My 100th Story Special By Andrew Norris AUTHOR'S NOTE When I first began writing science-fiction back in 2003, I was a naive 14-year-old with an overactive imagination. Those first stories I wrote I am not at all proud of, but they did set me off on a long journey of storywriting. Since "Diary of a Lonely Spaceman" was written, it seems to have become my trademark to write crossover stories between Bucky O'Hare and other fictional universes. Some like "When Bucky O'Hare Met Roger Rabbit" I would have preferred if they had never been written, while others like "Mostly Harmless" (which used elements of Douglas Adams) I am particularly proud of. Nevertheless, for my 100th story, I shall keep to this crossover tradition by combining Bucky with my favourite comic-book line, and I shall let you all find out for yourselves how it turns out... PROLOGUE - The Sphinx, Morphea Inside the Sphinx, MIRAGE is sitting on her throne, lost in deep thought as she stares at an image of JENNY hovering before her. Whilst MIRAGE is lost in thought, ANDREW is pouring himself a glass of wine as he tries to keep out of MIRAGE'S next scheme. MIRAGE: (thinking aloud) I must find a way of bringing Jenny to my knees! She is the only Aldebaran to have escaped my grasp so easily! ANDREW: (whines) Why not just forget it, Mirage? You're obsessing over Jenny like you obsessed over Aladdin! Why not just forget all of this and go back to ruling Morphea? MIRAGE: (perks up her ears) What did you say? ANDREW: I said why not try and focus on ruling Morphea? MIRAGE: No, stupid! Before that! ANDREW: (understands his mistake) Oh, well I said: "You're obsessing over Jenny like you obsessed over Aladdin". MIRAGE leaps out of her throne and paces the room with a cunning smirk on her face that seems to worry ANDREW. MIRAGE: Yes, it could work! Sooner or later, they must cancel one another out! Yes, provided I can find the right world to make contact with, I could not only wipe out that accursed Jenny, but I could sieze power as Queen of all the Aniverse! SCENE ONE - Genus Control Centre, Genus Genus is undergoing a severe heatwave that is affecting everyone. CORPORAL RICHARD NASS is at his radio set, with an electric fan plugged in to cool himself down, WILLY and BLINKY are lying asleep in the Righteous Indignation, with WILLY'S shirt dripping with sweat, and DEADEYE is using the heat to his advantage, and is trying to give himself a tan. On the bridge, BUCKY, who has his shirt undone and has taken off his headgear, is listening to a local radio station. ANNOUNCER: (over radio) ...and the sudden heatwave that hit Genus unexpectedly has ground the whole planet to a halt as temperatures reach 90 degrees celsius in the hottest areas. Experts say that the heatwave may be the result of thermal energy of a star being dragged through a white-hole, and are currently looking for ways to solve the problem. In other news, the financial... BUCKY switches off the radio and activates the air conditioning, just as JENNY comes up onto the Bridge. Because of the heat, she has discarded her armour and is wearing only the black jumpsuit normally underneath. In her hands are two bottles of Mineral Water, one of which she hands to BUCKY. BUCKY: (breathing heavily) Thanks, Jenny. (takes a long swig) I bet some of the desert worlds aren't this hot. JENNY: I just can't understand what's causing it. (sits down) The nearest white-hole is several million kiloglides from here. BUCKY: True, but heat can still stay warm when it's travelling through space. JENNY: Think we should investigate? BUCKY: Anything to get myself cool, again. (flicks a few switches) You'd better go fetch Deadeye while I start her up. Looks like this one could take a while. SCENE TWO - The Righteous Indignation, somewhere in space As the ship flies through space, JENNY is detecting a trail of thermal energy travelling through space to Genus, and BUCKY pilots the ship as they try to find the source of the trail. BUCKY: I don't get it. If it is a star, then why is the heat being directed only at Genus? WILLY: (entering the bridge) Maybe it's artificial heat rather than natural heat. For all we know, someone could be trying to barbecue Genus into submission. BUCKY: I wouldn't put it past these guys, Willy. It might be another Toad scheme, for all we know. The scanner suddenly de-activates, and the instruments die down. The trio grow nervous as the tension rises. WILLY: Wh-what happened? JENNY: (trying controls) All the instruments have just been de- activated! It could be a jamming-beam. BUCKY: Willy, try to get Bruiser to activate the Emergency Override. BRUISER: (from below) No good, cap'n! Somebody's jammin' all our gear! WILLY: (nervously) I-I'm beginning to think that that heat wasn't just a heatwave. Maybe it was something to try and lure us out into the open! MIRAGE: (echoing) Correct, Master DuWitt. If you and your companions wish to survive, you will have to come and find me! Happy landings, everyone... The ship returns to normal, but to their horror, they are caught in the suction of a black hole, and no matter how much they struggle, they cannot escape. BUCKY: (strains) Hold tight! It's gonna be a bumpy ride! The ship increases in speed as the suction grows more powerful, tearing reinforced plating from the ship as the tiny frigate buckles and groans. As it approaches the event horizon, there follows a blinding white light as all known Physics break down into nothingness. SCENE THREE - Manhattan, New York, Earth-972 Earth-972 is the universe of Amalgam Comics, a combination of Marvel and DC Comics. Here, Manhattan lies in ruins following some catastrophic attack that has completely decimated the city, and some rubble continues to smoulder as an epitaph to the city. Amidst the debris, something stirs, and a wrecked girder is lifted up and tossed aside as LOBO THE DUCK, an anthropomorphic, white-feathered duck resembling "Lobo" of DC Comics, emerges from the rubble and gazes around him. A cigar dangles from his beak as he speaks with a rough, Brooklyn accent. LOBO: (gasps) Fragging waugh! The Big Apple's turned rotten to the core! He looks around at the devestation, and notices something in the distance. It is a black cat, watching him with piercing, red eyes, and hissing angrily. LOBO: Oh, another one of her minions, are ya? (Swings his chain around) Get outta here! The cat just hisses, but disappears at the sight of IMPOSSIBLE DAWG, LOBO'S canine sidekick who resembles Marvel's Impossible Man. LOBO: Good job, Dawg, now let's just try an' see exactly how many are left alive around here. (calls out) Hello? His voice echoes around the ruins of the city, but he receives no reply. But as he is about to shout again, he notices what appears to be a comet travelling through the air and heading towards a nearby clearing. It lands with a sharp thud, and LOBO looks at DAWG with curiosity. LOBO: C'mon, boy. Let's go check this out! As he runs, DAWG transforms with a "pop!" sound, and takes the form of Captain America as he runs. SCENE FOUR - The Righteous Indignation The entire crew have been stunned as a result of travelling through the event horizon, but the ship has been able to bring the ship down on auto-pilot, and the crew are beginning to stir, WILLY being the first to stir. WILLY: (weakly) Ohh...what happened? BRUISER stirs and rubs his head, as BUCKY and JENNY descend from the bridge, both looking concerned. BRUISER: Say, what's goin' on, Bucky? BUCKY: I don't know any more than you, Bruiser. The instruments were burned out by the journey through the black hole. JENNY: But what we do know is that we've been ejected through a white hole and have landed somewhere. DEADEYE murmurs incoherently, and WILLY tends to him, while BLINKY plugs himself into the computer systems. BLINKY: (beeping electronically) Good ship Righteous Indignation unharmed, but energy source has been burned out by space journey. WILLY: Then we'll need to find some more fuel rods before we can leave. BUCKY: But there' still Mirage's threat to worry about, and we'll need to be on our toes if we're going to get through! There is a heavy pounding on the hatchway as LOBO THE DUCK slams the hatch angrily with his fist. LOBO: (harshly, from outside) Open up in there, will ya! I know yer working with that fragging cat-woman! BUCKY and JENNY both glance at each other in shock, and BUCKY moves to open the hatch, finding himself face to face with the surprised-looking LOBO THE DUCK. LOBO: (shocked) Feetal's fragging feathers! If it ain't Egyptian pussycats, it's green rabbits! BUCKY: (firmly) I'm captain Bucky O'Hare of the S.P.A.C.E. Who or what are you? LOBO: Name's Lobo the Duck, cap'n, professional bounty-hunter at yer service. DEADEYE walks up, and pushes BUCKY aside. DEADEYE: Allow me, Bucky me boy, we Ducks are all one family, y'know. LOBO: Don't bet on it, pal. You don't look like anybody from Ducknia to me. DEADEYE: (raises an eyebrow) Ducknia? Y'mean this isn't Kanopis? LOBO: Nope, an' this ain't Ducknia neither, Mallard breath! This is Earth! BUCKY: Can you tell us what happened here? LOBO: (calmer) Sure... FLASHBACK - Manhattan, a few hours previously The city is going on as usual, with cabs driving back and forth, office-workers minding their own business and the usual scenes of city life. At a small cafe, LOBO THE DUCK is sat, rather reluctantly, with a ginger-haired hippy girl called BEVARLENE, as well as another Amalgam Comics character, SPIDER-BOY, while IMPOSSIBLE DAWG lies asleep at their heels. LOBO: (narrative) Things were pretty quiet to start with, and I was stuck babysitting that arach-kid, Spider-Boy, at the request of my girl, Bevarlene. Then, from out of nowhere, we had our first visitors since the day our universe got shrunk. Several black clouds fill the sky, as MIRAGE descends from the clouds, surrounded by vicious-looking black cats. She hovers in mid-air over the cafe as other ONLOOKERS run away in sheer terror, and MIRAGE eyes SPIDER-BOY with a smile on her face. MIRAGE: (smirks evilly) Hmm, you'll do, big boy. A swirling mist envelops SPIDER-BOY and paralyzes him, dragging him back into the clouds despite efforts by BEVARLENE. BEVARLENE: (whimpers) Lobo, do something! LOBO: Why? Surely she can take better care of him! BEVARLENE hits him over the head, and LOBO submits by throwing a large fishing hook up to SPIDER-BOY, but fails to catch on anything. Once SPIDER-BOY has been enveloped by clouds, MIRAGE sets her cats on the populace. LOBO and DAWG take cover as BEVARLENE is soon captured, while Manhattan is quickly ruined by the invaders. END OF FLASHBACK BUCKY, WILLY and DEADEYE stand shocked at what they hear, but LOBO has not yet finished. LOBO: But that ain't the end of it! She left a rip in the space/time continuum that's been makin' Impossible Dawg change more often than usual! He gestures to DAWG, who in a series of popping sounds, transforms into Nightcrawler, Harley Quinn and The Human Torch, all within a hairline of each other. BUCKY: Then Mirage's presence here must be endangering this universe! We have to stop her! LOBO: By my reckonin', if we can defeat her, then we can stop that li'l rip from spreadin' an' patch it up before everythin' goes haywire! JENNY appears at the hatchway, and LOBO THE DUCK is about to attack, but BUCKY quickly bars the way. BUCKY: (calmly) It's alright. She's a friend. LOBO: (grunts) I'll believe that when I see it. JENNY: (a little hurt) I was going to say, if we just use Dawg's changes, we could use him to help find Mirage! BUCKY: Well, it's the only plan we've got, and unless we defeat Mirage and leave as soon as we can, we might end up destroying both this world and the Aniverse! LOBO: (snaps) Then perhaps we'd better quit yapping and start moving! He storms off, with DAWG taking up the lead. JENNY looks hurtfully at BUCKY as the group begin to follow LOBO THE DUCK. JENNY: Try and understand, Bucky...I'm nothing like Mirage! BUCKY: I know, Jenny, and I'm gonna prove it to Lobo that you're not. SCENE FIVE - Somewhere near the New York State border, Earth-972 IMPOSSIBLE DAWG is taking up the lead, and constantly changes into varied DC and Marvel superheroes as the trail gets warmer. LOBO THE DUCK follows immediately behind, along with BUCKY, JENNY, DEADEYE, WILLY, BRUISER and BLINKY bringing up the rear. LOBO: (groaning) Yeesh! Any more, we'll be in Conneticut before yuz can say "Quack Robinson!". BRUISER: (slurps) Yeah! You'd think we'd've bumped into somethin' by now! Just as he says this, the whole cavalcade march into a concrete wall before them, with the frontmost of the group being squashed by BRUISER'S weight. BLINKY, however, avoids this, and begins to scan the structure in front of them. BLINKY: (pondering) Object indentified: Heavily fortified stronghold of unknown origin. Outer walls of concrete over 1 foot thick. The rest of the group dislodge themselves and look up. The wall is part of a large warehouse-like complex that has sprouted up overnight. Unlike the ruins of Manhattan, it has scarcely a scratch, and lacks any windows whatsoever. It stands roughly 60 feet in height, and has the same measurement for length. While JENNY and BUCKY straighten themselves out, IMPOSSIBLE DAWG barks angrily at it, undergoing multiple changes in the space of a few seconds. BUCKY: (straightening his back) So now we know where to look. WILLY: But, how do we get in? I can't see a door anywhere! DEADEYE: Aye! Whatever's in there probably don't want anythin' gettin' back out again! BUCKY: Bruiser, would you care to do the honours? BRUISER pushes the others aside, and hits the wall several times, as it crumbles beneath the pressure of his fists, until it finally collapses. BRUISER rubs his hands gently as LOBO THE DUCK stares in awe. LOBO: (amazed) Dang! Those punches are harder than a stream o' murkish violence! BRUISER: (proudly) It's all in the arms, li'l buddy. Jus' get the swing right and you can't fail! IMPOSSIBLE DAWG leaps through the hole and sniffs around, and BUCKY takes up the lead, his maser pistol ready. JENNY follows suit, with DEADEYE and LOBO THE DUCK sharing the next routine. Once all are inside, the hole strangely seals itself back up, and the group are left in pitch blackness. SCENE SIX - The Fortress, somewhere in New York, Earth-972 With no light to see, WILLY flicks on a flashlight, and BLINKY uses his eye sensor as a beacon. Looking around, they can see nothing but a stone floor, with the walls just too far off to be illuminated. They walk slowly forward, trying to feel for anything to grab onto. JENNY: (sternly) My psychic interwishing tells me that we've been expected. LOBO: (Ssoffs) You need a cat to tell us that? BLINKY: Sensors indicate movement all around, but unknown force is jamming changeover to Night Vision. WILLY: (nervously) So...we're flying blind? MIRAGE: (from shadows) Not for long, dear DuWitt. Light appears from nowhere and illuminates the room, which is set out like a temple from Ancient Egypt. MIRAGE sits on a raised throne at the far end, overlooking the scene, with two FIRECATS (giant cats made from fire) guard her throne at the bottom. Several darkened corridors lead off to points unknown, and built into one of the walls are several glass sarcophagi containing several Amalgam Comics heroes (all of whom are unconcious), including SPIDER-BOY, DARK CLAW, IRON LANTERN, DARE THE TERMINATOR and even BEVARLENE. JENNY scowls as MIRAGE laughs sinisterly. MIRAGE: I was beginning to think that you weren't going to turn up! BUCKY: (sharply) What do you want with these heroes, Mirage? This universe is far removed from the Aniverse! MIRAGE: (calmly) Yes, but the heroes of the Aniverse are egotistic morons! I have scanned the stars themselves for suitable opponents for you, and this universe is a combination of the two greatest of multiverses to have ever existed! LOBO: So what's yer point, mallard breath? MIRAGE: I have taken the simple Aldebaran "Clashes" and made things a lot more simpler. (gestures to the sarcophagi) These sarcophagi are used to temporarily fill souls with unfathomable fits of rage, and as you appear to be such a great hero, O'Hare, I suggest you tackle each of them, one-on-one! She begins to laugh again, and simply brushes aside a remark by DEADEYE. DEADEYE: (sourly) Ye be one sick kitty, lass! MIRAGE: I know! (leans forward) Well, O'Hare, think you can manage it? BUCKY thinks for a moment, and replies with a simple nod. A thin smile spreads across MIRAGE'S face as she casts a silent spell with her hand. The others are forced back as an "arena" appears through the floor, with BUCKY at it's centre. JENNY tries to run in after BUCKY, but an invisible forcefield as enveloped the arena in a dome shape, blocking out any chances of outside interference. MIRAGE: And now to see who should go first? She lets a hand hover over the sarcophagi, and the one containing DARK CLAW penetrates the forcefield and enters the arena, depositing the unconcious anti-hero on the floor. WILLY: (whispers to Lobo) Who's that? LOBO: Dark Claw. He's gotta set of hedge-trimmers fer fingers that could cut through a fraggin' tank! What's your pal got? JENNY gulps nervously as DARK CLAW is deposited into the arena, semi- concious and only just able to stand on his feet. DARK CLAW is a Batman/Wolverine hybrid, whose face and body are hardly visible due to his suit that covers everything but the mouth. He gives an evil scowl over at BUCKY as his eyes glow blood-red. MIRAGE: Begin! DARK CLAW immediately pounces on BUCKY, but the rabbit bites into DARK CLAW'S arm. Whilst the hero yelps in pain, BUCKY leaps to a safe distance and fires his maser, which has little effect on DARK CLAW'S armour. Again, BUCKY is knocked to the floor, held down by DARK CLAW'S foot. DARK CLAW holds up his claws, ready to strike, and turns to MIRAGE for a response. Before MIRAGE announces BUCKY'S fate, JENNY runs up toward her. JENNY: (shrieks) Mirage! Let me go in there! The group murmur, and BUCKY looks surprised at this gesture by JENNY. MIRAGE, however, remains unscathed. JENNY: (continued) Let me fight these heroes, and let Bucky go! MIRAGE: (chuckles) Your fight is with me, Jenny, but if you wish to fight, then I shall not upset you. She uses her magic to return DARK CLAW into the sarcophagi, and the arena disappears, but BUCKY, LOBO THE DUCK and the others are all slammed against a wall and restrained by manacles of pure energy that restrain their hands. JENNY watches this and looks up at MIRAGE with scorn. MIRAGE: (descending from her throne) I did say one-on-one, Jenny; I don't want you trying to rely on your friends for support! JENNY: (hisses) Are we here to talk or to fight? MIRAGE does not answer, but the two felines begin to attack one another, hissing and displaying their claws as the scuffle continues. It isn't long before both of them are bleeding, but neither of the two stop and continue the scuffle. By the wall, BUCKY is shocked to see JENNY so vicious, as is WILLY, while LOBO looks on in boredom. BUCKY: This is awful! WILLY: (wide-eyed) Yeah, I mean, what if Jenny gets hurt? IMPOSSIBLE DAWG yaps constantly has he continues to change more rapidly, transforming into various DC and Marvel characters that appear for only a short moment. BRUISER: (worried) Hey, dat dog is gettin' mighty angry! DEADEYE: It could be all that magical hocus-pocus that's streamin' outta this fight. LOBO: And that means that li'l rip in the continuum's gettin' bigger! WILLY: Isn't there any way to plug it? LOBO: (suddenly hit by an idea) Yeah! I've got somethin'! Get yer robot to send out an ultrasonic signal, will ya? BLINKY looks up at BUCKY, who nods once, and a small radar dish pops out of a void in BLINKY'S chest, sending out an ultrasonic signal not heard by the naked ear. BLINKY strains to concentrate as the fight distracts him, but soon, a figure with a golden helmet appears in a vision before LOBO. The figure is DR. STRANGEFATE, and his helmet appears to frown at the psychotic duck. WILLY: Wow! Who's that? LOBO: (to vision) Hey, Doc Strangefate! STRANGEFATE: (echoing voice) Lobo! This is a day of surprises! The world is spiralling downward, I find no help among the survivors, and suddenly I receive a message from an old friend! LOBO: No time to chat, Doc, but I've found the source of all o' this problem, and it's causin' the space/time continuum to start rippin' apart like my pop's vest! Think you can give us some time? STRANGEFATE: I shall do what I can, friend, but my help is only temporary. It is up to you and your friends to stop this madness! The vision disappears, and the focus moves back to the fight. MIRAGE and JENNY are both panting heavily, and have been cut over their bodies by each other's claws. MIRAGE looks over at JENNY as they clamber to their feet. MIRAGE: It seems that you are stronger than you look, Jenny. JENNY: (sharply) That is MASTER Jenny to you, Mirage! MIRAGE: (undaunted) Your strength is fuelled only by anger. Mine is fuelled by centuries of unlimited power! JENNY: Yours is fuelled by insanity, Mirage! You thirsted for power as you did for blood! Your strength is fuelled only by greed and corruption! MIRAGE: (snarls) We shall see about that, witch! She floors JENNY, and begins thumping her hard in the face, sparking anger in BUCKY as he tries to break free, but to no avail. MIRAGE: (mockingly) Well, Master Jenny, it looks like you're really strong now, doesn't it? She flares up a hand in mid-air, ready to strike JENNY down, but from one of the darkened corridors, a flaming arrow flies past MIRAGE, grazing her aloft hand, and landing in the wall opposite. MIRAGE looks into the shadows with a scowl as a FIGURE can be seen lurking around. MIRAGE: (shouts, standing up) Who was that? Who dares to assault my person?! Everybody is in confusion over this, and they all look to the same corridor. From it emerges ANDREW, still in his Egyptian attire, but has a FIRECAT at his side, and wields a bow and arrow. BUCKY, WILLY etc. all look startled to see him back from the dead for a second time, and even LOBO THE DUCK appears to recognise him. MIRAGE: (shrieks) YOU?! ANDREW: (nods) I tried to reason with you, Mirage, but you wouldn't listen. MIRAGE: What are you talking about, fool?! ANDREW: The Firecats are your priority, Mirage, not some age-old vendetta against Aldebaran. As he speaks, JENNY weakly moves over to the group to try and free them from the manacles one by one. Using her magic, she is able to split the bonds and free her friends. Because the energy is fuelled by MIRAGE, the weak state of the despot means that the manacles are easily broken. ANDREW: (continues) We both agreed that we would not interfere with the Toad Wars and to let it play out until a winner was decided on. MIRAGE: Come to the point, you idiot! ANDREW: (yells) That is my f***ing point! You're letting your subjects fend for themselves while you go galavanting off to bring chaos to alternate worlds that we aren't even tied to! (quieter) If you carry on like this, then you'll lose your crown long before these wars are over. MIRAGE hears a thump as BRUISER falls to the floor. Spinning around, she finds that WILLY, BRUISER and DEADEYE have all been freed by JENNY, who is slowly healing due to her magic. The trio cover JENNY and prepare to fight, but MIRAGE can do nothing but stare at them in disbelief. MIRAGE: Y-You have escaped?! WILLY: (defensively) That's right, and I'll...I'll clobber you if you try and hurt Jenny! MIRAGE: (smiles, hiding her rage) And you are willing to fight in her place, Master DuWitt? WILLY remains silent, but BRUISER and DEADEYE stand firm. MIRAGE: You talk tough, but which of you will take me on? BRUISER and DEADEYE look at one another awkwardly. MIRAGE'S smile spreads, but she spins at the sound of a gun cocking, and finds BUCKY and LOBO THE DUCK, side-by-side after being freed by ANDREW behind her back. BUCKY: (harshly) I'll take you on, Mirage, and if you're not out of this realm in the next few seconds, I'll blast your twisted mind all over this place! MIRAGE drops her smile, noticing the seriousness of BUCKY'S tone. She paces for a moment with her back to BUCKY, before moving close to ANDREW. MIRAGE: (quietly) Very well, Captain O'Hare, I shall leave this realm alone, for now. But just to make sure this sort of thing never happens again, I'll remember in future not to make rash promises! With lightning movement, she stabs ANDREW hard in the chest with nothing but her own hand, and removes it shortly after, leaving only a large recess in ANDREW'S torso. As he lies on the floor, bleeding to death, MIRAGE simply laughs at her deed and disappears. The group walk around ANDREW, trying to keep him comfortable. LOBO: (softly) Andy, you OK? DEADEYE: (surprised) Y'know 'im, laddy? LOBO: Sure, he was that bastich leadin' th' Brit Titans here a few years back! BUCKY: Andy, what is going on? ANDREW: (groggy) It's time you knew, Bucky. Mirage saved me from the windmill to be her slave, but thanks to Jenny here, she instead made me a consort, and we agreed that whichever side won the Toad Wars, the supporter would win the throne of Morphea. He coughs as the last ounces of life begin to leave him. ANDREW: But at least... now that I'm going for good, I'm just happy that... I could die on my own world... His head lolls back and the eyeballs roll upward. All movements in his body stop as he is left lying in a pool of blood. But just as the heroes are about to leave, JENNY notices something. JENNY: (points) Bucky, look! Sure enough, the corpse undergoes a dramatic change, decaying in a somewhat-mystical scene through his previous incarnations as Lt. F. Leghorn, as a Toad clone, as pilot of Fireball XL6 and as the superhero Chuck Bodgers, before there is nothing left but a skeleton that begins to rot away into dust. None of the group can believe their eyes. DEADEYE: (blinks in disbelief) Fry me ions! What the heck was that? JENNY: (quietly) He's free. He died on his own world, and now he can die in peace. BUCKY: But just what is this world? I thought there was only one Earth. LOBO: Only on different plains, bozo. This one happens to be a hybrid o' two worlds, like that fraggin' cat bastich said, an' everybody in this world is mixed up from two different ones. Suddenly, the building collapses brick-by-brick, sinking into the ground as though it had never been built, and the glass sarcophagi smash to pieces, freeing the heroes within. SCENE SEVEN - Somewhere on Earth-972 With the building gone, everything slowly returns to normal. The heroes from the sarcophagi reunite together, unaware of the small group until LOBO spots BEVARLENE, and runs lovingly towards her. Meanwhile, the vision of DR. STRANGEFATE encounters the group from the Aniverse. STRANGEFATE: All is well, my friends. The foe has been vanquished, and the crisis is past. BRUISER: Y'mean that li'l rip is all patched up? STRANGEFATE: (shakes his head) Not quite, my friend. There is still a small, harmless void, but it can easily be dealt with once you have returned to your own time and place. BUCKY: Actually, before we go, I'd like to know one thing. STRANGEFATE: Yes? BUCKY points to the remains of ANDREW, and is about to ask his question, but STRANGEFATE anticipates what the question is. STRANGEFATE: Like all things in this world, he is infused from two seperate entities from different plains. From the one came a hero known as Captain Commonwealth, whilst to the other came Color Kid, of the Legion of Substitute Heroes. The unusual pairing resulted in an unusual hero, and that is why he may have appeared somewhat... bizarre to you. BUCKY says nothing, but looks down at the corpse in pity. SCENE EIGHT - The Righteous Indignation, Earth-972 Manhattan is as it was now that MIRAGE'S magic no longer holds any power on the planet. Several fuel rods have been loaded on board, and BUCKY and JENNY are saying their farewells to LOBO THE DUCK, IMPOSSIBLE DAWG and BEVARLENE. BUCKY: Well, I guess this is goodbye, my friend. LOBO: Probably, kid, but we couldn't have licked that fraggin' b**ch without you. BUCKY: And thanks again for the fuel rods. LOBO: (shakes hands with Bucky) It's the least I can do, kid, so take care. JENNY moves alongside to say "thank you", but LOBO just hugs her tightly and looks up at her face. LOBO: And I'm sorry fer bein' such a bastich to ya, Jenny. You whipped Mirage real good with that figure o' yours! BEVARLENE: (through her teeth) Lobo, I think Jenny gets the message. LOBO releases JENNY, and JENNY simply smiles down at him, before boarding. Once all are aboard, the Righteous Indignation starts with a roar, and continues on it's way back into space. LOBO: (watching them leave) Well, there they go. There's realy heroes fer ya. SPIDER-BOY walks up to them and they re-unite as the small frigate makes it's way through space. SCENE NINE - Genus Control Centre, Genus, The Aniverse The Righteous Indignation makes a smooth landing at Genus Control, where the heatwave has long since past, and everything returns to normal. The crew alight, where NASS is waiting for them, and salutes. NASS: (salutes) Everything alright, captain? BUCKY: (returns the salute) Yeah. We sorted out our little heatwave problem, though. NASS: Must've been a biggy, captain. BUCKY: (nods) It sure was. NASS walks away, leaving the group alone. They say nothing until the silence is broken by WILLY a few minutes later. WILLY: So what do we do about Andy? BUCKY: (calmly) We just pretend nothing happened. He refused to die in the Aniverse because his persona masked a strong spirit far from home. Twice he gave his life to save ours, but like him, we have to carry on. Like us, he fought for freedom, and that is what we fight for in the aniverse, to be free from slavery and oppression forever. THE END