reflected off of his blade and the sparks which flew off of his sword flared a bright white. There was no camaraderie for fusion, only death. The blade of the samurai held no exception for each creature, and it insulted them so much that it didn't even fail its durability when cutting into any of them. It called them green jelly, something spread on toast rather than worthy opponents. Even Aku had the privilege of putting up a fight against this sword; Fuse didn't have the gratification.
Through the midst of the infighting, one of the many dinosaurs landed a lucky hit and dug its claws deep into his back. His cloth had been tattered and stained red in his blood, landing like a tattered flag on the ground underneath him. He let out a yelp in pain before cutting that same dinosaur into three separate pieces; it melted into a puddle underneath his sandals, leaving him to move on to the next one.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the ship, the fighting power Niles had was something never before seen. Less so of a superhero and more of a super soldier, his hand cannons were quite literally guns rather than beams. Explosive blasts, almost grenade launchers, swooped from his hands as he set them off. Robots were being blown to screws and gears, the dinosaurs collapsing with them.
A pterodactyl screeched loudly, soaring from the treeline and grabbed onto Niles armor with its huge talons.

"SCRAWW!"

Niles had been lifted in the air, causing him to thrash and swing himself around aggressively while many of the others tried to flock around him just to get a taste for his armor. His hand loosely reached for one of the pop guns in his holster, though he struggled. The bulky weight of the armor caused him to be a bit of a dead weight as he started to panic, "No, no! Come on, you stupid dino-"

BANG!

The pterodactyl's head slouched over and went stiff, the other ones soared as Niles began to fall.

From the ground, Tex loaded another bullet into the chamber and fired off another one toward the sky.

BANG!

Right underneath him, Niles completed a superhero landing and smashed his fist with all of his heavy weight into one of the mandark bots, causing it to flatten and collapse on the ground before him.
His hands loosely reached for the folds underneath his helmet and pulled it off, taking a breath. He and Tex were nearly completely surrounded on all sides, forced to be together while Jack held his own on the other side.
Oddly, more dinosaurs were starting to arrive than anticipated. Many breeds and species neither of them had seen before were showing up; fusion and fizz frothed at the edges of their twisted mouths as they eagerly waited to tear apart the two of them.
Niles wiped the sweat from his brow and breathed heavily, dropping the helmet to the side and turned to look back up at Tex.
The soldier reloaded his sniper with one of his many magazines and inhaled sharply, clicking his tongue. The creatures were circling them like a pack of hungry wolves, either toying with them or getting them to give in from fear.
"They got us on all sides, Tex." Niles stated flatly. "Are you ready for this?"
Tex grinned, nodding his head and took the strap off of his gun. A small bayonet folded out from underneath the barrel. "I'll see if I get an opening for ya; the radar dish is on the other side of the ship. We can't spend much time here any longer!"

Niles nodded, the two of them reaching for one last desperate dab up as they grabbed onto one another. The anxiety was starting to get to him, his arms and legs shaking aggressively while Tex's hands fidgeted with his gun.
A couple of the dinosaurs let out their own twisted chuckles, slowly making their way forward.
The two soldiers' eyes darted from left to right, a couple more pterodactyls swooping up and slowly closing in on the two of them.
"I got the air if you got the ground," Tex stammered fast, sweat wetting his beard. "Give 'em hell, superboy."
Niles nodded, his hands beginning to charge up as he held them up for a focused blast.
He took one last step, his elbows shaking as he breathed in and out deeply. "I'm not dying here."

PEEEW!

A huge beam of explosive energy crackled from his hands, tearing a massive opening in between the lines of the dinosaurs as they charged from all sides. Tex let out a battlecry and started shooting the pterodactyls down bullet after bullet. His hands started to grow sore and red with how many times he had reloaded it, the barrel of the gun getting so hot that steam billowed from the exhausts.
Niles charged in with zeal and thrusted a fist into a dinosaur, heaving it with all of his might and let out his own roar. He hardened his teeth, his eyes widening and growing bloodshot. The veins in his muscles bulged underneath the armor and his blood pressure went through the roof. Both sweat and tears coated his armored body as he started to take on several of them at once in melee, grabbing onto them in awkward places and ripping out not just chunks of their skin and flesh but important body parts if he had the capacity to. He went almost animalistic.
Tex continued his climb onto the ship and kicked off a dinosaur coming at him, firing at it through the head point blank. He got a lucky shot as a second one fell behind it in pursuit. He spat out some of his struggle spit at one of them, reaching for another magazine and grit his teeth. "You damn animals! I fought spawns stronger than you! Taste my lead!"

BANG!

Another bullet soared through and split open the head of one coming up at Niles before he lifted up and grabbed onto the ankle of another pterodactyl. This time he swung it around like a baseball bat and slammed it down onto the ground in front of him, stomping on it over and over like an overgrown bug until it would move anymore. His entire leg and under boot was covered in more green ooze, his eyes flaring and his beard completely drenched in sweat. He let out a grunt of domination, a sickening laugh escaping him as he fired off another shot loosely at one coming for him, grounding it.

"AAAAAAAHHH!"

Niles channeled his energy into every swing, grabbing onto a dinosaur and punched it in its head over and over again. A strong indent was made with the fist, ooze pussing out from the corners of this dino's eye. It collapsed, the armor over his right arm exploding and coming apart into bits and pieces of metal as another creature got the better of him.
His hand loosely reached for a pop gun and drew it, cocking it point blank and fired one off. The icy blast stunned the creature, causing it to stumble and collapse onto the ground. Niles weakly reached for his slasher blade and drew it out, spinning it one eighty and drilled it into another one coming right for him.
His back armor exploded into bits as one dino completely hammer-headed him in the back, sending him flying and onto the ground.
He shakily stood up, lifting his gun up and unleashed the entire magazine on all of them quickly coming at him. A little bit of trickling blood from biting his lip stained his teeth red as he smiled insanely, watching the row of animals stumble on themselves and collapse.
"Come on.. Come on.." he crazily repeated to himself as he stood back up and didn't even think about his arm or his back.

As two more rhinoceros-equivalent fusions started their way toward him, he met their charge with his own and slid in between the two of them. He mimicked Jack's movements, cutting one in half and started a flurry on the other one in its big fat meat. The dinosaurs exploded into more fusion blood, coating him in a sickly green as he let out a yelp in victory.

Coming from the other end of the ship, Jack's cloak had been tattered and ripped. His hair loosely flew into the wind as he came up at a quick speed, realizing the situation he had put the two boys in. He placed a couple of fingers up to his earpiece and spoke loudly, " Don't worry! I am coming to help! "
Tex aligned his scope down the line and fired off another bullet, putting a mandark bot out of commission while the rest of them began to climb up at him like from a scene of the living dead. He kicked one in the head off, watching it tumble and fall. He placed a finger up to his earpiece and watched Niles slowly lose himself, " Can you afford it, Jack? I think I found the dish and we have an opening. "
With the edge of his rifle, he smacked another one off, grabbing a bot and shot it point black in the chest. Sparks flew all over him, a spray of oil drenching his chest armor.
" Yes! Hold on just a little longer! "

Tex nodded, a second wind falling over him as he made a gesture. " Hey psycho! Go get your radar dish and stop playing hero! "
Niles was caught in a one on one fight with a mandark bot, exchanging swings of their own separate blades with one another. At the mention of the radar, he tried his best to get himself back in action and held a hand cannon up.
The blast sent the mandark bot into a hundred bits, blowing him onto the ground like a bunch of shattered legos. He gave a tired, drowsy nod to Tex and started making his way over. His slasher sword was used as support, helping him climb up onto the ship until a familiar hand grabbed underneath the shoulder of his armor.
Jack smiled, helping the young man up and gave him a pat on the shoulder before getting ready to meet with Tex face to face.
Niles started his dash down the ship, recognizing a small bundle of radar dishes held together. His mind came back from the mindless killing as he sheathed his sword, sliding down the metal with a loud and sparking scrape of steel against steel.
His hands traced across some of the metal, trying to figure out which one was the right one.

SWISH! SWING! SWASH!

Jack's speed was unparalleled. Most of the fusions which were climbing up from the remains of fallen foes and ones coming from the forests had been met with a swift end as Jack was a killing machine. His muscular arms threw his entire weight into one swing, colliding it with five mandark bots which surrounded him on all sides. He grit his teeth, his eyes shut as oil and fusion spewed all over his face and his mouth.
Tex stood there in awe, watching the samurai of history turn this army into nothing more than failed attempts. There was a slight grin on his face, his rifle reaching over and helping assist in the fire by putting one down beside Jack almost immediately. Still, even a bullet wasn't fast enough for katana lightning.

From the opposite end of the ship, more of the mandark bots were starting their descent upward, climbing to reach for Niles as he was welding away one of the parts. He finally managed to pull it off, double tapping his rocket boots and lifted off into the air at a slow speed. One bot tried to leap up and grab onto his ankle yet failed, collapsing onto the ones underneath him.
In the air, Niles soared over toward the beach and felt one of his boots giving out. It started stuttering, giving out as smoke billowed.
"No, no no NO NO NO!"

SMASH!

The man fell with the radar tower into an unknown set of trees off on the edge, dropping the pieces with him.

Back at the ship, Tex reached into his box and pulled out the final magazine. His eyes widened, his red hands now bleeding and chipped from his rapid firing rate. He looked back down at Jack and watched as a couple of dinosaurs got to the better of him, biting at his ankle and arm. Another stabbed its claws into his back, coating his body with fusion matter and blood. Tex shook his head, charging in and rapidly fired all three of them off of him within the span of two seconds.
"Ack!" He threw his thumb around as blood fell onto the ground in front of him, realizing he had cut himself nearly to the bone.
"Thank you!" Jack shouted weakly, making his way forward and rested his weight on his sword. His eyes looked down at Niles helmet, which he had dropped, and picked it up.
There was a look of stagnate worry on Tex's face as he sniffled and rubbed some of the blood off of his hand, "Jack, I hate to admit this, but I don't think we're both gonna make it. Someone's gotta protect Niles."
The samurai looked up, giving a look of serious concern. "Tex, I will get you out of here. There is no time for more sacrifice, there is still an opening!"
The soldier placed a shambling hand on his shoulder and looked him deep in the eyes, "We're surrounded.. on all sides. They're just gonna keep coming; you get over there for me and you stay with Niles, alright? I'm gonna die happy knowing you two are safe and out of the blast radius. Now go dammit! Go on! For earth!"
Jack couldn't think twice about it, realizing the unfortunate circumstance Tex was placing himself in and wrapped an arm around him. He patted him on the back and nodded his head, "It is an honorable sacrifice, warrior. Peace be with you."

The samurai started hopping over some of the rubble, fighting through some of his wounds and his pain onward toward the beach. Tex looked out to the oncoming waves from the Darklands as their little stunt attracted a fraction of the armies of the Darklands alone. He grit his teeth, that fear of death slowly going away as he lifted up his sniper and fired off the closest one. "Alright! This one's for you mom!"
A dinosaur let out a screech as it collapsed onto the ground.
He took a step back, reloading the gun and searched for a way into the remnants of the ship itself. His sights pinpointed a mandark bot and blew it open.
"That one's for you dad!" he teared up, gritting his teeth as his hands shook on the gun.

Jack kept pushing himself through the forests, holding his katana as he started coughing up a little bit of blood. He held himself together, his muscles sagging and falling away as he pushed himself a little too hard. He could feel the burn in his ankles while he didn't stop; his breathing wheezed a little bit, but he didn't have that time. He needed to ensure Niles didn't die in his own unfortunate accident.

Tex fired off another shot, smacking one mandark bot away from him and buried himself further and further into the ship. Like ants to an ant hole, the dinosaurs and the bots started filling the ship with their numbers just to get the chance to maul Tex. The only person in there who was aware of the raw power of this thing was him, coming face to face with the main generator of the ship. He coughed violently a couple times, a laser being shot into his back as he let out a scream in pain.
"ACK!"
He pushed himself onward, stumbling forward as he leaned back and fired off his next to last shot. The bot's head exploded, collapsing onto the ground. Another one quickly came zipping after him, coming onto him face to face. The two locked on, getting into melee with one another as Tex sucker-punched the bot in the head. The monitor glass shattered slightly as it spun out of place, turning into more of a weight for the man.

He finally landed on the glowing hot generator, kneeling down underneath the wires and the plating of the ship. The barrel of the rifle was lodged deeply into the head, Tex weakly looking back up to see the rest of the dinosaurs gnawing and chewing their way through the hull just to get to him. The mandark bot was practically an explosive on its own, preparing to set off this generator if it were to cause a chain reaction. His finger traced against the trigger of the gun as he took one last breath to come to terms with himself. He cleared his dry throat, licking his lips and held his breath. He looked up at the metal ceiling, a tear streaming down his face as he finally exhaled.

"Win the war for me, you guys. Okay?"

Back on the beach, Niles took off his armor and grabbed onto his pop guns, hoisting them up and fired them off in rapid succession at a handful of creatures lunging toward him at full speed. The equivalent of a jaguar pounced and landed on him, causing him to reach for the slasher sword and stab into it when it almost tried to bite into him. He let out a yelp, kicking it over and stood back up within short seconds.

As he squinted his eyes, the outline of Jack made his way into view with the helmet in hand. Niles quickly grabbed onto two magazines and started reloading, looking out to him and shouted. "Jack?! Jack! Where's Tex?"

Samurai Jack's eyes widened immensely as he gestured with a hand to head further toward the beach, running with a slight limp now. A couple of larger birds were flying towards him, causing him to cut them in two with more clean strikes.

"What?!"

Niles started running towards Jack when suddenly..

KER-BO-BO-BOOOOOOOOOM!

The light of the jungle lit up in a violent orange, and the ground shook. All the sound of fighting and firing went deaf as one of the loudest blasts screeched. Jack went flung forward into the air off his feet, followed by Niles getting blasted away off of his feet high beside him. The two spiraled out of control and landed abruptly onto the ground, their legs and arms shaking from the blast as they held onto each other out of desperation.
A massive puff of smoke rose from the ground and the entire area around Mandark's ship turned into charred ash. The near hundreds of fusion monsters within the area had been burned alive, as if sent directly to hell by Tex himself. The trees, the grass, the dirt turned into a nuclear wasteland within sheer generator that collectively grew more and more unstable, combined with the near dozens of nuclear and explosive properties on the ship caused one of the most destructive blasts to have occurred within the Darklands.
The oncoming fusion creatures which were frantically on the hunt for both Jack and Niles let out screeches of shared pain, the hivemind feeling such a devastating blow to their forces and ultimately bringing them to retreat. Many of the mandark bots didn't make it, leaving the fusion dinosaurs to rush back deeper into enemy territory.

Niles grabbed onto his ringing ears and grit his teeth, climbing back up and threw himself onto Jack. The samurai was in a terrible state; rarely within the fight against Fuse did he look so bad: open wounds, a large loss of blood, fusion infesting all over him and a tiredness that could only be gained from fighting so hard.
The two grabbed onto each other and began to shuffle over toward the beach until they both collapsed together.
The young man breathed idly as he looked at his pop gun, checking to see how many bullets he had left and let out a yelp in desperation. "Tex.. he didn't make it did he? Jack?"
Samurai Jack muttered a noise raspily, turning to face him and shook his head no.
He rolled over in the sand and grabbed his head, "Why'd he tell me not to be a hero when he ended up doing that? Why?! Was it for his own sake?"
Jack blinked, reaching a hand and patted Niles on the shoulder. "None of us would have made it if.. he didn't do that.."
Niles sat up, watching him see life escape his eyes as he leaned in a little bit. He put his guns down and crawled in the dirty sand to wrap his arms around him. "Hey, hey Jack. Not you too, no! Hold on just a bit tighter; you're a hero for getting me my helmet back, you know that?" he said frantically. "You're a damn hero, you got us through this thing together! You see? Tex was happy to call you his leader and so am I! Jack, Jack!"

The samurai's movements grew stiff as he grabbed onto Niles, dropping his katana off to the side and fell into him. His head rested in his lap as he looked up at him. "H-Hold me.." he said weakly.
Niles did exactly that, cradling him up and wrapped his arms around him. He didn't care how awkward it was or how dirty it was, his lower lip quivered as the corners of his eyes watered. The faint orange glow of the massive fire in the center of the Forsaken Valley reflected off of his eyes. "I'm gonna set up the distress beacon a-and get you out of here; I need you to stay with me. Come on.."
Jack's hand slipped into his komoto, pulling out a small leatherback school journal as he held it up. His hand shook, even the sheer weight of a light book like this giving him trouble, "T-Take the book."
His fingers wrapped around his over the book as he took it, his thighs shaking as well as his arm from pushing himself as he breathed heavily. Jack acknowledged this, patting Niles a couple times before turning to look back out to the fire. "Let us rest.. for a.. while.."

They did wait; they waited a little while. It was a very long time before either of them bothered to get up and do anything; that short burst of energy just to get a little bit done resulted in so much energy they had saved up being used.

The rising sun and hue of the orange sky was the exact same as the raging fire Niles stared out at now in the Past. Perched atop the roof of a quaint suburban house in Pokey Oaks North, Niles sat in quiet contemplation, his gaze fixed on the horizon where the morning sun painted the sky in shades of soft pink and blue. The gentle rays of sunlight bathed the neighborhood in a warm glow, casting long shadows that stretched across the manicured lawns and quiet streets. His eyes were slightly lowered as the memory of that mission replayed freshly in his head; the color orange didn't help either, he kind of despised it. Much like how it was bright green, he hated that shade of green. As he awaited Buttercup's arrival for their training session, he took a moment to breathe in the peaceful atmosphere of the suburban setting. The familiar sights and sounds of everyday life surrounded him—the chirping of birds, the rustle of leaves in the gentle breeze, and the distant hum of activity as the neighborhood slowly awakened to a new day.
He was dressed in a white t-shirt, gym shorts and running shoes, a towel resting around his shoulders while a large jug of water was balanced beside him.
Closing his eyes, Niles focused on regulating his breathing, letting the soothing rhythm of inhales and exhales anchor him in the present moment. The cool breeze ruffled his hair, carrying with it a sense of freshness and renewal that he desperately needed after the mental and physical exertion of recent events.

The rooftop offered a sanctuary of sorts, a peaceful retreat where he could find a moment of solace amidst the chaos of his dual life. The distant city skyline shimmered in the morning light, a reminder of the wider world beyond the suburban tranquility, beckoning with both challenges and possibilities. As the minutes passed, Niles felt a sense of calm settle over him, the weight of his burdens easing slightly as he embraced the serenity of the sunrise. He knew that Buttercup's arrival would signal the start of another day filled with training and preparation, but for now, he allowed himself this brief respite to mentally recharge and recollect himself before diving back into the fray.

A bright green blip formed in the sky, then a sudden shout got him out of his deep meditation. He calmly sat up and rubbed his eyes, grabbing his water bottle and slid off the roof. His landing was harsh, yet he stuck with it and stood back up straight.
Buttercup stood at the bottom on the front walk waiting for him, her hands on her hips while she struck a pose. Due to today's hot temperatures, she had lightly dressed in a black sports bra, some black gym shorts and a pair of running shoes just to go with her style. She wore them in a way which brought out both her muscles and curves, really showing off her athletic physique. Her hair had been tied in the back in a bun, since it was starting to grow out a little longer, and a fashionable set of orange-tinted glasses rested on her face. She also brought a water bottle she carried, including a small pouch with some basic needs and had a wide smile on her face.

"Morning dork."

Niles grabbed onto his towel and took a couple of steps forward, not saying anything at first as he was too stunned to. A slight grin formed on his face as he waved a little bit, "Morning to you too, powerpuff."
"So, you still wanna be a hero huh?" she asked, eyeing him up and down and stretched her arms and legs a little bit. "If you think you aren't cut out for our kind of work, or you think you'll fail, it's better to quit before you even start."
The man blinked, "What? That sounds awful. No way."
"Good, you've got the right idea. I was worried you wouldn't." she said seriously, gesturing for him to start walking and promptly joined him on the sidewalk.
The two of them together started going toward a specific direction. Niles had no idea, following along with her in silence and stuffed a hand in one of his pockets. He looked out toward the view of the suburbs, watching regular people go about their daily lives. Despite being forced to live in a world-ending experience like this, there was still a slice of normality in it all.
"So why do you wanna do this thing, Niles? What makes you, an average recruit, special enough to take on big threats which threaten the lives of hundreds?" she blinked, as if her personality had switched.
It took him a moment while they walked, feeling the little knife twist about being a recruit to his ego. Did she not know he lived to see the near end of this whole war? Did his spiel the other day about knowing tactics not mean anything?
"I've seen many die; some of them I could've saved, others not so much." he answered, clutching his fist. "I don't want to be just some other soldier, I want to make a difference in the world."
Buttercup nodded, turning to look at him with a judgmental stare and bit her lower lip just to get a read on him. "Mhm."
"You guys know how to do just that, which is why I asked."
It took her a moment to process a response while they walked, coming closer toward an open park nestled comfortably in Pokey Oaks before she nodded. "Well, to be a superhero, you've gotta have some kind of special power or ability which makes you unique. In this case, you have.."
"The suit."
"The suit, right. Well, admittedly you're a special case. I don't think determination is a superpower, no matter how many times it's come in handy for me." she poked a thumb against her breast and chuckled a bit. "Well in any case, whenever you get your suit back we can run some exercises and I'll teach you some of the basics about being a hero. Something to note is that it takes a lot of quick-thinking; you won't be able to rely on anyone else unless you've got a team. Thankfully my sisters and I work together pretty well, so I don't have to worry about that. Niles, I take it you think pretty highly of yourself don't you?"
He was taken aback a little bit by the question, causing him not to answer right away. He quietly replied, "I've lived through a lot of battles and seen a lot of stuff. As a soldier of the future, I'd think so, yes."

Buttercup retorted with a raised finger, "The only time you can get away with that is fighting fusion; otherwise, your team's gonna be mad at you for wanting to take all the credit and think lowly of them. The point is to help others, not heighten yourself to extreme standards."
He nodded in acknowledgement, "I understand that; I've been with several teams before, some good and some bad."
"Then you know a superhero team really isn't that different from a squadron; it's just the scenario that's different." She smiled. "You got that?"
Niles nodded, interpreting it in a way that he was able to understand. "Yeah, I get it. You guys just.. make it look so different."
"It's really not," she replied cheerfully. "So something to note is that I wanna get a feel for how athletic you really are; you may not have any super strength, or super speed or endurance.. but being in your best shape is the next best thing. If I know you're in good shape to start, we can move on to the basic training."
This whole process sounded like a slow and painful one; still, getting to even spend time with Buttercup was a miracle in disguise to the man. He contemplated how much effort he could put in just to prove her wrong. Today was going to be another test; how many days in the past did he spend now giving it his all and almost nearly passing out?

The two started next to a tennis court in a large park, overlooking the open area. With how early in the morning it was, only the few morning risers were going about their strolls and committing to their startup rituals. It was mostly just the two of them alone together, making this process much more personal.
"Alright, let me see your physique. Do you work out often?" Buttercup set her stuff down and crossed her arms.
The man quickly rolled up his shirt sleeves and dropped his towel on his little water jug; he flexed his arms and legs, showing off a good bit of muscle on his end. He was average weight given his height, his muscles well developed and built solely on pre-cooked meals as of recently. No matter how much he loathed the flavor or the repetition, the protein-packed kits really did a number on him physically. "I haven't recently, though it was required when I was younger to almost every day."
There was a nod in acknowledgment as she eyed him carefully, "Good form, we like to see it." She snickered a bit and then looked up at him. "How's your endurance?"
"It's pretty good," he replied confidently, folding his sleeves back down and crossing his arms. "It also depends on what I'm doing, though."
Buttercup ordered for the two of them to do some warmups first and finally took off her sunglasses, "Alright, so here's the plan for today. This morning, we're gonna see what you're made of. I'm gonna try and see if I can break you." she smirked ambitiously. "With a few breaks here and there, specifically after lunch, we'll try some other exercises and techniques but specifically there's one I really want to see you do. I hated doing this as a kid and still kind of do to this day, so seeing how you fare with it will be an interesting insight to me."
Niles pulled his arms back, breathing in and out deeply and nodded. "Alright, well show me what you've got for me."
"You ready?"
Niles nodded, "Ready as I'll ever be, Utonium."

Under the morning sun, Buttercup took on the role of a relentless coach as she drilled Niles through a series of physical exercises designed to test his strength, endurance, and agility. The park became their training ground, with open spaces and pathways providing ample room for their workout regimen. Starting with brisk warm-up laps around the park, Buttercup set a fast pace, pushing the man to keep up as they weaved through trees and dodged obstacles along the way. Her competitive spirit and determination were evident in every stride, and Niles matched her intensity, his ambition shining through despite the physical exertion.

After the warm-up, they transitioned into a series of calisthenics and bodyweight exercises, from push-ups and squats to burpees and planks. The powerpuff girl led by example, demonstrating proper form and technique as she encouraged the iron warrior to push his limits. Her coaching style was firm but supportive, offering pointers and motivation to help him improve. As they moved through the exercises, the sun beat down overhead, casting dappled patterns of light and shadow through the leaves of the surrounding trees. The rhythmic sound of their breathing and the occasional grunt of exertion filled the air, punctuated by her instructions and words of encouragement.

Despite Niles' impressive physical capabilities, Buttercup knew how to push him just beyond his comfort zone, challenging him to dig deep and find that extra reserve of strength and endurance. She also made sure to pace the exercises, allowing for short breaks and hydration to prevent exhaustion and injury. Surprisingly so far, he managed to hold his own, a feat which she didn't expect. He had his slip ups here and there, though for the most part showed his commitment.

As the session progressed, Niles felt the burn of exertion in his muscles, a testament to the intensity of their workout. Buttercup's own stamina and resilience served as a constant motivator, showing Niles what it truly meant to push oneself to the limit while maintaining focus and determination. She was a living fountain of energy: a constant stream of one way of living while Niles' was finite.

As the noon sun hit down hard on the two of them, the two sat down on a bench somewhere close by to take a break and fully utilized this moment to relax. The challenging workouts left both of their bodies buzzing with energy, warm glows over their own worked faces after sharing the past few hours together.
Niles hunched over with his elbows on his knees, breathing in and out slowly while hot spit filled the corners of his mouth. Buttercup let the cool day breeze wash over the two of them, sitting up straight with an unbreakable confidence.
"Well I gotta say, not bad." she replied, taking a drink of water and looked down at him. "You did a lot better than I thought you would. We can take a lunch break."
His towel glided across his moist skin as he dried himself off quickly. Deep down he relished in the idea of getting food, though would never openly admit it otherwise. The rush and the adrenaline instinctually had him alert for any threats again, somewhat of a warrior's paranoia. Still he didn't move, taking in her words and smiled weakly, "Great. Maybe I could grab something at a restaurant nearby."
The powerpuff girl nodded, getting up and doing a little one eighty stretch. "I could pull you over to a couple of places nearby; there's a great burger joint actually. Do you need something?"
"No I-"

Out of the corner of their vision, the two of them looked up and witnessed a streaking star in the sky. Even past the bright blue sky with the sun brilliantly shining, this streak quickly flung itself with a blazing green trail behind it. Buttercup bit her lower lip and watched it fall toward the south, Niles squinting with a hand over his head as it trailed by.
A couple of S.C.A.M.P. were immediately hot on its trail, following down the path in pursuit across the park.
"Huh, I wonder what that could be?" The powerpuff girl asked, rubbing the back of her neck.
Niles glared past the sun, "Looks like a comet, probably some guck from Planet Fusion."
Buttercup rubbed her chin, "Landing this close to the sector?"

Crash!

Faintly, in the distance, the shock from the impact of the blast echoed across the suburbs. The ground shook slightly, causing them both to face that direction. It was south, a lot closer than what the two of them anticipated.
Buttercup expressed a sensitive look as she turned toward Niles, "Hey, depending on what happens for the rest of the day, I may be called to go check that out. We'll have to put your little hero marathon on hold."
"That's alright," Niles sighed. "You should do what you need to do."
She waved a hand, "We can still grab some grub, though! I'll pay: see it as a treat for your hard work today."
"No no," he smiled awkwardly and waved a hand. "If anything, allow me. You took the time out of your day to train me."
She shook her head, "No, that wouldn't be fair. Let me and don't argue about it, dork."
"Okay, I have an idea." Niles offered.
"Would that be me paying?" she snickered as she started walking.
Niles scooped up his stuff and followed behind slowly, holding his back and shook his head. "I'll pay for yours if you pay for mine."
"Deal!"
The two shook hands on it before letting go. She made a face, "Oh, I didn't expect your hand to be so.. clammy."
"I didn't expect yours to be so.. tough." he also commented, chuckling. "Do you box?"
"Yes! I love boxing!" She had a wide toothy smile. "I could go in a ring for hours and never get tired! Throw me the world champ!"
Niles chuckled a little bit, "So you've got a pretty good right hook?"
"You better believe I do," she held a hand up and leaned in close, clutching it into a fist. " Don't get on my bad side, Niles Arachnid ."
He held his hands up, his towel slightly drifting in the breeze as he laughed a little more. "O-Okay! I'll remember that."
She exchanged a smile with him, giggling a bit and nodded. "Good to know we're on the same page."

A few minutes later the two found a cozy little burger joint nearby with a handful of citizens who were calmly getting lunch. When the two arrived, Buttercup was harassed by a couple of them about photos. Niles went ahead and decided to order their food for them; something internally wasn't disturbed about the fact that she had been pulled aside for photos. If anything, it made him happy. A smile crept on his face as he watched her be so open and talk with them. It was enough to pull the heartstrings, getting to see so many people who were alive again want mundane pictures like that. Even if they didn't get pictures, he thought she was a bombshell. She put in good effort to take care of herself, something he really admired about her.
Now with the idea of being older in the past, there would be no awkward age gap or any worry about the lack of confidence. The fact that he nearly died several times changed that.
As he took a seat on one of the benches sitting outside, he took a drink from his water bottle and watched her sit down beside him. "So, you ordered what I wanted?"
He nodded, folding his arms over the table and leaned in. "I got you covered."
"Good good," she grinned, placing her arms on the table much like him. "So let's review. You've got a great physique and can take on a decent bit; there's a small fraction left to improve but you're almost at your limit. Now I think I just need to see what that suit does.."
"You're about to find out the moment we get that to fight." Niles teased.
She smirked, "Am I now? You still think you can beat me?"
"I won't make your win easy, that's for sure." he chuckled.
There was a little bit of excitement building up from within; most people who talked about fights with her were egotistical, never playful and always thought lowly of her. The way he put it was the way she exactly wanted, shifting her weight in anticipation in the seat. "Ah I can't wait for it; I'll partially hold back just so I don't kill ya, but that suit will get crushed like a tin can."
"Whatever you say."
When the two of them got their food, a pair of foil-wrapped burgers with little sides of fries gently smoked in the breeze. They were hot and fresh, eager to be eaten. Niles licked his lips and slowly unfolded his food, looking down at it. It had been a long time since he had the luxury of eating a cheeseburger, several years too long.
When Buttercup reached out and prepared to take a huge chunk out of hers, a small beeping sound emerged from the back of her ear.
He stopped abruptly, looking up at her as there was a look of disappointment on her face.
She pressed a finger up against the back of her ear and spoke out, "Lay it on me."

There was a moment of silence as Niles took a small bite, watching her closely. She occasionally darted her eyes over to him and let go, "I was right, duty calls unfortunately."
"Alright, well I won't hold you up."
She calmly but quickly got up and started gathering her things. "It was good getting to actually meet you Niles; you seem like a good fit for this sort of gig," she looked into his eyes with a smile. "I've got a feeling."
"Do you know when we'll be meeting up next?" he asked hopefully as he grinned back. It was a sweet grin.
She took a bite of a fry and shook her head, scratching the back of it a little. "Mmm.. I'm not really so sure. We definitely will though, soon."

She started walking away toward where the comet landed, though stopped. The sunglasses were lowered, followed by a wink when she turned to look slightly back at him. "See you around, Niles~"

There was a pep in her step, her hips swaying slightly left and right while her shoulders stood tall. Moments later, she blipped and zoomed off into the sky, leaving a trail of green in her wake.

Niles watched her go, not saying much of a word and bit his tongue with a sigh. A hand grasped onto the towel over his shoulders, followed by a slight whistle as his face turned red. "Man, isn't she something.."