A counter-MST, 'nuff said.
Two men walk into a bar. You would think the second one would have ducked.
anonymous
-Warhammer (ICQ#: 72406436)
http://www.geocities.com/teknos.geo/
________________________________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com
-- Attached file included as plaintext by Listar --
-- File: SLG3MST.txt
{At Warhammer's base, located in orbit over lower Madagascar, the
aforementioned was ready to take over the world again... however...}
{Sal: Isn't he ever going to give up?
Dawn: Afraid not. To be honest, I'm not sure how long he's going to last.}
{They both turn to see Warhammer, lying on the ground, in a fit of
uncontrollable laugher. He doesn't look like he's gonna stop.}
{Sal: Now... how did this start again?
Dawn: He found a 'Star Wars in 30 seconds' MP3 a few days ago and has grown
to like it far too much.
WH: Hahahahahahaha, 'Brr, it's cold! The Empire! RUN AWAY! Oh, you're a Jedi
like your dad! Wow! (deep voiced)I am your father!(Regular voiced)My
hand!'HAHAHAHAHAAHHAHAHA!!
Dawn: There's no hope...
Sal: Actually... I got an idea. Something that can snap him out of it in a
jiffy. (pulls out a poster and holds it in front of WH.)}
WH: (looks at the poster, stops laughing, then goes into a rage, utterly
destroying the poster) *Heavy breathing* (Glares at Sal) What was that for?
Sal: You need to counter-MST Mr. Dynon's MST.
WH: That's kinda redundant...
Sal: Don't start, ok? Just get on with it.}
[Andrew sits on the couch, a confused look on his face. Duo and Ruri sit
nearby.]
Duo: So, why does he look as if his brain's been fried?
WH: Ah, so that's explains the smell!
Ruri: He just watched the Buffy season 4 finale. And...
Duo: And?
Ruri: Well, after he went to bed I helped Ines with some research into
subliminal effects of anime.
Duo: Which anime did you use?
Ruri: Let's see... Evangelion, Utena, the Ideon movie, Serial Experiments
Lain...
Duo: So he needs a bit of a wake-up call... HEY, SHINIGAMI, GET IN HERE!
[Gundam Deathscythe Hell appears in front of Andrew, Bat Wings open and
Scythe raised]
Andrew: AAAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!!!!!! Wha... Who are you?
Duo [Inside the cockpit]: I'm Batman!!! Hey, I always wanted to say that
line!
Ruri: Baka.
Sal: Agreed.
Andrew [Now awake]: Let's just do the MST.
Two men walk into a bar. You would think the second one would have ducked.
[Nadesico's Maki Izumi pops in]
Izumi: Is that the worst pun you could come up with? You still need a lot
of practice.
WH: You ain't seen nothing yet, baby!
Sal: Now THAT was stupid.
(Note: All grammatical and spelling errors have been corrected, thanks to
Andrew and another prereader. Only corrections with chances for jokes are
still left intact.)
Teknos Warhammer
Presents:
Shara's Last Gift:
Chapter 3:
The Lost Generation
Andrew [Patrick Stewart voice]: Space... the Final Frontier... [STOMP!]
Duo [in Shinigami]: I thought you didn't like Star Trek!
Dawn: Which shows that it doesn't pay to lie.
They would have continued to wonder why, but her scythe had interrupted
them all. The stranger scattered them as she swung her weapon at an arc
that would have hit them all had they not moved. They regrouped at a cliff
nearby and continued to gawk at the new intruder who seemed to fly in the
sky.
Duo: Hey, she's got good taste in weapons!
Ruri: You'd think so, wouldn't you?
Sal: She's also pretty close to your own age... want to ask her out?
WH: Could that be helping to the delinquency of a minor?
Dawn: Sir... when we first see this guy, he's killing people left and right,
it's kind of late for that.
"Now that I think about it... it would have been a good idea to have
made a plan!" Tina whispered to herself as she barely dodged having her
head lopped off.
Andrew: Yeah, that generally helps.
Sa: Tell me about it...
She was riding on the wind to fly and fight her enemies. She knew
that she had power over a single element, given by Konatsu, but she was
informed that
Andrew: Konatsu? As in the Ranma character?
Ruri: Were you really paying attention in the last two chapters?
WH: (puts on a Saito Hajime mask) Aho! *WHAM*
Sal: No, bad Warhammer, bad.
Having one of them being bigger than her was bad enough, but another being
nearly as fast as her was worse.
That was when a thought came to her, "Wait! Where's Lance?"
Andrew: Or, in other words, "Uh Oh!"
{WH quickly changes the scene.}
Regardless of the danger, Ringo led the charge against him. "Hold it right
there pal! When the sign says no guys like you allowed, it means just that!
No exceptions!" Ringo sarcastically told Lance as the other pilots got into
position.
Duo: And we all know that evil Teknomen always ask politely!
(Darkon pops in)
Darkon: Of course! Etiquette is most important!
Before Ringo could equip any of his extra weapons, Lance had knocked them
away and off his suit, having no intention of being hit by them again. With
them out of the way he held Ringo by the beck with both of his large hands.
Andrew: Hes Warhemmer developed a South Efrican eccent now?
Ruri: Baka. It was a typo.
WH: Mesa no like dem tiipos dat make de ting soun oddy.
Sal: Since when did you know how to speak Gungun?
The other pilots, not equipped with the experimental weapons Ringo had,
found themselves at an impasse. They could not shoot at Lance for fear of
hitting their commander and if they tried to take him with their bare
hands, Lance would most likely tear them apart piece by piece. All they
could do was watching in fear as their leader was being strangled to death.
"Where's your snide comments now, human?" Lance growled as he slowly
applied more and more pressure to Ringo's neck.
The other could not reply do the fact he could not breathe, even if he
wanted to.
Ruri: "Due"
Dawn: Part Due!
Sal: That's Deux...
Dawn: I hardly ever get a chance to make a Hot Shots reference...
Andrew: /~Take my breath awaaaayyy~/ [SLASH!]
Duo: Hey, Top Gun's the best film soundtrack of all time and I don't
appreciate you ruining my enjoyment of it with your bad singing, okay?
Scythed Andrew: Okay...
Dawn: And they say I got a raw deal in Gall Force...
[SNIP!]
*****
The two brothers fought with the furies of gods
Andrew: Which gods? Belldandy?
WH: As long as it ain't Skuld! I'm happy!
[Blade and Saber stop fighting and turn toward Andrew...]
Andrew: It was a joke!
Blade/Saber: DOUBLE TEKNO BOLT!!!
Fried Andrew: I'll get you for that. Just you wait for the next couple of
chapters of Lightsphere.
Ruri: At the rate you're writing it, that will be sometime after Y3K.
Dawn: Heh.
"Enough! Saber, you will cease and desist in this attack!" Darkon roared
>from his base. "It is unfortunate enough that you have failed me, but
failing twice is making beginning to make me reconsider me using you as one
of my own. Return to me at once!!"
Andrew: Sounds as though Darkon isn't happy.
Ruri: Well, he's never been shown happy, has he?
Andrew: You have a point.
Sal: Believe me, it was hard as you can imagine trying to get that guy to
smile...
Seeing Saber as he was made Slade recall the time when they had first met
as foes. Slade had tried in vain to make his brother Cain listen to reason.
That same feeling came back, only it was stronger than before. Also, he
almost felt as if he could feel Cain's voice creeping in Saber's, begging
to be released and out of the chains Darkon had imposed on him.
Andrew: Ugh... disturbing mental image.
Duo: With Saber and Darkon... well, yeah. But it'd be okay if it was me
and Heero, wouldn't it?
Andrew: [Bigsweats]
Sal: I don't know... Duo and Quatre, maybe...
Saber grumbled from behind his back, "You've won this time, Slade. Bear in
mind, however, that the war is far from over."
Andrew [Saber]: I'll get you next time, brother, NEXT TIME!!!
BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!
Sal: (stuffs a sponge into Andrew's mouth) That's reducing noise pollution.
Over the radio, Ensign Yuuki asked, "Slade, are you ok?"
Duo [Miaka]: And did you get all that food I asked you for?
Dawn[Slade]: Sorry, I kinda got tied up with Saber and your pizza ruined.
"Yes... but seeing all that... I don't know what to think." He said,
feeling the strain of this long war beginning to take its toll on him. His
family was torn to shreds, his home had become a wasteland, and people were
still dying, regardless of his effort.
When the thought of his family came up, he questioned the Ensign
again, "Say, where's Shara?"
Andrew: Oh, yeah, forgot about her, didn't we? <VEG>
{WH Changes the scenery again, using the Batman scene change music}
*****
With each passing second, they both began to feel the strain on body and
mind, more so on Shara's part. She had to think of something fast and since
running away had lost its effectiveness, there could only be one
alternative.
Duo [Shara]: I mustn't run away. I mustn't run away.
WH: Actually, I can imagine her saying that...
Lance saw this sight and laughed as hard as his now inhuman lungs could.
"Pitiful, you still fight even though you have no chance against beating
me. And now, you will pay for your treachery! Die, Dagger!"
Andrew: Dagger? Didn't he get fried way back in the first few eps.
Duo: Nah, that guy was called Gunnar in the US version. Dagger's that
evil woman who helped do some of WH's old MSTs.
WH: YeesH! Don't remind me of her! It took me a week of rehab to get out of
one of her 'treatments'.
Andrew: Then she's Iczer-2?
Duo: No, the OTHER evil woman.
WH: Yeah, I like my women evil.
Ruri: Baka-baka. I can't be bothered giving you two an explaination.
"Ohh, I'm shaking. Why don't you stop bullying the kid and fight me,
show how much of a man you are."
Duo: Geez, good thing it's not Wuffie who got turned into Lance.
Dawn: Wuffie? The Dirty Pair's pet?
Which was fortunate, because Lance had spewed himself out of the Z-Tron
sphere and looked about furiously for his foes.
"Hey, handsome!" Ringo screamed, "SMILE!"
Andrew: Now, how does a Teknoman smile?
Sal: Like this. (hops into the story and warps the sides of Lance's
faceplate.)
*****
Meanwhile, at the edge of the Solar System, a gravity-well formed out of
nowhere. Ice that had been removed from the planet Pluto, was sucked into
the middle of the growing vortex, into nothing. The black hole continued to
grow until it apparently reached threshold and exploded to reveal that it
was more like the gate to a passageway in space itself.
Through the entrance of the gate, a single figure, slightly larger than
most of the denizens of the Solar systen, floated through the planet's icy
stratosphere and landed without a sound.
The figure stood for what might have been several minutes before its
eyes glowed dull silver. It had searched for quite some time and now, it
now felt his presence here. It saw in the distance, the moon that held the
object of its reason for being there, thought, "I finally found you,
Darkon. For far too long you've escaped me... but no more."
Andrew: Now, can anyone guess who this is?
Ruri: Well, anyone who's read the old versions should be able to.
(Sal is gone for some reason.)
Before it was to proceed, it stopped and realized a feeling of D�j�
vu had returned to it, and began to growl in frustration. "Of all the
wretched, backwater systems you could have chosen... why this one?" Without
a moment's thought, a silver corona appeared about it and from the planet's
surface, sped towards the planet where her target was brooding.
Andrew: Corona? My family used to own a yellow one. But I didn't know
they could travel through space.
WH: Had I the choice, I'd ride a bike rather than my Corola, it's falling
apart!
Ruri: Baka. He doesn't mean the car.
Andrew: Well, if it was a Rayearth fic...
Ruri: It isn't.
WH: Say! Not a bad idea!
*****
Inside Commander Jamison's office, the leader of the repair supplies
convoy read over the report presented to her. "So... it was a success, was
it not?"
Andrew [Jamison]: Well, the Christmas party was going along fine until
Saber and co decided to crash it. Then everything went to HFIL.
Dawn(as a hippie): But it was one heck of a bong, man! Woo!
WH: Since when could you do that?
DawnL Since I downloaded your 60's music disks.
He nodded in reply and continued, "Because of this, we've been able
to repulse the enemy, this time."
"This time? But what about the time before?"
"I have a feeling that the reason why the enemy pulled back in the
first place was because this leader of theirs was capable of finding out
about the Thunderhawk. It was stopped."
Andrew: THUNDERHAWKS ... ARE ... STOP! (Plays the "Thunderbirds" theme
music)
WH: (punches, slams, swings, throws, piledrives, kicks, pitches, buries, and
just plain mauls Andrew into the wall) Don't you EVER, EVER mention that
show ever again!!!
"Yes, I know. The president was not too happy about it when he
learned the news of what Galt was doing."
Andrew: Is it just me, or does Galt seem to be the illegitimate child of a
certain NERV commander?
Ruri: It's a definite possibility.
Sal: If I read the records right, Gendou's illegitimate son moved to Egypt,
so it's not impossible.
Turning to him, she said, "Yes. The thought of seeing more of those
things doesn't exactly make my day any better. Which brings us to another
thing. Ms. Corman, or should I say, Scythe.
Duo: Looks like she chose a good code name!
Dawn: Could make an short living action series by that name!
Recalling Ringo's own report, "Like the primary cannon, it
effectively eliminates the alien spider crabs."
"And when used against the teknomen?"
"From what Mr. Richards has told me, the rail gun can dent their
armor, the accelerator can tear through the armor, and the fusion cutter
nearly destroyed one of their warriors."
Andrew: Are they ever gonna get the Counterflux Polarizer in this?
Ruri: Why do you ask?
Andrew: Just 'cause I liked the Ringo and Balzac vs Sword fight in the
second-last episode.
WH: (sobs) I never saw that... (glares and rages) And it's all UPN's fault!
The last report brought a smile to Raye's face. "That certainly
makes things better. And the training of the newer teknosuit pilots?"
Duo: Also known as "redshirts", "AD Police", "Leo Pilots", et cetera.
Dawn: Also known as 'cannon fodder'!
"Good." Placing the report on his desk, she began to walk to the door, "Oh,
by the way, did you inform 'her' of our guests?"
"Yes. I've already arranged a transport to bring her here. She should be
here by tomorrow morning. Which kind of surprises me that you would do
something like this."
Raye paused before exiting, "Why should it?"
"Because it dispels the idea of you being a heartless raunch that most
people think you are."
Andrew: He WANTS people to think she's Gendou? Man, does he have it in
for her or what?
WH: I want to be on the Sailor Moon fanboy's most wanted list!
Raye nearly chuckled at the observation, "I enjoy proving people wrong
about me... besides, Jamison, you're not the only one who thinks that way."
*****
Meanwhile, on the dark side of the moon.
Andrew: So Pink Floyd's still popular at the end of the century?
All three: *Groan*!
[SLASH!]
Duo: I thought I warned you about making those kind of bad jokes!
"Incompetent... everyone of them." Darkon growled in contempt
towards Saber and his three companions. He could not care less about his
warriors' defeat at the hands of his enemies, or about the acquisition of
another teknoman for their side. In the grand scheme of things, such small
things would mean little, yet he was not ignorant of the fact that even
small things had their own significance.
He paced around his lair, dwelling about the new warrior that had
appeared and had made fools of Ax and Rapier. She was definitely not like
his own. Her ability to access the power of the wind had surprised him
greatly.
Andrew: So he didn't know Tina liked Mexican food?
Ruri: Gravity blast: Charging.
[KA-SHOOOOOOOOMM!!!]
Dawn: Now that he had coming.
"ROLF! How could you let him escape?!" Darkon, then appearing in his
un-armored form, shouted at his best friend.
"Because, Galin, it turns out that the man was innocent in the first
place." Rolf said, walking to the edge of the peninsula of the camp where
he and several others were. Rolf had been though a hard day of legal
procedures of the planet and was quite tired from what was going on. In
addition; Galin's murmuring was not helping his disposition at all.
"What do you mean innocent? I saw the man pull the trigger and shoot
that woman!" Galin screamed in rage of the development going on.
Andrew: So Wolfram & Hart operates on other planets than Earth?
Ruri: Do you even know whether Warhammer will get that reference?
WH: I kinda get the idea.
"Mediators?! Rolf, that man shot his wife and because he had money,
he was able to avoid getting his rightful punishment?! On my world, such a
thing is not only forbidden, it's worthy of death. We need to take action
against him or else he may..."
His patience gone, Rolf turned on his best friend and screamed,
"SHUT UP, DARKON! Do you realize that we're NOT on your planet? Things are
not as simple in the universe. Yes! I know everything you do, but if we
were to act as judge, jury, and executioner on a world like this, they'd
have a price on our heads so high that every bounty hunter in all the
surrounding systems would be after us!"
Andrew: And another Star wars reference comes up!
WH: That was unintentional, I swear!
The commotion had drawn the attention of all the other Teknos in the
camp to them. Rolf had thrown his staff down in frustration and had walked
away, leaving all the others wondering what had happened. More than that,
it had started rumors going on within them all about their argument.
The single occasion had not only left him humiliated, but had left
him defeated not once, but twice. Once by a system filled with corruption,
the other being Rolf having to yell at him about something so basic as to
let those do what they will to themselves.
Andrew: Would I be correct to theorize that this was the very start of
Darkon's fall from grace?
Sal: Fortunately, I was away on assignment at the time. But I wouldn't think
so...
Returning his thoughts to the present, he could sense Saber and the
other three returning to their base. He would deal with them accordingly
and let the past be there to teach them so as to avoid future mistakes.
*****
With the battle won, the protectors had all returned to the loading
bay.
"Hey Slade! That was pretty neat, taking those guys' own blasts and
tossing them right back at them." Ringo said, hopping out of his suit.
"Ringo didn't do too bad himself," Shara said with a tilt of her
head to the aforementioned. "Not only did he save me, but he also managed
to send Lance away hurting pretty bad."
Andrew: I may be overanalysing this a little, but I seem to be catching a
hint of something between Ringo and Shara. Was this intentional, WH?
WH: I'm not sure... maybe.
A fourth entered the loading bay with a bit of a tired step. The
other three turned to see Tina, still in her armored form, walking rather
groggily beside Pegas, using the large robot as a support.
"Whoa, Tina, you alright?" Slade asked.
"I'm fine... kinda..." she shook her head to clear out what little
disorientation she had from the battle earlier. Apparently her equilibrium
had not adjusted completely and it was beginning to effect her performance.
Duo: Well, that's the excuse she was using. The fact of the matter is
she'd spent all her time since her last scene in the bar.
Tina: (to Duo) Nice try, short stuff! I'm still a minor!
"Tina, why don't you change back? Your body needs to rest from the
drastic changes your body's been going under." Shara offered.
A bit exasperated, Tina replied, "As much as I'd like to, there's a
little problem."
"What's that?"
"I'm not changing back until I get some clothes. I lost them when I
went through the process and I doubt I could call them back from being...
either way, I want to get a change of clothes." She said a bit defensively.
Andrew: Oh, Tina, don't be so modest!
[Ruri fires the Nadesico's Gravity Cannon at Andrew]
Ruri: Sukebe.
{Tina was about to pound Andrew, but seeing nothing left of him to hit,
forgets it.}
[Snip]
*****
Yet, sleep would not come to her easy, so she continued to just
stare at the ceiling, recalling the day's events.
Andrew [Tina]: Unfamiliar ceiling...
Dawn: Why don't you try drawing that scene? You've already got Darkon's
picture there.
WH: I could...
Most specifically, her new found ability to utilize the wind itself.
Leaning up against the wall, she thought it would not hurt to try and call
her power to use the wind without her armor. It left her with several
different anxieties that would not keep themselves quiet.
The foremost being that it may be harmful to try it without the armor to
protect her. Another being that it may not even work. A different one said
that it only worked with her armor. Endless doubts and possibilities voiced
their concern over her curiosity.
Within minutes, those doubts became louder and louder until her mind
was literally filled with annoying voices, screaming the same doubts over
and over again. She mentally screamed back, "SHUT UP! I'm busy!" With that,
the doubts left her alone. Visibly sighing, she cleared her mind to ready
the experiment.
Andrew: You could say that she concentrated on becoming an airhead.
[Izumi pops in again]
Izumi: Bad, but not bad enough.
(Tina pops in and smakes Andrew across the face.)
Tina: Jerk! *SMACK*
She held out both hands and tried to concentrate on the most basic
part of what made up the wind, oxygen.
Ruri: Actually, there is more nitrogen than oxygen in Earth's atmosphere.
WH: (irritated) It was late when I was writing that scene! So shoot me!
*POW* (WH falls dead as Iczer-2 puts away the revolver she had in her hand.)
I2: Don't say stuff like that around us, Animates. We take things like that
too serious... *POW* *CRASH*
WH: Nice try! But you can't hit something that isn't there! BWA HA HA HA
HA!!
Sal: I'm not going to say it... it's too easy.
With a sigh, she quickly changed into her pajamas and hopped onto
her bed. Enough time was wasted thinking... now was the time for sleep.
Andrew: Are these pajamas the ones from "Shara's Last Shift" that she was
so sensitive about being seen in?
Dawn: Got a fax from Tina... it says 'Lock your door tonight, Dynon.'! I
wonder what that could mean?
*****
On the other side of the command center, Slade led his sister back
to the room she had been staying in since she had come there in the first
place. Earlier, she had put too much of a strain on her body and now she
needed to rest. Her armored form had been far more draining than she had
expected.
Ness took one last look at her before he closed the door to her room
and leaned against the wall beside it. As happy as the day's victory made
him, it was easily diffused by the ugly fact that his sister would no
longer be with him soon. In addition, Saber's defeat against him today only
made him depressed about how he had next to no chance of bringing his
brother back.
Duo: Oh, man... noticed that EVERYTHING makes D-Boy depressed?
Andrew: Maybe he's got Angel's "happiness curse" on him.
Sal: Prozac for everyone!!
Hearing another person's footsteps turned his attention from his
thoughts to see Star walking from the dimly lit hallway to his location.
"Are you feeling all right? After a day like this, I would have
thought you'd be smiling a little longer." She said taking a place in the
wall beside him.
Andrew [Mildly annoyed]: Star, this is D-BOY, remember?
All 3: How can we forget?
"Star."
She turned to him. "Yes?"
The tone of voice seemed to have been based more out of curiosity
than anything else. "Do you have any family?"
Andrew: Her name's Summers, isn't it? Maybe there's a connection to the
X-Men in there.
Duo: That's an entirely different universe, damn it! And there's no
evidence that Warhammer even reads American comics!
WH: Untrue. Before I discovered anime, I was happily content with X-men, The
Punisher, Richie Rich, Archie, Transformers, Disney comics, and Sonic the
Hedgehog...*Sigh* Ah, how I love nostalgia.
Ruri: However, given how convoluted the family tree in question is, I
wouldn't be surprised if there was a branch that ended up in the LoT
universe anyway.
WH: It's possible...
A small part of her wished that he not asked that question,
nevertheless, she replied, "I did. I had a sister and a brother. I never
knew my mom, and my father died about 5 years ago."
"Who do you remember the most?"
She took a moment to think about what to say. "Mostly my dad.
Nowadays they're just images, fading slowly, no matter what I do."
Reminiscing about his own father, Ness continued, "What was he
like?"
A long silence followed his question. The main reason being Star
found the clear memories of her parent harder and harder to find. "He
was... very strong, patient, and kind... but sad." She turned to him, "Why
are you asking me this?"
Looking away, he said quietly, "I can hardly remember who my mother
was. Even though the process had restored a lot of things to my memory...
not all of it was recovered. I can't remember what kind of person she was."
Andrew: Dr. Freud, needed at the command center! Paging Dr. Freud!
Sal: Oh, yeah right! Like that old pervert could help this! All he ever
talked about was sex and that's it!
With a somber look, she stared to the other side of the hall and
whispered just below audible levels, "At least you had a mother..."
Between them, a long and somewhat uneasy silence had continued for
who knew how long. Only the dull hum of the power current going through the
generators kept the area from being completely silent. The light from the
ceiling gave some light to the area from which they stood, but it still
left Star partially left in darkness, while Slade was in the nowhere in
lamp's light.
He then broke the silence by saying, "I'm sorry, Star."
She turned back to him to see him sighing deeply. "Now I've gone and
depressed us both. I'm sorry, it's just that all this is just making this
war even harder to cope with."
Duo: Uh, Star, how can you "depress" Blade? Isn't that pretty much natural
for him? Sheesh, the guy's worse than Heero!
Dawn: Uhh, I think you're mistaken, it was Blade who said that.
She began to smile a bit and replied, "Slade... or should I say,
Ness, don't worry about it too much. We all have these kinds of hard
times... and another thing..." she then walked out in front of him and said
directly to his face, "Ness... I want to let you know that no matter what
happens... you can count on me to be there to listen."
She reached up and cupped his face in her hands and continued with a firm,
yet not too forceful smile, "I don't want you to go and hide in yourself
like you've done before... will you come to me if there's any problem?"
Despite his initial shock, he soon calmed down and gave her words some
careful thought. He took her wrists and slowly pulled her hands away from
his face and said, "What do I have to lose?"
Andrew [Star]: Well, you won't be so sexy without the angst. So on second
thoughts, do go and hide in yourself!
Sal: ... some help you are.
Her smile grew, "Nothing. You only get someone you can learn confide in and
trust, no matter what."
Ness looked down for a second and then back up into her eyes. "All
right then. If there's anything I need to talk about to anyone, I'll make
sure and talk to you about it." And before she could say anything, it was
his turn to surprise her by pulling her into an embrace and whispering to
her, "Thank you, Star."
She too was shocked at first, but then relaxed and soon put her own
arms around him, whispering back, "You're welcome."
It was almost regretful for them both when they parted. "I have to
go, but I'll be back to check on how things are when I can." Star said,
starting to walk away. He nodded and just as she was about to turn a
corner,
"Hey, Star."
She turned back to him, wondering what he wanted to say.
"When we get another day off... you want to get something to eat in
the city?"
Andrew: Creamed corn?
Duo: Oh no, not a Twin Peaks reference, please!
WH: What about the character development between these two? It's the most
important part!!
Her smile returned and she said back, "I'd like that."
*****
The voice belonged to a more feminine looking than the others, but still
had the pure bulk of being well defended. Clad in gold and opal colored
armor, Teknoman Sword surveyed the situation of her allies and wanted to
laugh, yet did not.
Andrew: Ah, Sword. I loke Sword.
WH: What it Andrew, she's another man's woman.
Sal: That's another reason why I hate Earth. That's SO degrading.
"Saber... Tell me, why is it that after all that you have done for me, you
have been failing me now?"
Saber faltered and with his head lowered, replied "I don't understand how I
could have failed. But, what I do know is that Slade has become more
powerful than before, they have stronger weapons, and even a new
teknoman..."
"Which matters little!" Darkon interrupted. "I made you to be more powerful
than this." His semi-visible form stepped near his servent and his eyes
narrowed slightly. At that instant, an invisible force had seized Saber's
neck and air had suddenly been hard to come by. He clawed at his neck,
trying to release whatever invisble hands had gripped him over his throat.
Andrew [Darth Vader]: You disappoint me, Saber.
WH: Now this reference was intentional!
"Tell me, Saber... why should I spare you after you've failed me?"
Saber found his voice gone and then closed his eyes, waiting for the
inevitable. Gunner had failed and he knew what had happened to him.
"Master, if I may speak on behalf of Saber," Sword spoke up. The other two
turned to her, Saber more surprised than Darkon.
"Saber has served you well, which shows he is more than capable of leaving
alive. Spare him your wrath this time, master. Let him rest and prepare for
the next time he is needed."
Andrew [Sword]: Plus, the more Teknomen that can take all the risks for
me, the more I can kiss Darkon's...
Dawn: (stuffs a bar of soap into Andrew's mouth) Keep it clean my friend!
Darkon stood silent for a moment. Seeing this, which he would never
expected, spoke.
"Very well, Sword. I shall spare him this time. In the meantime, you shall
in command until I have completed the metamorphisis of my host body."
Saber wanted to scream. Now he realized what Sword was doing, saving his
hide so that she could be promoted. Under the current circumstances,
anything he would have said would have only hurt him more than what has
happened already. So he said nothing.
"Thank you master. Now concerning the traitors. I have a plan," Sword
continued as the other two listened to her. As she explained her plan in
detail, Darkon began to marvel at just how ruthless and cunning humans
could turn out to be. It nearly made him want to respect humanity's
capacity for inhuman cruetly.
Duo [Baldric from "Blackadder"]: I have a cunning plan that cannot fail...
Sal: Be nice if I knew where that came from.
*****
With Sword leaving to move her plan into action, Saber was about to
leave as well.
"Saber." Darkon said before he could leave. "Stay here. I have something I
wish to say to you."
Duo [Darkon]: Will you marry me?
(Darkon punches Duo into the cockpit seat of his Gundam, seals it shut, and
encloses the cockpit with super steel chains..)
Darkon: And stay there, you little runt!
Confused, he turned back to his master and waited for what would
come. "I am not ignorant of what you have done in the past, and even with
the recent happenings, it should come as no surprise. I let you and the
others go so you could make them think they actually had a chance."
"Then, what we did..."
"Yes. Let the humans breathe for a little bit. Let them think they
actually have a chance to win. Keep their hopes up and let them fight just
as hard... and in the end, they'll curse whatever means they used to give
them hope in the first place."
"But Slade, their weapons, and that new teknoman are..."
"...are nothing compared to my power!
Ruri: This is the reason the Evil Overlord List was made.
WH: Once Darkon got a copy of that, he's been reading it non-stop, thanks a
lot for telling about it!
Besides... this war will not be won by brute force alone... a little
creativity will make things interesting, which is why I'm letting Sword
implement her plan."
"So... what will happen to me?"
Darkon's grin grew and he whispered deviously, "How would you like
to receive a smiliar upgrade to your power like Slade did?"
Saber's eyes grew wide at the thought. Having power to match
Slade's, making the odds of beating him even better, only refueled the fire
of rage Saber felt for his former brother. "Yes, master, I'll do anything
to receive such power."
"And you shall, Saber... you shall." Darkon said, his intention to
up the scales in this war greater than before.
End of Chapter 3
Andrew: Ohh, nice tension builder!
[Snip notes]
Ruri: Good chapter.
Duo: I liked it.
Andrew: See you soon!
WH: Thanks, hope to see more from you!