Subj: Engaging story...I wonder what trouble Marv can cause the Lair LegionPosted: Tue Dec 09, 2008 at 04:08:31 pm EST
| Reply Subj: Adventures in Parodyverse - Past Preperation, Part 2 Posted: Sun Dec 07, 2008 at 02:18:45 pm EST (Viewed 464 times) |
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> Part 1
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> Adventures in Parodyverse - Past Preperation, Part 2
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> Lara Night and Jay Boaz quickly switched tasks. Upon reaching the end of the underground path they were exploring beneath Hell’s Bathroom - a solid stone brick wall - they were all prepared to turn around and head back. But a hunch changed Jay’s mind.
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> The blonde switched to the task of being a light source, sparking a neat arc inside her partially closed hand to use as a bright spotlight. Meanwhile, Jay switched to a miner’s hard hat.
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> “There’s something on the other side of this wall.â€Â he said.
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> “The Fatal Toilet?â€Â Lara asked. “Or another building?â€Â
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> “No.â€Â Jay replied louder, his voice becoming more urgent. ÂÂ
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> He used the miner’s power his hat gave him, and he punched the wall as hard as he could. His fist hit like a stick of dynamite, and pieces of stone flew. The light in the cavern suddenly disappeared when Lara had to switch to a shield to protect herself.
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> There were two gentle red glowing points coming from a dark hole in the wall. They became quickly brighter, and there was a distant, high pitched whine.
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> Lara reached out with her other hand, wrapping a second invisible energy shield around Jay - just in time, as the air around both of them violently combusted in a bright red flash.
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> A few rocks tumbled out of the hole, pushed by an unseen force. Then a small black boot emerged. Out of the hole climbed someone Lara immediately recognized, dressed in a nearly skin-tight black body suit, offsetting her dark blue hair and eyes.
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> “Anna? How did you get in there?â€Â she called after the android.
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> As the area lit up again, Anna looked embarrassed and mortified. “I’m sorry.â€Â she said quickly. “I didn’t know it was you. I just remembered to fight back when he...when he came back.â€Â
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> “He?â€Â Jay asked. “Anna, please...tell us what happened.â€Â
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> Anna took a deep breath and began. “I’ve been on Earth for weeks.â€Â she explained. “I was returned here by Yo. But before I reached the Lair Mansion I was intercepted...by Marvellous Marv.â€Â
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> “Him again?â€Â Jay asked angrily. “That does it...this time I’m bringing him down.â€Â
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> “Jay, you can’t.â€Â Lara pointed out. “He’s running for mayor...that means anything you do to him...you need lots of solid evidence.â€Â
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> “I have Anna.â€Â he replied angrily. But then he started to understand what Lara was talking about, and he sighed and shook his head. “Who’s a fugitive from government custody. You’re right...I guess I can’t prove he’s broken any laws.â€Â
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> Without speaking a word, Lara gently reached across his shoulders and squeezed his opposite arm with her free hand.
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> “It makes you very angry, doesn’t it?â€Â Anna asked calmly.
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> Lara quickly summarized, “Marvellous Marv once subjected Jay to a lot of humiliation and got away with it. He aways seems to get away with it.â€Â
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> “Doesn’t it make you angry?â€Â Jay asked the android. “He did seal you up in a wall for weeks.â€Â
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> “He also used some sort of magic to shut me down.â€Â Anna added. “It took me almost the entire first week to reset myself. After that I went to sleep to conserve energy. Yes, it does make angry...that’s why I shot at you by accident.â€Â
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> “How did Yo send you home, anyway?â€Â Lara asked. “And why did you end up in Hell’s Bathroom?â€Â
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> Anna replied quickly, “I asked if I could return home. Yo said, ‘I am to be thinking you can go home.’ I blinked, and I was in Hell’s Bathroom. I suppose Yo was thinking about it.â€Â
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> “Do you know why Marv intercepted you?â€Â Lara asked.
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> “He said...he foresaw that you would rescue me.â€Â Anna said. “Apparently he meant to use me as bait.â€Â
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> “Bait for what?â€Â Lara asked.
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> Anna shook her head sadly.
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> Just then, Lara jumped back when she realized her shoes were getting wet. There was a thin layer of water on the ground, flowing, and rising quickly. “Oh. I see. Clever...because now I can’t use lightning to blast our way out.â€Â
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> “I still can--â€Â Jay felt behind him and realized that his backpack full of hats was gone. He looked at Anna.
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> “It disappeared.â€Â the android explained. “He seems to have underestimated one of us, at least. He didn’t expect me to be conscious.â€Â
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> Anna turned so she was facing away from Lara and Jay, to keep them safe. She looked upward...
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> ...and there was a blast with such force that it shook the cavern, and caused an avalanche of stone and dirt. Anna’s preparation worked, however - none of it came near either of her two friends, though the noise made it seem like it might.
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> From a newly created hole in the ceiling, light cascaded in from twelve feet up.
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> “Nice one, Anna.â€Â she said. She looked at Jay and added, “I can still fly.â€Â
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> “And I can jump that high.â€Â Anna offered Jay a hand gingerly. “You carried me in flight once. It’s time I returned the favor.â€Â
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> ---
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> Anna looked defeated and embarrassed when she emerged from the hole, gently dropping Jay behind her. ÂÂ
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> The hole she blasted from below turned out to be in the middle of Zero Street, just before it turned a corner and led to the Fatal Toilet. Fortunately, Hell’s Bathroom wasn’t known for heavy car or pedestrian traffic, so no one was hurt.
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> “Don’t worry about it, Anna.â€Â Jay tried to reassure her. “It’s your first collateral damage incident. It happens. We’re insured for it, in fact.â€Â
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> He then looked down and saw his backpack lying on the pavement, halfway between where he stood, and where a limousine was parked. Marvellous Marv was leaned against it in a dark suit, looking at a jeweled pocket watch.
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> “Hmm. You escaped.â€Â was all he said. He then opened the back door and climbed in.
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> “Would you like me to stop him?â€Â Anna asked, her eyes glowing a dim red. “I’m fairly sure I can accurately disable the car--â€Â
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> “No...it’s not worth it.â€Â Jay said with a frown. “He’s running for mayor. All it will do is make trouble for the Lair Legion.â€Â
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> Lara smiled at him, and gently nudged him. “You really are a good team leader.â€Â
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> TO BE CONTINUED?
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> -- Story written and copyrighted (C) 2008 by Jason Froikin, and may not beÂÂ
> --  reprinted without permission. ÂÂ
> -- Yuki Shiro designed by Jason Froikin, based on designs by Masamune Shirow
> -- Liu Xi Xian and the Psychic Samurai are original design by Jason Froikin
> -- Lara Night is an original creation by Jason Froikin
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