CCC #41 - Voting Thread

The team couldn't believe it, taken down, by one of their own, it was different, being defeated, it was the opposite of what they did. The would win, not fall to their knees. If you want to know why the team was "disbanded," read on, but there is destruction to come.

***

Mackinaw City, Michigan, 2017

A small laundromat, the sign for it sung out in sparks of electricity before dying into a state of powerlessness. Inside, the lights were dimmed, the washers and driers silenced by the unplugging of cords. Fly Boy, or Andrew Zelda sat alone, staring at the rest of the team. He was always left out, alone, he was proven to be the weakest link in every fight, every battle. His wings would always de-power and die. He would watch as Robert Jackson would jump into his mech and fire projectiles and blasts of energy at the villains and they'd just lose. Andrew could never do anything cool like that, ever.

Everyone else was cool and were inventive, creative, smart. Andrew was just finishing seventh grade. He didn't like being called a midget, but at his age, he at-least needed another foot on him. He watched as the group continued to talk, not even noticing that Andrew wasn't in the group, that he was even there at all. He stared and took off to the door. He had ripped off the bell earlier that day, so there was no noise when he exited. The snow was harsh, but he knew where he needed to go, Trenchcoat would be ready.

Trenchcoat was a villain, but no underclass villain like the rest. He had almost taken the team down twice, but they had reinforcements come in and take him to prison. He escaped Crayfin Institute, the second biggest correctional facility in Michigan. Andrew would have to come unarmed and get there quickly, before the team would notice that he was gone. The laundromat wasn't far from Trenchcoat's base, a run-down building right on the edge of town. Andrew took off, rushing through the snow, slipping once or twice before he reached the base.

The base was a station house, one of those you would see at the bottom of a mountain. Andrew creaked the door open and saw Trenchcoat sharpening his signature dagger, the dagger with a leather handle and a small silver chain wrapped around it.

"Get out!" He scowled, jumping to his feet and putting the dagger up to Andrew's throat.

"I have good reason to be here!" Andrew yelled back at him.

"What is it? Talk quick and I might leave you unharmed, Bee Boy." He said, fiddling his dagger in between his fingers.

Andrew told Trenchcoat the plan, he wanted to turn against his own team, bring them a taste of their own medicine, make them feel like outsiders and begin to see what he has felt like since the beginning.

"I like that, but you need some upgrades." Trenchcoat said.

He was a master in technical things and machines. He managed to make him a whole new suit with wings that would never die and could fly at rates to 120 miles an hour. The suit was black and red, with white streaks around his shoulders, knees and his neck. The plan took long, and the team never really noticed and as he saw, Andrew realized they replaced him already.

"We must attack now." Andrew told Trenchcoat, who agreed.

The team was on the way to the laundromat that night, when something struck Indra's eye.

"What was that?" He said in his heavy Indian accent.

"Yes, what was that?" The replacement, Scissor, said.

Trenchcoat jumped out, rolling a small smoke bomb, engulfing the team in a dense cloud of smoke and fog. They coughed and squirmed and Andrew jumped out from the top of the roof, casting Robert to the ground, where he was not in his mech. He was cast to the ground and he stuck one of his poisonous darts, knocking him out.

He dived at the others.

"Why are you doing this?" One of them shouted.

"So you know how it feels!" He shouted back.

Darts went everywhere and the sounds of collapsing filled the air.

"Maybe you'll learn." He said before disappearing into the night with Trenchcoat.

The Likeables

Flyboy and Robot Jackson flew through the sky, patrolling Pretty Cool City. Robot Jackson was listening to the P.C.C.P.D. scanner which was interrupted by The Likables team captain, Funky Fresh over the comms system.

"Robot Jackson? Fly Boy? Come in." asked Funky Fresh as George Clinton played in the background.

"Affirmative!" answered Robot Jackson.

"Yeah boss. What do you need?" asked Fly Boy.

"The X Ray and The Yeti are on Canal Street fighting the Boa Brothers, I've just been ambushed by two dozen Cheney Bots and Indra isn't picking up his comms." explained Funky Fresh. "Robot Jackson, I want you to back up The X Ray and The Yeti. Fly Boy, try to locate Indra."

"You need any help with the Cheney Bots?" asked Fly Boy.

Funky Fresh smiled "It's all good, Fly Boy." then cut off transmission.

"Hmph! Guess I'll fly over to Indra's Cave in the Sky. He probably shorted out his communicator again. Good luck with the Boa Bros." said Fly Boy waving at Robot Jackson.

"Stay safe best friend Fly Boy." said Robot Jackson waving back.

Canal Street

The X Ray and The Yeti run down the street looking around for the Boa Brothers. The X Ray scans the neighborhood.

"Hypno-Snake is hiding in that alley." The X Ray says, pointing to an abandoned alleyway. "Jack Asp is on the roofs. He's running towards the docks."

The Yeti growls "Jack Asp is mine. I owe him from our last encounter."

With incredible speed The Yeti climbs up the nearest building and continues chasing after his third greatest arch rival. (The Yeti has a penchant for collecting rivals.)

The X Ray sighs "Great. That just leaves me and Hypno-Snake."

As he walks into the alleyway The X Ray draws his trusty Ray Gun, pointing it at a large burned out dumpster.

"I can see you hiding in the dumpster Hypno-Snake. You better come out or I'll vaporize you and your dumpster ." commanded The X Ray.

Hypno-Snake was covered in brown rags and a trench coat. His reptilian face hidden under his hood.

"Exss Ray? You can sssee me?" asks Hypno-Snake "Good!" he replies as he flashes his hypnotic eyes from under his hood. The X Ray stood stunned as Hypno-Snake crawled out from the dumpster.

"Yesss. My very own Likeable to play with. I will make you do asss I command. You sshall betray the Likablesss. You will be their Judass..{ack!}"

Hypno-Snake was interrupted by Robot Jackson landing on top of him. The X Ray shook his head, coming to his senses.

"Thanks R.J. He had me for a second there." said The X Ray.

"You are welcome, my friend The X Ray. Viva la Likables!" Robot Jackson yelled raising his fist to the sky.

"Viva la Likeables" yelled The X Ray, pumping his fist in the air.

A bolt of lightning struck Robot Jackson's fist, frying every circuit in his body and throwing The X Ray to the ground.

Downtown Pretty Cool City

A dozen Cheney Bots parts lay scattered across the downtown park. Funky Fresh faces down another dozen Cheney Bots. 'Everyone was kung fu fighting, those kicks were fast as lightning' Carl Douglas played in the background as Funky Fresh used kung fu to dismantle the Cheney Bots.

Four Cheney Bots surrounded Funky Fresh. Three wore suits and ties, one wore hunters clothes and carried a shotgun. One Cheney Bot opened his mouth, his lower jaw dropping to his chest as a missile protruded from his mouth. Another did the same but with a flamethrower protruding out of his mouth. The fourth began spraying oil out of its fingertips. A fifth Cheney Bot flew over Funky Fresh with helicopter blades coming out of its back.

"We will be greeted as liberators." the Cheney Bots all spoke at once.

As the four Cheney Bots fired at once, Funky Fresh flipped up in the air, delivering a flaming kung fu kick to the helicopter Cheney Bot, making it explode. The missile Cheney Bot blew up the flamethrower Cheney Bot, which in turn lit the oil Cheney Bot on fire. Funky Fresh landed on the hunter Cheney Bot, destroying it and grabbing its shotgun. The missile Cheney Bot reloaded its next missile. Funky Fresh shot the missile with the shotgun, exploding the Cheney Bot.

"We wil {squak} be greeted as liberators." said the seven remaining Cheney Bots from behind Funky Fresh. He turned to see two helicopter Bots, two missile Bots, a flamethrower Bot, a shotgun hunter Bot and finally a Boss Cheney Bot, which stood twice as big as other Cheney Bots. Funky Fresh smiled as James Brown played in the background. This was fun.

Canal Street

The X Ray woke up and saw Robot Jackson standing with his fist raised in the air, the same position when he was struck by lightning. His body was smoldering. Under his left foot was the smoldering corpse of Hypno-Snake.

"I'm sorry my friend. Hopefully Funky Fresh or Fly Boy can fix you." said The X Ray to Robot Jackson as he examined his friends smoldering body. The X Ray saw it. An arrow sticking out of Robot Jackson's fist.

"Indra!" The X Ray gasped.

Donwtown Pretty Cool City

Funky Fresh stood on top of the defeated Boss Cheney Bot. Twenty three Cheney Bots lay demolished behind them.

"{sqruawk} we will.. be.. {squak} gree.. greeted.." mumbled the Boss Cheney Bot.

"As liberators? Yeah, I heard you. Viva la Likeables, baby!" replied Funky Fresh.

"Go F..{sqruak} Yourself!" swore the Boss Cheney Bot, then he blew up. The explosion leveled the building next to it and threw Funky Fresh two blocks.

Funky Fresh barely stood. Luckily his funk powers make him near invincible. James Brown was playing on his invisible, floating radio. One of Funky Fresh's best inventions. Funk music gave Funky Fresh extra power.

Funky Fresh heard the radio floating toward him playing James Browns 'Get On Up'. He could feel himself healing.

Then the song stopped. 'I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry' by Hank Williams began to play.

"What? Country music?" asked Funky Fresh as he felt his power slip away. Someone hacked his radio. He looked up and saw his teammate floating above him. "You? I thought.."

An arrow strikes his heart. Then a bolt of lightning.

The Cave in the Sky

The X Ray and The Yeti flew up in the Funk Copter, while Fly Boy led the way towards Indra's Cave in the Sky, which was at the top of Mount Indra. They had vowed to confront Indra about Robot Jackson and Funky Fresh. They were nervous about facing the god.

"Even a god can die!" growled The Yeti.

As they land the Funk Copter, The X Ray tried looking into the cave with his X Ray vision but all he saw were clouds and darkness. The remaining Likeables make their way to the cave entrance and said the password "Viva la Likables!" all at once. The cave door opened immediately.

As they walked through the darkness and clouds in the cave they hear a dark voice say "Let there be light!" The cave illuminated completely. It was a palace in the sky. Golden fountains, statues, beautiful gardens and art surrounded the palace. Indra sat upon his throne. A huge smile on his face.

"Indra. Where were you?" asked The X Ray. Indra just sat smiling.

"Traitor. Murderer. Answer us." yelled The Yeti.

"Hello Likeables." said a dark, evil, feminine voice. "Did you like my handiwork?"

The Yeti sprang. Running towards Indra.

"Wait!" yelled The X Ray. "There's something wrong." The X Ray saw a tentacle attached to Indras back. Then he saw behind the wall, the tentacle was attached to a monstrous creature. The X Ray shot the wall with his Ray Gun. The wall disappeared.

Standing behind Indra was a gigantic Fly woman with a huge larvae sack attached to her.

"What are you?" asked The X Ray.

"I am Maggi the Mother of Maggots. Goddess of Flies. I made my son betray your team." Maggi answered.

Fly Boy flew up to Maggi. "Mommy! I did as you asked mommy. I killed the three Likeables that posed the biggest threat to you, then I brought you the remaining two." said Fly Boy as he hugged his gigantic mother.

"How?" asked The X Ray. "How could.."

"I poisoned Indra." explained Fly Boy. "Even a god can die, right Yeti?" taunted Fly Boy.

The Yeti leaped at Fly Boy, who shrunk down to the size of a fly and buzzed away from The Yeti's flailing claws.

Fly Boy grew back to normal size and continued explaining. "After I took out Indra and gave mommy her new home, I took his Rain Bow. Then I reprogrammed two dozen Cheney Bots to attack Funky Fresh and hired the Boa Brothers to attack you and The Yeti. Then I used the Rain Bow to take down my 'best friend' Robot Jackson. After that I went after Funky Fresh. I hacked his radio. I knew he had a weakness to country music."

"I've had enough of this. Time to see what this Mother of Maggots is made of on the inside." growls The Yeti as he leaps towards Maggi. A blur intercepts The Yeti. He's knocked to the ground. Jack Asp stands above him laughing. Half man, half snake, half donkey, all jackass. Jack Asp smiles wide with fanged, poisoned teeth and long donkey ears. He carries two long, curved, poisoned blades.

The Yeti spits "Let's do this." and springs at Jack Asp. Their fight is bloody and epic.

Maggi smiles and lifts Indras body towards her larvae sack and begins absorbing Indras body.

"Your brothers and sisters will consume the dead flesh of a god, Fly Boy." yells Maggi.

"Then we conquer the world?" asks Fly Boy.

"How could you do this? We were your family. Robot Jackson was your brother. Indra and Funky Fresh were like fathers too you." yelled The X Ray.

"Fathers and brothers? They are nothing compared to the love of a mother." replied Maggi. "None of my children can resist me."

"Fly Boy. You have to fight her." urged The X Ray.

"I'm growing tired of this one." said Maggi. "Fly Boy, will you end this one?"

Fly Boy took out Indra's miniaturized Rain Bow and grew it back to normal size. As he did this The X Ray saw Indra's eyes open wide from inside Maggi's larvae sack. The X Ray knew what he needed to do. Fly Boy aimed the Rain Bow at The X Ray, who drew his Ray Gun. Fly Boy fired first. The X Ray disappeared. The arrow hit the ground, lightning followed. The X Ray reappeared in the same spot.

"I didn't know you could do that." said Fly Boy.

"I've never showed you." The X Ray said as he fired his Ray Gun at Fly Boy who dodged the beam.

"You missed." gloated Fly Boy.

The X Ray smiled as ceiling beams from the palace ceiling fell towards Fly Boy who flew further away to dodge the beams. Standing at the second floor balcony, looking down at The X Ray, Fly Boy gloated again. "Sorry X Ray. I'm way too fast for y..{ack!}"

Fly Boy was interrupted by The Yeti, whose claws were so deep in his back that they were protruding out his stomach.

"He led you to me." said The Yeti, as he used his Frost Grip to freeze Fly Boy in place. Then he tore the Rain Bow from Fly Boys hand. (shattering his hand)

"Take it to Indra." yelled The X Ray.

Maggi screamed as she began giving birth to small, purple and green skinned Fly Boy clones to combat the heroes. The Yeti ran and leaped towards Maggi with the Rain Bow in his hand.

The X Ray saw a blur running to intercept The Yeti. Jack Asp had his blades ready and an evil, laughing grin on his face. The X Ray shot his Ray Gun at the ground in front of Jack Asp. The ground disappeared in front of Jack Asp, who then fell from the Cave in the Sky.

The Yeti jumped on Maggi's larvae sack and tore into it. He tore his way to Indra.

Maggi the Mother of Maggots screamed "Get away from my maggots, you beast."

Lightning struck her. Dozens of lightning bolts struck her at once. The Yeti flew out of the larvae sack. His skin smoking, he looked back and smiled.

Indra spoke. "You thought you could kill a god so easy? You were wrong!"

A gigantic lightning bolt tore through Maggi's body. Indra walked out of her larvae sack in a haze of lightning. The clone Fly Boys all fell, dead.

Indra raised his Rain Bow high and spoke "Viva la Likables!"

The X Ray and The Yeti yelled "Viva la Likeables!"

Epilogue 1

Indra visited Funky Fresh's grave. He played James Brown 'Get on up, get on up, like a sex machine' then fired an arrow into the grave, which struck Funky Fresh's heart.

"Killed by my arrow," Indra spoke "revived by my arrow." Funky Fresh burst forth from his grave, alive and well.

Epilogue 2

Funky Fresh, Indra and The X Ray work tirelessly to repair Robot Jackson.

Epilogue 3

Fly Boy wakes up in a hospital bed, no longer frozen. He has scars all over his stomach and back. He's missing his right hand. He felt terrible as he looked at his Likeables team mates who all surrounded him. He had betrayed them.

"You were under the influence of Maggi. Her pheromones warped your brain." explained The X Ray.

Fly Boy cried "I'm sorry, I can't live with this."

Robot Jackson grabbed Fly Boy and hugged him. "It's okay best friend Fly Boy. Everything's better now."

Fly Boy cried "No! I can't live without my mommy."

League of Honour Episode 311 - The Inside Man (Part 2 of 3)

Previously on League of Honour an unknown villain gathered the League's deadliest foes together to finally bring the worlds greatest heroes to their knees. Together Raina the Demon Princess, the femme fatale Cobra Lily, the deadly Dynamo, the wicked Wirewolf and a new villain the repulsive Rotter have been given their orders from their new master. Meanwhile the Yeti's old friend and comrade from his days as a villain, El Chupacabra attacked Indica's weapons vault but was ultimately defeated, although not before stealing the dagger of Ravana, a deadly mystical weapon for unknown purposes...

The blue man with a long black beard and jewelled longbow, blocked his attacker’s strike, a red and black robed figure with his bow, before pushing back, the figure falling to the floor, her robe slipping to reveal a lithe Indian woman underneath. All around them the Indian Restaurant was rapidly emptying as the pair of mystical beings clashed.

“Rania you are a fool to try and attack me. Your father may have been the scourge of India, but your blood is not yet matured demon princess.” The blue man stated, as Rania summoned a knife out of black fire, which she held in her hand ready to attack.

“Indra you fool, you and your friend’s time is near.” Rania hissed, as Indra knocked an arrow before firing, the arrowhead being slashed off the shaft. Charging forward Raina lunged again, this time stabbing the knife into the gem in Indra’s bow, the ruby gem in the centre shattering into jewelled shards.

“The Gem of Brahman, the source of my power but how?” Indra asked, as Rania attempted to bring the knife down into the hero’s chest, only for a metallic arm to intercept the blade. Turning round and scowling, Rania felt cold talons grab her by the throat and throw her into a table. “My friends, I am glad you have appeared, Ravana’s Daughter has managed to shatter the mystical gem that grants me power.” Indra stated, as Rania began to get to her feet, dark flame burning in a ring around her.

“Stand down Rania, you are outnumbered and out powered.” A figure dressed in disco era clothes ordered, as two of his comrades, a big man with a bare torso and a smaller man with wings and compound eyes helped Indra up onto his feet. “You have much to pay for, and much to explain starting with what you did to out comrade.”

“Oh Funky Fresh, Leader of the League of Honour I have only one thing to say to you,” Raina hissed as the flames whirled around her, her form transforming into a black feathered swallow that took to the air before flitting out of the restaurant, her words floating back towards her opponents, “this attack is just the first, others are coming for you.”

**

Indra sat on the floor of his Spartan chambers, the Bow of Rama sitting next to him, the string hissing and sparking every time he reached towards it. Bowing his head in defeat, he knew his teammates were standing behind him worried about him.

“It is of no use, my powers are no longer available to me, at least until the Gem of Brahman is repaired.” Indra stated sadly.

“What about Raina? Should we expect another attack from her?” The man known as Dr. X-Ray asked, as he looked at the bow and the energy that was arching up and down the draw string.

“No she stated that others would be coming.” The hulking metallic form of Robot Jackson buzzed and whirred. “I shall go and process the results of the last fight, I will also see if I can track the Demon Princess, she may have more information that we need to here.”

“And I will meditate on this problem.” Indra stated quietly. “I shall attempt to contact Ganesh, he may have insight on who or what is behind this aggressive course of action towards us.” He added, as the rest of the heroes nodded and walked away leaving the Hindu Avatar to his meditation. Jolting off to one side Robot Jackson left the group as the others headed towards the buildings mess-hall, the lights flickering slightly behind them.

“You know Funk, you’re not smelling so good at the moment. You got trapped gas or something?”

“Hey Dr X-Ray turn down the juice man.” Funky Fresh stated in an attempt to change the conversation as they headed past the labs.

“Isn’t me.” X-Ray replied, as he stopped and turned to see the lights flickering. “There is power here, one that is uncontained.” He added, as he traced an arc across the air, green lightning flowing behind his movement. “Are any of you worried, about your powers I mean. If they could depower Indra then they could depower us as well.”

“Well my powers are inherent in my species.” Funky Fresh announced. “I’ve had these powers ever since I landed in the 70s, they can’t be taken away. As for the rest of you; Yeti and Fly-Boy’s powers are either technology related or hard-wired to their genetic template. We shouldn’t worry about losing our powers. I honestly believe that Raina was lying, that she was just trying to throw us off balance and little else.” He stated, as X-Ray made a fist, green light radiating out to the lamp and pulling out a living lance of lightning.

“The Living Dynamo!!” X-Ray hissed, as the lightning reformed into a human shaped blot of electricity and plasma.

“You see shocked Doctor, almost like you weren’t expecting me.” Dynamo buzzed as a surge of electricity arched down the walls toward the heroes, only for X-Ray to absorb the energy by holding his hands outstretched.

“The Mansion has defences against energy constructs like you Dynamo.” Fly-Boy buzzed, as both X-Ray and Dynamo summoned whirling spheres of energy around their hands. “You shouldn’t be here!!”

“What can I say?” Dynamo buzzed as he fired the blast of energy at X-Ray only for the hero to absorb it, his own energy fist glowing brighter and brighter albeit switching from the normal green to a deep crimson. “It’s a good day for villains and traitors, both of which can be found in this house.” He added, his last few words causing the Yeti to fidget slightly. Roaring in anger X-Ray released his blast of energy, the beam carving a hole through Dynamo’s energy form. “But I’m sure you’ll learn that soon enough.” He cackled, as he jumped back into the nearest lamp and sparked away, the bulbs breaking as he withdrew.

“Jackson we have a breach in security, Dynamo is…” Funky Fresh stated, as X-Ray continued to groan and growl with apparent anger.

“I am already taking steps to detain our intruder.” Robot Jackson droned, as he watched the monitor screen indicating X-Ray’s isotopic output. “There is a greater danger however, X-Ray has been exposed to an unusual wavelength of radiation, one that makes him…” With a roar X-Ray salivating and spitting turned on his teammates and opened fire, a wall of radiation striking all three of the heroes, with Fly Boy smashing through a window whilst Funky Fresh and the Yeti were slammed into the wall before the feed died, electricity running along the console as Dynamo reformed behind Robot Jackson. “I must admit this plan is well thought-out Living Dynamo,” Jackson buzzed, as he turned to face the villain. “But my systems are well shielded against the excessive EM output that powers you.”

“Hey I’m just here as the Welcome Wagon.” Dynamo buzzed, as a knocking sound rung out from inside Robot Jackson’s chassis before lapsing into screeching metal and grinding gears. “Little pigs, little pigs,” A voice sounded from inside Robot Jackson, “let me out!!” The voice boomed as Robot Jackson was ripped apart and a humanoid wolf robot stepped out of the wreckage. “You really should have checked that sub-routine folder, because thanks to our inside man, I am reborn from your husk.”

“Good to see you too Wirewolf.” Dynamo buzzed as he sent a million volts through what was left of Robot Jackson. “Now we wait, soon the others will be here and then we can finish the heroes once and for all.”

**

Fly-Boy sniffed the air, as he got to his feet, his wings shaking off glass shards embedded in the gauzy appendages. He would need to regenerate them when the crisis died down, but right now all he could concentrate on was a brilliant sweet smell. Zombie like he lurched across the patio and towards the massive greenhouse, the sticky sweet odder getting stronger with ever step he took until with a squelch he found his feet coming to a stop as something sticky wrapped around them.

“Poor little fly, you could never resist my super-nectar serum.” A female voice purred, as a woman dressed in a green hoody and dress stepped into view, a red forked tongue like structure hanging from her clothing over her nose and cheeks.

“Cobra Lily, but I thought Indica’s spell had destroyed you and the others so Lilly could live a life free from your influence?!” Flyboy moaned, as he looked down at the sticky giant sundew that was slowly curling dew dropped hairy leaves around him.

“He did, and then with a little help I killed Lilly and took over. Now there is no more Corpse Lily, no more Tiger Lily and no more Peace Lily, there is just me.” Cobra Lily hissed, as she caressed Fly Boy’s cheek. “Not that you will have to worry about that for much longer, soon you’ll be joining all those other personalities in death.”

**

Funky Fresh slugged X-Ray in the face, the radioactive hero slumping to the floor before trying to get to his feet, only for Funky Fresh to put his hands on his teammates head. “Chill Out Man.” He ordered, as X-Ray’s eyes fluttered before slamming shut, a river of drool running down his cheek.

“What was that?” Yeti grunted as her got to his feet, a chemical burn running from his wrist to his elbow.

“My chill-out touch, it’s one of species many abilities in this nitrogen rich environment.” Funky Fresh announced as he hefted X-Ray onto his shoulder before placing him in an isotope bath. “It’s why I can fly, lift heavy objects, gives me inferno vision and shows my sins on my face.”

“Not that, I mean X-Ray’s freak out.” The Yeti grunted.

“I would rather talk about you, and you’re past. Dynamo mentioned there was a traitor and judging from your past…I’d say you’re the traitor.” Funky Fresh stated, as he watched Yeti glower at him, before taking a few steps away from his teammate.

“I atoned for my crimes and my involvement with Circus el Monstrous.” Yeti stated, as he reached behind him, his gesture going unnoticed as Funky Fresh shot a cruel grin at him. “Stay away from me!!” He roared as Funky Fresh rushed him, only for his target to hold out a purple glowing rock, its internal glow causing him to double up in pain.

“Punktassium.” Funky Fresh groaned, “You traitor!!”

“I’ve betrayed no one!!” Yeti spat, as he punched Funky Fresh in the face, his claws ripping off the man’s face to reveal glowing mould spread across his skin. “You wear your sin on your face huh? You’re the traitor aren’t you?”

“I do it for a good cause!!” Funky Fresh groaned, “And while I’m like this, call me the Rotter.” He added as the door opened and a woman dressed in disco clothing walked in and pistol whipped Yeti around the back of his head, the large man falling to the floor. “You remember Doris Dane the disco diva nurse who I was involved with through the 70s and 80s, well she changed being exposed to my celestial energies.”

“And that means you have the right to betray the team?” The Yeti asked, as the woman walked over to Funky Fresh and pouted before running her hand through what was left of his hair.

“I’m not Doris Dane anymore, I’m Disco Fever.” Dane stated. “Being with him has turned me into a monster that burns everyone who I touch, fortunately there is someone with a cure, and all he demands is that the League of Honour is no longer operational…or alive!!”

“Has anyone noticed that Yeti is acting a little strange?” Flyboy hinted as he ate his maggots and milk. The other members of the San Francisco Six; Funky Fresh, The X-Ray, Robot Jackson and Indra, just looked at him.

“Do you, or should I?” asked X-Ray to Funky Fresh sitting next to him.

“You’re eating maggots!” snapped Funky Fresh. “MAGGOTS!”

Flyboy paused, his cheeks full of liquid calcium and fly larva. He slowly chewed it, swallowed and replied. “So?”

“I am over five thousand years old,” Indra stated as he pushed away his lentils and stood up. “And I have seen strange in all its forms. It is you, we should be worried about. Namaste.”

“It’s just my breakfast.” Flyboy said to the departing Hindu god.

“IT’S MAGGOTS!” yelled Funky Fresh. “Coffee, juice, toast, eggs; that’s breakfast!”

“I can’t help my metabolism,” Flyboy shrugged as he dug his spoon into the bowl.

“I propose we don’t ever have breakfast meetings again,” Robot Jackson said. “All in favour?”

**

“There are nine members of the Silent Brigade inside,” said The X-Ray as he stared at the stone wall of compound. “I also see Colonel Black…maybe it’s his twin Colonel Blue, I can never tell them apart.”

“I hope it’s Blue,” said Funky Fresh cracking his knuckles. “I owe that jive turkey a fat lip.”

“Okay, here is the plan,” Robot Jackson made a laser schematic in the centre of the group. “Indra will come through the wall using his lightning bow for shock value. Flyboy, up in the air as lookout. Funky Fresh and Yet…where is the Yeti?”

They looked at each other in bemusement, each no clue on where the sixth member of the San Francisco Six was.

“Recalculating,” Robot Jackson’s schematic blipped off then on again. “I will take the left. X-Ray and Funky Fresh on the right. Flyboy you get double detail with aerial and far side. When Indra blows the wall we go in.” He held out his large metal hand. “San Francisco Six!”

“Um, if Yeti keeps no showing we’re gonna need a new name,” Flyboy added as he put his hand on Robot Jackson’s followed by the rest of the team.

**

“HOW YOU LIKE ME NOW?” yelled Funky Fresh into the unconscious face of Colonel Black, held securely in Robot Jackson’s hand.

“He’s out cold,” Flyboy said. “Maybe you should yell louder?”

“Good job team,” said Robot Jackson. “The Silent Brigade will think twice about showing its face in the near future.”

“Oh look who decided to show!” sneered Flyboy pointing at their errant member as he skulked in from the shadows. “You got a note from your mother?”

Yeti grunted and tossed a body in front of the hovering insectoid hero.

“Holy mothballs!” exclaimed Flyboy “Colonel Blue.”

“I hope this will suffice,” Yeti replied in his snooty English accent which was almost in contradiction to his brutish appearance.

“Himalayan them out!” cheered Funky Fresh. The San Francisco Six collectively groaned at the pun.

**

“You keep delaying the inevitable, brother”

“They are my friends.”

“They will end us!”

“I know!...I know.”

**

Yeti stood in the doorway of Flyboy’s room in the San Francisco Six’s secret base. He watched. Waited. And slowly crept into the room. Three steps into the messy dorm he stood on a rubber chicken that squealed under his mass.

“Wha? Who’s there?” muttered Flyboy as he rolled over from the noise.

“Go back to sleep,” soothed Yeti.

“Yeti?” Flyboy sat up to see the big man standing over him. Suddenly there was a bright explosion of light followed by Yeti EXPLODING in a shower of lightning, flesh chunks and blood. “WHAT THE HELL?!?”

Indra knocked another arrow and took aim at Flyboy. “I take no pleasure in this.”

Flyboy dove aside as another arrow of lighting from Indra’s mystic bow exploded his bed. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING INDRA?”

“I am protecting my family,” he said glumly as he drew his enchanted gada mace and swung. Flyboy zipped away, narrowly avoiding being turned into splatter.

“INDRA! STOP!” yelled Flyboy. “Are you like possessed?”

“No,” Indra swung again clipping Flyboy’s wings sending him spiralling around like a moth around a light. “But you all must die.”

Flyboy landed on the wall. “Look. Let’s talk this through, mainly as I have no weapons and don’t wish to get squished.”

“There is nothing to talk about,” Indra swung the gada but Flyboy’s insect reflexes got him out of the way again.

“Where the hell is everyone else?” cried Flyboy as he hovered out of harm’s way.

“They are already dead,” hissed a voice from the doorway.

“I said I would do this brother,” Indra turned to the figure in the doorway.

“OKAY! TIME OUT!” yelled Flyboy. “WHO IS THAT? WHY ARE YOU CALLING HIM BROTHER? WHERE IS EVERYBODY ELSE? IF I’M GONNA DI…”

Indra lashed out and caught him by the throat silencing him. “This is my brother Chitragupta, the god of hidden secrets and records. He knows the future.”

Flyboy muttered an expletive reply that didn’t quite make it past the Hindu god’s fingers.

“It is written,” Chitragupta recited. “That the ones known as the San Francisco Six will cause the death of Indra. Indra’s death will begin the Kali Yuga and end the universe. This cannot be allowed to pass.”

“When my friends get here,” Flyboy protested.

“We killed the powerful ones first,” Chitragupta said. “You are merely last.”

“I am truly sorry,” said Indra as he squashed Flyboy’s trachea like a grape. “Goodbye my friend.”

Chitragupta removed a scroll from his pouch and unfurled it. A smile rippled across his face. “We are successful.”

“They were good people,” Indra wiped his hands clean of blood.

“Really?” Chitragupta said holding up the scroll. “They were going to kill you brother. Look! See? I will not let that happen. The only reason you get upset is because you stupidly believe they are your friends.”

Indra bowed his head, Chitragupta smiled broadly like he was in on a joke that only he knew. He waved his hands coating them both in green sparkly lights. “Come now brother, let us prepare for the NEXT universe.”

Dwarfed by his companion, Funky Fresh said,"Guys, this is Robot Jackson. He helped me against the Cyborgorillas. I want to invite him to join The Fraternity of Heroes."

"Um, why 'Robot Jackson?'" Fly Boy asked Fresh.

"Ask him yourself. Jackson?"

The robot stepped forward before speaking.

• " 'CAUSE - I - GOT - MOVES - LIKE - MI - CHAEL,
• "A - SWING - LIKE - REG - GIE,
• "I - KNOW - LIKE - BO,
• "AND - I - RHYME - LIKE - JES - SE!"

As Robot Jackson spoke, he moonwalked, swung his arm, pointed to his head and then to his mouth to emphasize his answer. The smile on his face never moved. He high fived Funky Fresh when he was done, and Funky looked to the group expectantly.

The group stared for a moment before Indra broke the silence with, "Yes... that'squite...remarkable." When no one else responded, he added, "Isn't it?"

Fly Boy, who was holding a cup of cocoa, set it on the saucer in his other hand as he said, "Yeahhh, so that one-face-fits-all look is kind of creepy. Do we have to look at him when he talks?"

The robot leaned forward slightly.

• "IT - IS - NOT - RE - QUIRED,
• "FOR - HOW - I'M - WIRED."

Fly Boy shrugged. "Then I vote yes."

Funky Fresh laughed, "Come on, guys! He's super strong, indestructible, and he's bigger than The Yeti!"

"Whatever," muttered Yeti. "No."

The X Ray looked silently at Yeti, then back at the giant robot standing in their atrium.

"Oh, and check this out," added Fresh. He backflipped towards Robot Jackson, the round plate on Jackson's chest opened up, and Fresh landed inside. "Voila! Instant armor!" he shouted before the chest plate closed. He smiled through the window in the chestplate.

• "Better than Iron Dude!" came Funky's voice over a speaker.

Robot Jackson flexed his arms.

• "YEAH - YOU - GOT - THAT - RIGHT!
• "I'M - A - MOD - ERN - DAY - KNIGHT!"

"Who is this 'Iron Dude?'" Indra asked quietly. Fly Boy shrugged.

The chestplate sprung open, and Funky forward flipped to a standing position on the floor. "X?" asked Fresh.

The team studied the robot, except for The Yeti, who squinted at something on the floor. Walking over, he squatted, plucked a long hair from the tile, and eyed it suspiciously. Fly Boy, having shrank down to four inches high, buzzed over to Yeti's shoulder and studied it with him. "Blonde," said Yeti. Sniffing, he added, "Ray, this doesn't smell right."

X Ray took it from him, stretched it taught, and held it up to the light.

The robot leaned forward slightly.

• "WHAT - DO - YOU - HAVE - THERE?
• "IS - THAT - SOME - ONE'S - HAIR?"

"Indra, can you lend me a little heat, please?" asked X.

Indra held an arrow out, and touching the hair with the tip, answered, "Certainly, my friend." The arrowhead sparked brightly, making everyone blink, then dissipated into thin air.

The hair shriveled into a curlicue, and Ray recoiled from the smell. "Synthetic," he observed.

Jackson leaned in even closer.

• "WHAT - DO - YOU - MEAN?
• "WHAT - IS - THAT - THING?"

X Ray raised an eyebrow towards the robot. "It can only mean one thing." Looking at Funky, he said, "Fresh, you got a new girlfriend?"

"WHAT?!" the rest of the team shouted.

"Well now, hey," Funky laughed, "What can I say?" Everyone raised eyebrows at his rhyming response.

• "I - STILL - DON'T - UN - DER - STAND.
• "WHAT - IS - THAT - STRAND?"

Fly Boy grew to a foot tall and flew up to Robot Jackson's face. Scowling at the rhyming robot, he said, "It's from a wig! You dig?" His head jerked with surprise as he fumed, "Ohhhh! Now he's gotme doing it! Grrr!" He resumed full height and landed on the floor. "So he's got a girlfriend. So what?" buzzed the boy.

"You're the only one who hasn't met her," answered X Ray. "You're too young for her."

"No!" gasped Indra. "Not that wench!"

"Yes," confirmed Ray. Scowling, he said, "Funky, you're the smartest guy in the room. How could you fall for her?"

"You kiddin'?" balked Fresh, "You fell for her too! So did you," he said to Yeti.

Yeti shrugged, "So? She's hot."

X Ray looked at Yeti in disbelief, "Uh, hello? She has an exposed brain covered by a wig! She got us all by mind tricks! It was a hypno hustle!"

Robot Jackson stomped his massive foot.

• "HEY! - THAT'S - NOT - VER- Y - NICE!
• "DON'T - MAKE - ME - SAY - IT - TWICE!"

Ray smirked at the robot. "What's the matter, Jackson? You mad?"

Jackson stomped two steps forward.

• "THAT'S - NOT - NICE - DUDE!
• "DON'T - BE - SO - RUDE!"

X Ray narrowed his eyes and said, "You know I can see you in there, right?"

Robot Jackson stood bolt upright. Clicks and whirs from within were the only response.

"Time to give it up," said Ray. "We've told you before, Braingame, this a Fraternity of Heroes- no girls allowed."

"What?" shouted Fly Boy. "Robot Jackson's a girl?! Funky Fresh was inside her! Yuck!"

X Ray and Indra looked at each other and blushed, then looked at the floor.

Robot Jackson suddenly spun at the waist, both arms swinging- one knocking X Ray backwards, the other smacking Funky Fresh across the room. A much more feminine voice sounded over the speaker.

• "Ooo! Forget your boy's club! I'm out of here!"

With that, she stomped forward, intent on plowing through the rest of the team to get to the door.

"Yeti!" called Indra, running forward. "'Ball lightning,' if you please."

The Yeti crouched and growled, "With pleasure!" before growing into a large, white-furred beast, more than twice the size of Robot Jackson.

Indra, deceptively graceful for his girth, leaped into the air towards Yeti's outstretched hand, nocking an arrow as he did so. Landing lightly on Yeti's palm, his teammate pitched him forward, and man and weapon both turned into a bolt of lightning, shooting towards Robot Jackson and striking her right in the chestplate.

The robot was knocked backward in mid-charge as it rocked from the lightning bolt that was Indra, then collapsed into a smoking heap on the floor.

Fly Boy was helping Funky Fresh stagger back to the group. Yeti transformed back to human and helped X Ray up from the floor.

With a hand on Yeti's shoulder, X Ray shook his head, steadied himself, then looked on the fallen Jackson. Eyes narrowed, he strode over to the robot, phased a hand into its perpetually smiling head, and drew it out again, holding a brain in a see-through dome with a metal base. Once fully outside of the robot, the brain dome hovered out of his hand.

How did you know it was me? came the thoughts of Braingame.

"The synthetic blonde was the main thing," admitted X Ray, "but you're too clever for your own good- making all of your responses rhyme, all the Jacksons you listed, and 'modern day knight.' Working 'day' and 'night' into the same sentence? You can't help giving yourself mental exercises, can you?"

A light, smoky chuckle echoed in all of their minds. A girl's got to have her fun, she thought. But fun's over. Gotta go, boys. Tah, she finished, and the brain-dome zigzagged toward the door, the Fraternity diving towards it like it was some kind of football. With his air agility, Fly Boy came the closest to touching the dome, but was stopped dead still with a telekinetic tether. Ah, ah, ahh, cutie. You reallyare too young for me. A wispy giggle echoed in his mind as Braingame's dome hovered out the door and made its escape.

Buzzing back to the group, Fly Boy shrank down so he could land on Yeti's shoulder again. "Don't buzz in my ear, kid," said Yeti. The group looked at Funky Fresh for an explanation. "You threw us over for a girl," growled the Asian.

"She called me 'cutie,'" said Fly Boy. "Blech."

In reply, Fresh only shrugged and said, "My, oh my, she was so fine!"

The team all laughed aloud, shoving him or taking playful swipes at him. "Dog!" laughed X Ray.

"I am thirsty, my friends," said Indra. "What do you say to a beer?" he asked.

"I say, 'hello, beer!'" answered Yeti.

"And pizza!" said X Ray. "I'm starving."

"Yay! Pizza!" buzzed Fly Boy as the team moved towards the rec room.

Just then, a guy in boxers and a tank top stumbled in the front door and shouted, "MY ARMOR! What did you do to my armor?!"

The group turned and looked at the disheveled man. "Who are you?" asked Indra.

"I'm Iron Dude!" he shouted in exasperation. "Or at least I was, before...oh, man, that is going to take forever to fix." He slumped, completely dejected.

"Well, c'mon," said Yeti, "I figure we definitely owe you a beer." Grimacing at the smoking armor, he amended, "Probably a lot of beers."

The group murmured and shrugged its agreement, and waved for him to follow. Iron Dude shrugged and fell in with the team, looking a little lost.

Funky Fresh threw his arm around Iron Dude's shoulder and said, "Man, I know. She was fine, wasn't she?"

Iron Dude stopped to look at Funky, and the team stopped with him to see what was about to happen. Iron Dude and Funky Fresh looked at each other for a long few moments, then busted out laughing. "Oh, man, was she ever!" he laughed. The team laughed together and continued to the rec room.

"As long as you have to fix it," said Fly Boy, "about that creepy smile..."

Outside, hovering near the roof, was Braingame's brain-dome. A light laugh seemed to carry on the breeze, followed by, Boys. Tsk. The brain-dome whirred lightly as it hovered away.

The Haven City of Baal

3250 A.D

“As I stare down at my kingdom of dirt from my precipice of guilt, I still wonder to this day if I could have fought harder for my friends, if I could have just done something else, maybe this world would be a different place.” The Hermit told me. Our immortal leader, dating back all the way to 2019, back when our planet was alive, was kind enough to grant me an interview today. Here in Baal we have some of the past, ruined buildings, the Hermit, and even some old records, however we desire to know what it was like before the Catastrophe of 2150. Before Ball there was nothing but sand, looters, and vigilantes, a lawless hell that thrived on the misery of the unfortunate. The Hermit built Baal up with a power that nobody had seen before back in 3200, all by himself, nobody knew who he was or where he came from. He muttered his famous line after he was done, “I do this selfless act in a pitiful attempt to atone for my transgressions.” He then took up refuge in the tower in the center of Baal, giving messages to his confidants to tell us what we needed to do and how life was going to be. Nobody got to talk to him directly until I was granted this pleasure today. The old man looked quite decrepit, he wore a tattered black cloak that covered most of his body, he had bandages wrapped around his left eye, and long, white, scraggly hair. His voice was raspy and sounded like grinding gravel.

“I suppose I should start at the beginning, please write this down in as much detail as you can manage, I do not ever want to tell this story again.” He sternly instructed me. I hurriedly took out my writing utensils and prepared to listen.

“I am going to take you to a world that you have never seen, and you never will see, however I believe that the people of Baal have a right to know what put them here and why I do what I do. It started over a millennia ago, when I was a young, brutish, and stupid man. I was what you might call a super hero, and I was a part of this team that was dedicated to protecting Earth from all kinds of threats. I can still remember my friends very clearly to this day, there was Robot Jackson, a fully autonomous metal man, whom I had the utmost respect for, as a warrior and as a companion. Others included Funky Fresh, The X-Ray, Fly Boy, and Indra, all amazing people in their own right. I was the Yeti…”

“The Yeti?” I pondered, starting to wonder if these were the ramblings of a senile old man.

“Yes, like I said a different time, where I was a much more brutish creature. We were unbeatable and inseparable, until that infernal event that plunged this world into chaos. It all started when the rest of the team was away on a different planet, a ludicrous idea by today’s standards, however I assure you that life was thriving just as well there as it was here. Anyway, I was left alone in our HQ, a giant tower smack in the middle of this huge city. As I tended to the normal routine around HQ a visitor appeared out of almost thin air on the balcony. I still remember him clear as day, this creature wore a black trench coat, and had white bandages covered his mouth. The rest of his head was clear as day, no hair. He immediately established a neural link to me and began his introductions. He told me his name was Ezekiel, and he had come with a proposition. He offered me untold power and knowledge, all I had to do was one mission. Me being the idiotic ape that I was back in the day I accepted, and he immediately fused with me and took over 50% of my mind, and that was the moment I realized I messed up, because also in that moment I gained almost a cosmic awareness and cosmic power that immediately let me know what Ezekiel was. He was a, no, the Parasite, that aimed to conquer the planet, however he needed a conduit to access his powers, A.K.A me. I let my thirst for power and fame cloud my judgement and now I would be used as a vessel for the Catastrophe. Now get this, even after this epiphany, even after I had gained all this knowledge, Ezekiel still manipulated me into believing I was on the correct side, which should say something toward my naivety at the time. Ezekiel convinced me that my government was using me for evil purposes. What happened next is what churns my stomach even to this day, let me get a drink, and you probably want one too…” The Hermit told me as he painfully moved to a cabinet in the corner of his chamber.

“Scotch? Probably good, aged for a millennia.” He chuckled. He pulled out a bottle of scotch that had a carving in the side, which said, “Jackson and Yeti’s special scotch, DON’T TOUCH unless it is a very special occasion.”

“I think this occasion is appropriate, at least I hope he thinks it is.” The Hermit said with a touch of sadness in his voice, as he looked out his window towards the sky. I swear I could also see a tear in his eye, but he tried very hard to hide it.

“Now then, let’s get on with it. The next move for Ezekiel and I was to topple the government and take the Earth for ourselves. We had a plan to take a doomsday weapon from the nation’s top scientists and reverse engineer it into a mind control device to enslave the human populace. Now after we stole it of course my friends caught wind of it and they hurried back to confront us. Ezekiel and I planned for this however and we converted HQ into an elaborate death trap for each person, as we knew their weaknesses. As they were mercilessly mowed down by my own inventions, I looked upon what I had done with a messed up dissatisfaction that it wasn’t working more efficiently…” he paused, and now I could definitely see a tear, then suddenly he blurted out,

“They were my friends! A-a-a-and the only thing that I was mad about was that they didn’t die quick enough!” He shouted, and after an awkward pause continued,

“You know the even worse part is this isn’t what snapped me back into my own mind. We went ahead with our plan and almost executed it perfectly. Using an antennae on top of our tower we managed to amp of the signal of this device to be able to target everyone at once. This is when I finally managed to see the blackness in Ezekiel’s heart, in a moment of distraction and weakness for him, seeing that he was eventually going to take me over and slaughter everyone I fought for majority control of our mind and succeeded. Knowing that it was too late to stop the device from triggering, I managed to ignite a catalyst in the machine triggering an explosion, that while not that harmful, covered the entire Earth in fallout, which is why Baal looks like it does today. I, however, was hit by the blunt force of the explosion launching me off the tower. I took us both and hid underground, waiting to see the consequences of my naivety unfold. I managed to hide out for a year before I had to come out, to see a dust-laden, run-down city where no one seemed to live anymore. I traveled to an deserted area where nothing remained, which was most likely the result of continued fighting, and in that moment of weakness Ezekiel struck back and regained fifty-fifty control of me. This is where we wrestled for a millennia, him keeping us both alive as he needed my body to function so he could live. I came out on top obviously, but that was not a fun period of time, just to stand basically in one place as you fight with your own mind is a nightmare I don’t wish on anyone, but I feel as though I deserved it. After I regained control, I made my way to where Baal would be built and I used my cosmic powers to construct the city out of nothing. I then pent myself up in here, constantly focusing on keeping Ezekiel at bay, so that this planet doesn’t end up worse than it already is…” He trailed off,

“And that’s my story I guess, did you get it all?” The Hermit inquired.

“Yeah…. I did, do you think the people need to know that you put them into this mess? I mean it really wasn’t your fault but Baal doesn’t need a revolution based on the people who won’t understand, you know?” I asked, as a “journalist” I knew I needed to report the truth, but I knew they wouldn’t take it the right way, and he had already suffered enough in my opinion.

“Please, if it’s the last thing I do, I want the truth to get out, I am dying and people need to preserve the past, they need to know what happened so they learn from my mistakes and something like this never happens again.” He solemnly told me, and I sighed,

“I will, don’t worry.”

“Thank you, now I must pass on, Ezekiel has cut off his life support fully now, meaning we’re both going away, I thank you journalist, I know Baal will thrive even without me…” He whispered, rolling over and the bottle fell out of his hand and his expression went blank. His assistant rushed in and I relayed him the information, however he knew all that I did.

“I will take his place, please don’t tell the people that he has passed, I will keep him alive, we need him to be here so we don’t collapse” The assistant said. I left with a dilemma on my hands, however I knew what needed to happen for the good of the people, so I went home and burned the transcript and continued to live out my life in Baal as if my conversation with the “immortal one” never happened.