HE-MAN and the MASTERS of the UNIVERSE: REVELATIONS

EPISODE 3:
SEARCH FOR SUBTERNIA

VOICE TALENT:
Laura Bailey as Teela
Tiffany Smith as Andra
Lena Headey as Evil-Lyn
Brian Drummond as Stinkor
April Winchell as Scorpia
Kevin Michael Richardson as Cringer
Jim Cummings as Beast Man
Nolan North as Trap-Jaw
Paul Dobson as Tri-Klops
Christopher McCulloch as Skeletor (flashback)
Phil LaMarr as Mer-Man
Ron Perlman as Duncan
Bob Bergen as Orko
Travis Willingham as He-Man (flashback)
Greg Berger as Roboto

(FLASHBACK)

Today was NOT a good day for He-Man and Teela. They had been apprehended by Skeletor, Evil-Lyn, and a squadron of fish-men in the midst of the Crystal Sea.

"I knew you were repugnant, Skeletor," remarked He-Man. "But now you're resorting to piracy? Even for you, that's a new low!"

Skeletor flexed his blue fingers as he gazed at his nemesis. "You don't know how low I will go, He-Man," he responded. "If there's a point in Eternia that is known as the lowest, I will always go lower!"

"And to think we couldn't have done it without a little help from Mer-Man," smirked Evil-Lyn as the warlord of water stepped forth. "And of course, magical handcuffs to keep you from breaking loose."

"Made from corodite," Mer-Man commented. "Same material as that fancy harness of yours."

"So, He-Man, those great, gorgeous muscles of yours are totally useless!" Evil-Lyn chuckled wickedly. [In hindsight, I know I used the line already, but it's too good a line to pass up using]

"When the brine fills your lungs, and you've taken your final breath," Mer-Man gurgled. "Know that it shall be the malevolent Mer-Man who pries the Sword of Power from your lifeless hands." He gestured forth. "SUBMERGE THEM!"

The two Fish-men took He-Man and Teela and leapt over the side of the boat, diving into the water.

"I'd look forward to our next battle," called Skeletor. "...BUT I WON'T HOLD MY BREATH!" he finished with a malevolent cackle.

Underwater, He-Man and Teela struggled to break free from their fishy fiends' grasps...before a laser blast hit one of them and knocked them aside.

Coming to the rescue was none other than Man-at-Arms! To say our heroes were glad to see him was nothing short of an understatement.

He fired a blast at the fishman, blinding him long enough for Teela to break free and punch one of the fishmen away.

Firing another blast to break the cuffs allowed He-Man to get free.

"I do believe you have bigger fish to fry," smirked Man-at-Arms underneath his breathing mask.

With a nod and a smile, He-Man crouched down, and sprang through the water, bursting free!

"Such a shame he had to go so soon," Skeletor remarked, glancing into the water. "...ah, well. Who could say no to a brand-new royal schooner?"

Before he could say anything else, He-Man landed on the deck. "Didn't your mother ever teach you it's rude to take things that aren't yours, bone-face?" he asked.

Immediately, a second confrontation broke out aboard the ship, with Teela taking on Evil-Lyn, Man-at-Arms dealing with Mer-Man, and He-Man taking a fishman and heaving it at Skeletor, knocking him off his feet and over the deck.

"Blast you, you miserable muscle-bound do-gooder!" scowled the skull-faced fiend as he angrily kicked his feet in the water.

"Looks like your scheme is all washed up, Skeletor," declared He-Man proudly, brushing his hands off.

(END FLASHBACK)

Andra snickered. "He actually said that?" she asked. "Heh...that's so cheesy!"

Teela smiled, feeling wistful. "Yeah, I guess," she replied. "But in a way, they were part of his charm. That's just how you knew everything would turn out okay."

Evil-Lyn rolled her eyes. "You call it charm; either way, those lines were some of the silliest things I ever heard," she remarked.

"They were funny, sorta," shrugged Stinkor.

"He-Man was a glorified goody-goody," scoffed Evil-Lyn. "The true threat was Man-at-Arms."

"Gotta meet the guy behind THAT gear," Andra smiled.

Evil-Lyn smirked. "Ah, the folly of youth," she remarked. "I, too, was intrigued by dangerous men when I was your age."

"So is that why you joined up with Skeletor?" retorted Andra.

"I'll tell you what I told your friend two years ago," replied Evil-Lyn. "I have NO loyalty to Skeletor—it's his POWER I want."

[We're not just blowing smoke, He-Fans: this line was uttered in the classic episode, "The Witch and the Warrior", penned by Paul Dini—you know, one of the two guys responsible for the existence of Harley Quinn and the success of the DCAU.]

"Considering how often you hung around him, you must have really wanted his power," Teela smirked.

Andra and Cringer chuckled at that, while Evil-Lyn rolled her eyes.

MEANWHILE, IN A NEARBY VILLAGE...

A cloaked man was procuring some unusual water from a nearby spout. Once he got it, he went on his way, and let the next person in line, an elderly man, take his turn.

But once the elderly man procured his water, he tripped over a rock and fell over, causing him to lose his grasp on the cup, thus resulting in the water spilling out. Once the water touched the ground, in its wake some tiny plants sprouted.

The other people in line didn't take too kindly to this. "Stupid old cripple!" one of them scowled. "There's only so much magic to go around, and you spill an entire cup of some of the ONLY enchanted water left in Eternia?!"

As he strode up to the old man, he felt someone tap his shoulder. Turning around, he saw that behind him was the cloaked man, who easily tossed him backwards like a ragdoll.

As the cloaked man helped the elderly man up, he heard a rumbling in the distance. He slowly turned towards the rumbling, the light reflecting against his eyes as they peaked out from the cloak. The others began to turn towards the rumbling noise as well, growing confused.

Turns out the rumbling was coming from a squadron of Rotons, which were being led by Tri-Klops and Trap-Jaw.

"HALT THE HERETICS!" roared Tri-Klops. "Motherboard demands a sacrifice be made of their fetid flesh!"

At that, multiple cultists rushed forward and started grabbing civilians.

"Magic is DEAD!" boomed Trap-Jaw as he aimed a large blaster mounted atop his vehicle. "Long live the Holy Sprocket!"

The cloaked man tackled the old man out of the way, right as the blaster went off, leaving a massive hole in a nearby wall. He turned and shot a vicious gaze towards Trap-Jaw, enraged by the actions of him and his cult.

The cloaked figure stood up, pointing at Trap-Jaw. "STOP RIGHT THERE!"

"Who DARES?!" spat Tri-Klops.

The figure removed their cloak, revealing themselves to be...DUNCAN! The former Man-at-Arms himself.

"I don't know who you are, but you're gonna PAY!" Trap-Jaw snarled as he aimed the quartz cannon. But before he could fire, his Quartz Cannon malfunctioned and shut down.

"What the—dammit!" Trap-Jaw scowled as he started beating against the control panel. "Come on, work, you stupid thing! Work!"

From beneath the Quartz Cannon crawled Andra, her face streaked with grease. "I got it!" she laughed.

"You're that little wretch!" hissed Tri-Klops. But before he could retaliate, he was blasted away by Evil-Lyn, who suddenly revealed herself from the cloaking spell she'd been using.

Duncan was very surprised to see one of his old enemies fighting against their former compatriot. And his shock grew as he saw Teela running forward with Cringer beside her!

"...I don't believe it..." he muttered. Teela, along with Stinkor and Scorpia, were actually battling together!

Teela climbed up the Roton and punched Trap-Jaw square in —well, his jaw! The metal-mouthed menace was sent flying and landed on his back.

Before he could get up, Scorpia grabbed him by the legs and threw him onto a nearby wall.

As one of the cultists shot out cables to subdue Teela, Duncan leapt into the path, snagged the cables around his wrist, and yanked the techno-cultist towards him, before using his left fist to deliver a fierce punch that knocked him right on his bottom.

"Whoa, thanks!" Teela said before she got a second look at her savior. "...Father?!"

Duncan gave a small smile. "Hi, sweetie," he greeted. "It's been so long!"

Suddenly, the other cultists shot forth cables and wrapped them around Teela, Scorpia, Duncan, Evil-Lyn, and Andra, trapping them.

Tri-Klops disembarked his vehicle and strode towards Evil-Lyn, looking particularly smug. "Time to merge with Motherboard," he declared.

Before any further actions could be taken, there came an animalistic growl which seemed to echo around them, followed by the sounds of footsteps pounding against the ground.

As one of the techno-cultists whirred around, he was suddenly lifted into the air by—BEAST MAN! This, of course, freed Andra.

He carried a large, spike-covered tetsubo on his back, and wore a blood-red pelt atop his head and shoulders. [We based this look on his design in the New Eternia toyline.]

With a guttural growl, he tossed the cultist into another, freeing Teela and Duncan from their grips.

Charging like a gorilla, he rammed into another techno-cultist, freeing Evil-Lyn, and tackling Tri-Klops.

"Beast Man," remarked Tri-Klops. "What brings you slinking out of the jungles?"

"Simply thought I should come lend a hand," said Beast Man. "...but not to you."

"Figures," scoffed Tri-Klops. "I don't suppose you're helping Eternia's stooges over there?"

"Their interests simply align with my own," retorted Beast Man. "Now BEGONE! Or else I'll MAKE you leave. And I won't be as nice."

Tri-Klops' visor squinted. "A pity that we can't see eye to eye," he commented.

And so, he recalled his forces and left the area.

"I'm impressed," said Teela to Duncan. "You handled yourself well when you defended that old man."

"Being an old man is a subject I know a few things about," replied Duncan. "But, for what it's worth, I have missed you greatly, daughter."

"Now that the reunion is done, let's get to the point," said Evil-Lyn. "We need you to reforge the Sword of Power."

"I'd like to help; truly, I would," said Duncan. "But I've got a pressing matter to attend to. If I don't get this cup back home...I'll lose another friend."

AND SO…

Everyone followed Duncan home to the hut he was living in. "I've returned, my friend!" the weapons master called.

From the bed covers inside, a small, sickly voice called. "...Duncan? Is that you...?" His clothes were tattered, and barely held together...but anyone with working eyes could recognize the form of Orko.

Teela put her hands to her mouth. "...Orko!" she gasped.

"Teela? Is it really you? Aren't you a sight for these sore Trollan eyes," Orko gave a weary smile underneath his torn scarf.

"It's great to see you, too!" the blonde warrioress replied. "But what happened?"

"Yeah, you look really sick," commented Andra.

Orko cleared his throat. "Not too sick for a little of the old magic!" he responded, wriggling his fingers.

This room's too dark, and that's no fun.

So fill it with a little sun!

In the middle of his hands, a tiny golden sun took form, and as he opened his hands, it floated up…only to turn into rain clouds, which rumbled as they poured down on him.

"I'm…I'm sorry, Teela," he sighed. "I guess I am feeling a little sick. And to think, I made all that progress, too."

"Please, Orko! Just save your strength." Teela urged.

"That reminds me—I brought this for you," said Duncan as he handed over the mystic water. Orko took the cup and drank gingerly from it.

"What could've done this?" asked Teela.

"Since there's no magic left in Eternia, all the mages like myself and the little clown have been hit the hardest," explained Evil-Lyn.

"Jester—not clown..." Orko corrected. "...but then again, I'm not even THAT anymore. Queen Marlena sent me away...she said it was out of concern, but I know why—me hanging around was like a constant reminder of what had been lost...their son."

"Well, there's no need to worry," Teela reassured the little magician. "You're among friends." She then gave the little guy an affectionate hug.

"I still miss him, Teela," said Orko. "Every day since then, I've tried to keep my spirits up…but I always think I could have done something—that I should have done something to help."

"Me too, Orko…" Teela said with a sniffle as she wiped a single tear from her eyes. "Me too!"

Evil-Lyn glanced over, and then away.

"Although…there MAY be a way to rectify what happened," said Duncan.

Orko raised a brow. "...what do you mean?" he asked.

"We're going to reforge the Sword...and we're going to Subternia: the realm of the dead," explained Teela.

"Then I'm coming with you," said Orko.

"You can't be serious," said Evil-Lyn. "You're practically half-dead!"

"Then maybe I can go down knowing I did something meaningful with my last moments," replied Orko.

"Orko, it isn't safe," warned Teela. "I appreciate your intent, but you should sit this one out."

"And what—go back to bed, and wait for death?" Orko replied. "I don't think so! I might not be as frisky as I used to be, but I can still make quite a bother for the bad guys! So I'm going with you, and that is that!"

Teela's lips curled into a smile. Even after so long, the little Trollan knew how to put his foot down.

"Alright, Orko, I give," she relented. "But even if you DO come along, only Duncan knows how to reforge the Sword of Power."

"Well, I wouldn't say that," said a mechanical voice, getting everyone's attention.

"Wait! I know that voice!" Teela observed. "Is that you, Roboto?"

"Teela, was it?" said the android calmly as he entered the room. "It is...nice to see you again."

"How'd you get here?" Teela inquired.

"Roboto needed a place to stay," explained Duncan. "So I let him, and he became like a son to me."

"Ah, that's really sweet!" said Andra.

"But what guarantees that he can reforge the sword?" inquired Evil-Lyn.

"The fact that he has my memories stored within his data banks," explained Duncan. "It has been a while."

"In that case, that suits me just fine," Teela replied. She then turned to Cringer. "And that means you'll have to take Duncan to Grayskull," she added.

"Huh? What for?" asked Cringer.

"Think about it," replied Teela. "If Tri-Klops and his technocult are so adamant on tearing down magical totems, how long before they target the Sorceress? She's not exactly at full strength."

"Oh, no! That won't happen on my watch!" Duncan proclaimed with a clenched fist.

"Same here!" Cringer agreed. "We'll do what we can to protect her."

And so, after seeing Duncan and Cringer off, the rest of the group boarded a Hover Skiff and headed out on the Crystal Sea.

"...it must really bring you some sort of twisted joy, you know," said Teela.

"What?" asked Evil-Lyn as she removed her helmet, revealing her shoulder-length white hair.

"Seeing Orko like this," Teela remarked. "Practically half-dead, clinging to life with both hands. You spent so much time belittling him and his skills, and now he's on the verge of death."

"To be perfectly honest, no," the enchantress admitted. "It brought me no joy seeing him so weak."

Teela sniffed lightly. "Now there's a surprise," she replied.

Evil-Lyn glanced off as the wind blew through her hair.

"...so, what made someone like you join a crusade for good?" inquired Teela.

"Desperation, mostly," replied Evil-Lyn. "Besides...I could raid Skeletor's stockpile of magical tomes...but what good would that do if the universe is going to die? I wouldn't exactly be able to enjoy the power for very long."

"Well, that's a fair point." the blonde warrioress said with a nod. "Still, I don't exactly trust you. Especially after what you've done in the past."

Evil-Lyn nodded. "You'd be a fool to do so," she responded. "This journey is purely out of necessity, and changes nothing between the both of us."

"Days like this, you don't think you're gonna remember," said Orko as he gazed out across the bow at the seemingly endless Crystal Sea.

"I dunno, little dude," said Andra, gesturing to the crystal formations. "This feels pretty memorable."

"Yeah...you'd think so," said Orko. "But just look at me. I've been on plenty of adventures, spent years battling alongside some of Eternia's best warriors...and most of them tend to blend together after a while. Now I forget more than I remember."

Andra gave him a curious glance.

"That's why the best thing you can do is keep a journal," said Orko. "Write down everything you've ever done in it...even the really big screw-ups. Because when it's all over...all you'll have left are good friends and happy memories."

"I'll keep that in mind, Orko," Andra responded after a few seconds.

Suddenly, there came a big explosion from the side, and the Skiff came to a halt.

"What just happened?" asked Scorpia.

"To put it simply?" said Teela. "We're dead in the water, and we've got company."

Within seconds, several Aquaticans leapt from the deep, standing guard around the group, carrying spears. And at the front of the ship emerged Mer-Man. Only now, he had a scar across one eye, and one across his chest. Keep in mind, he still had BOTH eyes, just one with a scar over it.

"Hmm…look what's come into my net," he snickered.

"Release us at once, Mer-Man!" demanded Evil-Lyn.

"You're in no position to be giving orders," snickered Mer-Man. "And I'm not taking any orders... especially not from YOU!"

"You traitorous trout!" hissed Evil-Lyn. "We were colleagues who fought side-by-side with Skeletor!"

"And you think that matters?!" Mer-Man bellowed.

"Huh! I guess there's just no honor among villains." Teela said with a shrug.

"You can either let us go," snarled Beast Man. "Or we can hold a little fish fry, with you as the guest of honor."

"I think NOT!" Mer-Man spat. "Like I said, none of you are in control here! Now I can REALLY seize power now that I'm not being bossed around by that boneheaded twit! The prince of the seas shall claim his throne, and expand his empire!"

"If we don't stop the planet from dying, there won't be an empire for you to rule over!" Orko exclaimed.

"Be silent, oaf!" Mer-Man hissed. "Aquaticans! Submerge the land-breathers!"

And with that command under their belts, the fish-people began to advance upon the group, brandishing their hooked spears. As they did, Roboto noticed something approaching in the distance, and getting closer quickly. Suddenly, a grappling hook fired onto the side of the ship, and up came Duncan, helmet and all!

"Eliminate him!" roared Mer-Man. And the Aquaticans attacked, but Duncan fought them off, one-by-one.

Beast Man grabbed one, hoisted it over his head, and slammed it down on the deck. "You gotta tenderize the meat before you cook it!" he smirked.

Teela extended her staff onto one of the foot soldier's feet, causing him to recoil, yelping in pain all the while. As he clutched his bruised flipper, he was caught off-guard by Scorpia's tail, which stung him and made him fall over, paralyzed.

"Take a load off, pal." she said.

As Duncan watched his allies battling the Aquaticans, he suddenly overheard a wild, angry scream. Raising his elbow, he narrowly dodged an attack from Mer-Man.

"Not even the former Man-at-Arms will stop me!" growled the former prince.

"I don't need to stop you," said Duncan as he spin-kicked Mer-Man to the floor. "Besides... I have bigger fish to fry."

"Big fish, huh?" Mer-Man rolled his eyes as he got to his feet, and raised a hand. From the depths, a pulsating ball of water emerged. "I'd say I'M as big as it gets!"

"You never said he could do THAT," Teela commented.

Evil-Lyn was ready to respond. "I never SAW him do it until now!"

"I can handle this," Roboto said as he fired a heat blast out of his arm cannon, vaporizing the water ball.

Mer-Man just scoffed. "That was a demonstration…but THIS is the main course!" he declared, this time, using BOTH hands to lift even MORE water from the ocean.

Orko gulped, shook his arms, and brought his hands together. "This fishy fiend is on a power trip, so I need something to give him the slip!" he chanted, hoping to summon forth anything that might knock Mer-Man off his feet.

And then, under his foot—a banana peel took shape. Then, before he knew it, he was up in the air...and landed back-first on the wood floor.

ZWIP!

BON~G!

As he looked up, he saw he was surrounded by the entire group.

"Now, you're going to let us through," said Beast Man. "Or else you'll be the main course at a fish fry!"

Mer-Man struggled to his feet. "...fine..." he relented.

Evil-Lyn strode over and glanced down at Mer-Man. "So, then...we offer you a trade, Mer-Man," she said. "You bring us to the gates of Subternia, and we return you to the deep. Should you refuse, we'll leave you in the sun to dry out."

Mer-Man seethed, but he didn't have much of a leg to stand on here. "...fine," he snapped, before he used his powers to lift the boat up on a massive pillar of water.

The sorceress of the night smirked. "See, that wasn't so hard, was it?" she asked casually. "Now, let's get a move on, shall we?"

SOON…

The group arrived at the entrance to a cave, set amongst jagged crystals, and the ship docked.

Orko looked around, his ears suddenly perking up. "Magic must be stronger here than in Eternos..." he mused. "I'm feeling more like..me!"

"Then that must mean the sword we seek is in that cavern," mused Evil-Lyn.

"There," Mer-Man snarled. "I held up my end of the bargain."

"So you have," mused Evil-Lyn as she waved a hand dismissively. "Alright, release him."

Beast Man released his grip on Mer-Man, who made his way to the edge of the boat.

"Remember, Evelyn—the sea never forgets…" he gurgled as he hopped into the water. "...and neither do I." [Yes, Evil-Lyn's birth name was Evelyn Powers. In some worlds she was the daughter of The Faceless One, in others she was an astronaut, along with Beast Man, Tri-Klops...and Marlena Glenn, Adam's mother.]

And on that last word, he sank beneath the waves.

"Huh...something fishy about that guy," Andra commented, much to the irritation of everyone else around her. "What? It was good!"

"Get in, and get out of Subternia as quickly as you can," said Duncan. "In the land of the dead, nothing lives long."

He held out his hand to shake...but Teela pulled him into a hug. Duncan's eyes were wet as he embraced his daughter.

Soon, the group watched Duncan take off, leaving them behind.

"You gonna be okay, boss?" asked Andra.

Teela turned back to her apprentice, after wiping her eyes. "...I'll be fine," she replied. "Now let's get a move on, yeah?"

As she and the others glanced ahead, they found a zigzag path through a field of crystal leading up to a large, purple cave.

Eventually, they made it to the head of the cave, a towering black obelisk.

"Ladies and gentlemen...the gateway to Subternia," Teela said.

"Okay, so we have a gateway; how do we open it?" asked Andra.

Evil-Lyn pushed her way to the front. "Stand aside," she instructed before she got in front of a skeleton that was seated before the obelisk.

"You sure we can trust her here?" inquired Orko.

"She's gotten us this far," Teela responded. "Let's at least give her the benefit of the doubt.

"I can hear you both, you know," Evil-Lyn responded. "Now let me work, please."

Reaching into her satchel, she pulled out the ram head and placed it atop the headless neck of the skeleton.

At first...there was nothing.

And then, a rumbling sound. The skull's eye sockets glowed, and the obelisk rose up, revealing a massive hole underneath!

As Evil-Lyn glanced into the hole, she saw a long, descending stairway.

The others each took a look in after getting close.

"I have to go," said Teela. "And if you don't want to follow, I'll understand. This place is only darkness and terror. So if anyone wants out, my ears are open."

"Don't even think about it," said Orko. "Besides...I'm not afraid. Not this time."

Evil-Lyn crossed her arms solemnly. "...then you really ARE a fool," she remarked.

"Being a machine, I am incapable of experiencing fear," Roboto stated.

"Alright, then," said Teela. "Hell's waiting for us."

One by one, the others descended...save for Evil-Lyn, who glanced back at the Ram Skull.

"Are you coming?" called Teela.

"In a second!" Evil-Lyn responded.

After that, she picked up the skull and tucked it in her satchel, before heading along. Shortly after, the entrance resealed itself.

(End of Part 3.)