Bucky O' Hare In Past Demons By Andrew Norris SCENE ONE Kinear Everyday civilian life on the metropolis is running smooth as it comes close to midnight. All the satellites in the defence system are working perfectly, when something hard and metallic hits one of the satellite as it speeds towards the planets surface. Even though there is a puncture in the shield, the object continues to fall towards the city. It lands with a thud in a dark alleyway, catching part of a building as it lands. Some smoke rises, but no one appears to notice. Meanwhile, a hare street-thug named RICKY has just entered the alleyway as some police cars race by pursuing him. RICKY looks up at the metal object with horror, and a large metal hand grabs him by the throat, lifting him off the ground. ROBOT: (Sinister buzzing voice) Where is Bodgers? RICKY: (Chokes) let go...you're choke... It is too late, RICKY'S throat has been crushed, and as the arm lets go, the entire neck begins to bleed. The hand clenches shut into a fist angrily. ROBOT: I shall find you Bodgers, and you shall be eliminated. SCENE TWO Hangar 2C, Genus Control Centre, Genus BLINKY is making repairs on the Righteous Indignations hull, while WILLY is speaking to ANDREW as they both try to fix some wiring. ANDREW: ...and if I get one more blast of his hypno-beam, I'm a mindless zombie in his army. I find cover and what does General Negatron do? WILLY: Blasting you with his hypno-beam? ANDREW: Not even that! He just starts yammering on about how superior he is, and how one day he'll rule the world! He has me at my weakest point and he's just going on and on about his alter ego! WILLY: You certainly had some exciting times as Chuck Bodgers! ANDREW: The only problem was that I wasn't actually a real superhero. WILLY: (Confused) What do you mean? ANDREW: Well, I only became a superhero to try and get those kids who burnt down my museum as well as my career. Sure I was a fast-runner, but not fast enough to be qualified as superhuman! You could say I was just a poser. BLINKY: Humble robot request 5/8 spanner. WILLY: (Passing spanner to Blinky) But how come I don't see you running around now? BLINKY: Pardon? WILLY: Not you, Blinky, I was talking to Sub-Lieutenant Norris. ANDREW: Well, as I was kept out of the way when I joined the World Space Patrol, I got fatter as I wasn't exercising as much. It doesn't bother me now, though. I'm done with Chuck Bodgers and I don't intend to again. WILLY: You helped out on Noctur 4. ANDREW: Yes, but that was because of mass-genocide following a toad invasion. A superhero does anything dished out to them. I'm too old, Willy, and as I'm underground because of this problem on Earth, I can't go out and save people because I might discovered and executed. If you were in my position, you'd understand. Meanwhile, in a small café on the second floor of Genus Control Tower, BUCKY and JENNY are eating lunch together. JENNY: Do you think she'll be spaceworthy soon? BUCKY: Once we fix the exterior lighting and recalibrate the sensors, the Righteous should be just fine. JENNY looks down and notices WILLY and ANDREW talking down below. JENNY: I see Andy is having another chat. BUCKY: They've been doing that since the Noctur 4 invasions. I guess Willy's taken a real shine to him. JENNY: Well, maybe the "superhero" species are scarce on Earth. Who knows? BUCKY: I suppose for that, we can trust Andy, but only enough to say that he can be a good junior officer. JENNY: You signed him on in the first place. BUCKY: (Smirks) For his ship and to keep his trap shut about the Aniverse. Plus, I didn't know that he was *the* Chuck Bodgers back then. CORPORAL NASS strolls up to the table. NASS: (Salutes) Captain, you're needed on Kinear. The satellite system is down, and there's a string of murders going on. BUCKY: (Stands up) I'm on it! Let's go, Jenny! JENNY leaves a few simoleons to pay for the lunch and runs after BUCKY. CORPORAL NASS notices a half-full cup of coffee left on the table, which he drinks with satisfaction. NASS: (Smiles) Espresso! My favourite! SCENE THREE The Righteous Indignation, Out In Space Having launched from Genus, The frigate sets course for Kinear and begins its course. WILLY watches the view from the back of the bridge. BUCKY: I see you we're having a nice talk with the Sub-Lieutenant. WILLY: (Guiltily) I'm sorry, and I know I should've been concentrating on repairing the Righteous. BUCKY: Willy, as long as he's not exaggerating what's going on in the Aniverse when you're not here, then that's fine by me. WILLY: Thanks, Captain. I just can't believe that him, an old train- loving space-naval officer, was once an admired superhero. His build certainly doesn't match at all! JENNY: (To herself) Yes, he looks as though he could lose a few pounds. BUCKY: Come again? JENNY: (Straightens herself) Approaching Kinears' outer defences. The ship hovers past the battered satellite, where mechanics are at work repairing the shield. SCENE FOUR Kinear Constabulary HQ, Kinear Several police officers, mostly hares, are running back and forth dealing with several incidents. BUCKY, JENNY, DEADEYE and WILLY all walk up to a BROWN HARE in the uniform of a Lieutenant. He looks bemused at BUCKYS' arrival. HARE: (New York Accent) Can I help you at all? BUCKY: I'm Captain O' Hare, we were called here to investigate a stream of murders. HARE: (Puts down his paperwork) Oh, sorry! I'm Lieutenant Graham. I don't know much about it but I can tell you the three officers who've sighted the first five victims. He calls over to three HARES. The first is a WHITE HARE in a regular policeman's uniform. The second, a GREY HARE, is also in a regular uniform, but the third, a GREEN HARE, is wearing an outdated uniform worn by the Special Constables during the 1950s/1960s. GRAHAM: Hey you three, front and centre! They all neatly line up in front of BUCKY and stand to attention. GRAHAM: State your names. WHITE HARE: Constable Davies. GREEN HARE: (Squeaky voice) Special Constable Murdoch. GREY HARE: Constable Constable. DEADEYE: Come again, laddy? CONSTABLE: (Annoyed) PC Spencer Constable. I hate it; everyone keeps teasing me about it. BUCKY: Not to worry, during this investigation, I'll make sure nobody does, Constable Constable. CONSTABLE: I'm glad to hear it, Captain Captain. GRAHAM walks off annoyed at such a time-wasting charade. JENNY: Where exactly did you find the first body? MURDOCH: We found it in an alleyway not far from where a meteor was reported to have come down. The body was identified as Ricky Woodworm, a drug suspect we've been after for a while. DAVIES: The only clues we found were some strangle marks and that his neck had been crushed. WILLY: If he'd been strangled so much that his neck had been broken, doesn't that mean that we're looking for something inorganic? CONSTABLE: Come again? WILLY: Not even the strongest of mammals could crush a person's throat, so we're looking at perhaps a robot? JENNY: Or maybe it has something to do with that meteor. BUCKY: Have you run forensic tests on the body? MURDOCH: We're waiting for the results now. BUCKY: Were there any other murders that followed a pattern like this? DAVIES: All 51 deaths reported so far are a result of *inorganic* strangling. They've all occurred within a 9-mile radius of a disused Chemical Factory. BUCKY: I guess that's the place to start. You three stay here and inform us of the forensic results when they come through. DAVIES, CONSTABLE & MURDOCH: (In unison) Yes, sir! SCENE FIVE Andrews' Apartment, Genus ANDREW is busy cleaning his antiques, when a small letter falls out of one of his old books. Picking it up, the little note reads: "Sorry, I had to run. You may be a hero, but you'll never be magnetic enough for me. I would probably die of metal fatigue before there can be a proper attraction between us. Love Locomotina" ANDREW: (Sighs) Metal powers were never my style anyway. He rips up the note and throws it away in a waste-paper basket before continuing with his work. As he replaces the feather duster in the cupboard, he notices his old Chuck Bodgers suit lying alongside a highlander's outfit on a coat hanger. ANDREW: I guess there are times when it is too late to turn back. SCENE SIX An abandoned chemical factory, Kinear BUCKY, JENNY, WILLY and DEADEYE all wander around the deserted factory, careful not to step on anything that might cause damage. BUCKY has is radio out as PC CONSTABLE gives him the details of the forensic tests. CONSTABLE: (Over radio) The tests show that the victims were indeed strangled by a robot of some kind. It is constructed of an unknown metal type, but that is all that we can find out so far. BUCKY: (Sighs) Thank you, Constable. O' Hare out. He switches off his radio and replaces it into his pocket. DEADEYE: I don't like the looks of this, Bucky me lad! WILLY: Neither do I! It sure is creepy around here! BUCKY: Well, the sooner we find this robot the better! They all enter a spacious room with an enormous computer screen adjacent to the rusting doors. The room looks nothing like what would be used in a Chemical Plant. Instead, there is one brand new glass cylinder meant to hold one captive, and several tables laying upright with arm and leg restraints built into them. As they walk in, none of them notice something moving in the darkness. BUCKY: (Looks at cylinder) Looks like he's been using this place as his hideout. JENNY: Do you think it might be Toadborg experimenting modifications to his armour? BUCKY: I doubt it. Toadborg is a big robot, and he'd be hard to miss if it were him. What do you say, Willy? WILLY: Well, it could be of Toad origin, but we don't have enough evidence to support it. If it were a Toad, then they would've probably just set about destroying Kinears' defences, but what could be of importance to them on Kinear? ROBOT: (From the shadows) Vengeance. He blasts all four with a sudden bolt of laser beams that knock the four all over the room. BUCKY, DEADEYE and WILLY suddenly become trapped on the tables, while JENNY flies straight through the cylinder wall, but can find no way of getting back out. THE ROBOT steps out of the shadows. THE ROBOT is at first glance a heavily armoured battle robot. The arms and legs are merely metal rods and spheres inserted into small sockets. The legs consist of two large metal cubes almost like breezeblocks, and the torso is a mass of iron with jagged pieces sticking out for the shoulders. A head for the creature is merely a chrome bucket with a single red eye sensor and small loudspeaker for the mouth. The hands are giant steel gauntlets that match those used to kill RICKY. The hands are smeared in blood, and as THE ROBOT walks forward, it crushes BUCKY'S maser pistol under its foot. BUCKY: Who are you, and why are you killing these innocent people? ROBOT: Name: Gammaximus Alpha. Function: To destroy all opponents. Current Task: Seek and destroy Chuck Bodgers. WILLY: (Surprised) What?! GAMMAXIMUS: Chuck Bodgers, humanoid from Planet Earth. Powers: Speed and Flight. Devices: One high-power jetpack suitable for space travel. One suit aerodynamically designed and easily converts into spacesuit. DEADEYE: (Laughing) Chubby? A fast-runner! You've gotta be kidding me! BUCKY: We know who he is, but why do you want him so bad? GAMMAXIMUS: November 14th 2054, Defected from Royal Artillery after choosing to work alone instead of with army. Was taken offline by Bodgers when I began destruction of camp. Have now overridden my damaged circuits and have traced Bodgers to here. You will help me retrieve him. BUCKY: (Scoffs) Or what? GAMMAXIMUS ALPHA'S hand pops out a small rotating saw, which he holds close to WILLYS' face. BUCKY sighs in defeat. BUCKY: You win. The saw moves back into the arm, and GAMMAXIMUS ALPHA turns back to Bucky. GAMMAXIMUS: Where is Bodgers? SCENE SEVEN UAC HQ, Genus FRITZ and GRIFF are alone in the empty boardroom, speaking to one another about money matters. GRIFF: You realise of course that to keep up with this budget, we may have to redeem some parts of the Coalition. FRITZ: (Sighs) I do understand, but then we'd have an uprising from the Unions. They just don't realise how thrifty these fat cats are! GRIFF: Most of the money we earn goes towards restoring the other planets, while the. S.P.A.C.E. only gets a small percentage! Do they think that four measly frigates and one museum piece will win the war? FRITZ: What did you have in mind? GRIFF: If I had more support from the Council, which I don't, I would probably scrimp and save for a proper Assault Ship, or maybe a Destroyer. FRITZ: So you agree with Admiral Hudson that we need stronger craft? GRIFF: Exactly! How can we... A call comes through on the video screen behind them, and BUCKY is seen still strapped to the wall. BUCKY: Chairman? FRITZ: (Frowns) Captain, what are you playing at? You are supposed to be looking for that killer! BUCKY: We have found the killer sir, but all of us are now his captives. Unless Chuck Bodgers comes to Kinear and rendezvous' us at the disused Globochem Chemical Factory, then we too shall be killed. The link is immediately severed before BUCKY can say anymore. FRITZ and GRIFF stare at each other in confusion and surprise. GRIFF AND FRITZ: (In unison) Norris. SCENE EIGHT Globochem Chemical Factory, Genus GAMMAXIMUS ALPHA is watching an enormous convoy mixed between soldiers and policemen lining up outside the factory. Amongst the crowd are PC MURDOCH, PC DAVIES, PC CONSTABLE and LT. GRAHAM. GRAHAM: (Shouts) Come out with your hands up or we'll open fire! DEADEYE: (Angrily) Does that guy want to get us diced in the crossfire? WILLY: Yeah, how does bombing this place to pieces help us? GAMMAXIMUS: (To Willy) They will not bomb this place. DEADEYE: What are ya talkin' about, ya bucket o' bolts! They won't stop till yer scrap metal! GAMMAXIMUS: It is them who will perish, observe. He steps through a small emergency door at the side of the room, and attacks the convoy. As masers bounce off of his armour, GAMMAXIMUS ALPHA opens fire with his own arsenal, destroying objects such as tanks, police cars and even the troops and police officers. At one point, BUCKY notices on the screen that LT. GRAHAM has been obliterated into ash before his eyes. Eventually, the slaughter is over and GAMMAXIMUS ALPHA barricades himself in the factory once again. JENNY, meanwhile, has used her spells to break free of the cylinder but is stopped by GAMMAXIMUS ALPHA as he fires a ray at her, freezing her in one position. Using this same ray, she is placed back in the cylinder and the strength of her cell is increased. WILLY: (Amazed) Zero-Point Energy! Back on my world, that's still in the early stages! GAMMAXIMUS: Zero-Point Energy is a common weapon for military robots. Your female has the powers of Astrogirl, yet I have disposed of her with my power. Should you refuse to co-operate, you shall also perish! WILLY: Astrogirl? Are you saying that you have killed other superheroes? GAMMAXIMUS: Affirmative. Have terminated other superheroes en route to wreak vengeance on Bodgers: Astrogirl, terminated. Animan, terminated. Gothigirl, terminated. Spectralad, terminated. Locomotina, terminated. Mrs. Defiant, terminated... BUCKY: Enough! So you killed some superheroes, but we can help you! Why must you destroy everything that moves? GAMMAXIMUS: The main directive of all battle robots is to destroy. The supers have chosen to go against me, and they must be destroyed. He winces as his radar blips into life. GAMMAXIMUS: I detect a World Space Patrol vessel landing nearby with four occupants on board. DEADEYE: An' about time too! GAMMAXIMUS: Bodgers is here, and we shall await his arrival! GAMMAXIMUS ALPHA clicks a switch, and a set of soundproof shields are put up against the mammals. Through the door comes ANDREW, now dressed in his Chuck Bodgers outfit once more. He doesn't notice BUCKY and crew, as the soundproof shields have camouflaged them from view. As he looks around the room for GAMMAXIMUS ALPHA (whom has hidden behind some derelict machinery) ANDREW mutters to himself. ANDREW: Just when I'm ready to forget all this nonsense, one of my nightmares has to make a comeback! Brilliant! GAMMAXIMUS ALPHA moves out from his hiding place to greet ANDREW, who is taken quite aback. ANDREW: (Surprised) Gammaximus Alpha! GAMMAXIMUS: Chuck Bodgers, your hour has come. As GAMMAXIMUS ALPHA opens fire, ANDREW switches on his jetpack and flies to safety. The blast destroys one machine, so the soundproof shields are brought down. ANDREW is surprised to say the least. ANDREW: Bucky? You're the hostages of Gammaximus Alpha? GAMMAXIMUS: They are not captives, Bodgers. They are bait. I used them to lure you here for your extermination after you shutdown my primary circuits. ANDREW: You were going AWOL and you had to stop. GAMMAXIMUS: Yet you forgot the use of secondary backup circuits. Now, I have regained strength through defeating heroes and villains alike until I was strong enough to destroy you. ANDREW: (Bursts out) You've murdered other heroes?! GAMMAXIMUS: Heroes and villains, Bodgers. Villain Category: Michelle the Marauder terminated, Sweet William terminated, Valentinor terminated, Princess Arthuce 5th of Mars terminated, Mechaniboy terminated, Mary Celeste terminated... As he continues along the list, ANDREW moves towards a machine in an attempt to get BUCKY free, but is electrocuted and stunned. GAMMAXIMUS: (Continued) ...The Duchess Of Pain terminated, Lady Unscrupulous terminated. He notices ANDREW unconscious on the floor and scans the body. GAMMAXIMUS: Stunned by a static shock. A minor attack, but now it is time for an execution. He moves over to JENNY'S cylinder and plugs himself in. JENNY winces as GAMMAXIMUS ALPHA drains her of her powers. BUCKY: Jenny! JENNY collapses to the floor of her cage as GAMMAXIMUS ALPHA moves over to ANDREWS' body. GAMMAXIMUS: Now, Bodgers, you shall see why robots are superior to you pathetic organics. Before he can do anything, a slender young WOMAN dressed in a superhero outfit in varied tints of blue with a large purple "E" flies from the ceiling and fires an energy bolt at GAMMAXIMUS ALPHA. Looking up at the blonde-haired woman, ANDREW recognizes her instantly. ANDREW: (Weakly) Epitome? GAMMAXIMUS: Epitome, you too shall be eliminated. EPITOME: I think not! She dodges GAMMAXIMUS ALPHAS' supercharged power, and casts a quick spell that revives JENNY and sets her free of the cylinder. GAMMAXIMUS: Impossible! Only advanced powers can penetrate through my technology, and my databanks class you as inferior! EPITOME: Inferior this, robot! She fires several energy bolts, denting much of the armour. Before he can make an attack, ANDREW hits GAMMAXIMUS ALPHA with a large piece of piping. When pulling back the pipe, a piece of wire caught on the weapon is yanked out and JENNY retrieves her stolen energy. EPITOME and JENNY go about releasing their friends while ANDREW and GAMMAXIMUS ALPHA continue fighting. ANDREW is knocked aside by a sudden swift punch and crashes into JENNY. With EPITOME attempting to break WILLY free, GAMMAXIMUS ALPHA takes aim at her back. ANDREW: No! Suddenly, by sheer surprise, he shoves WILLY and EPITOME out of the way at break-neck speed, but is only just caught by the blast on his foot. DEADEYE: Gee! Guess Chubby is a fast-runner! BUCKY begins to attack GAMMAXIMUS ALPHA along with JENNY. BUCKY: We're shutting you down, Gammaximus! GAMMAXIMUS: (Firing to and fro) Minor threat, minimum effectiveness. He fires at BUCKY, who dodges and counter-attacks by firing masers at the arms and legs. Meanwhile, JENNY has clambered onto the robot's back and using her powers to find the weakest point on GAMMAXIMUS ALPHA. JENNY: That's it! The Main Power Supply! She opens a hatch at the back of the robot's head, and uses a short burst of energy to destroy the circuits. JENNY jumps clear as the robot suddenly explodes, with only a charred torso remaining. As the group gather around, they hear a strange muffling coming from within. EPITOME: (Quietly) Is it just me or is there something inside? The shell of a torso bursts open to reveal FRANKENSTOAT in a tiny cockpit with a nasty snarl on his face. FRANKENSTOAT: Curse you, Chuck Bodgers! BUCKY: (Surprised) Dr. Frankenstoat! You're Gammaximus Alpha! FRANKENSTOAT: (Hisses) Yes, I was always Gammaximus Alpha! I tried to weaken the armed forces of Earth for the Toads by seizing control of their experimental battle robots, but Bodgers arrived and ruined the whole thing! I had to operate the robot manually after the remote circuits were damaged. I went to Earth and began to learn how to operate Gammaximus manually by killing off other superheroes. WILLY: But why did you kill all of those supervillians? FRANKENSTOAT: That was just for kicks! I brought Gammaximus back here to finish working on him and I finally developed a plan to get back at Bodgers for ruining my plan! JENNY: But obviously, there was a flaw in the plan. You didn't count on the fact that another superhero had followed you from Earth! FRANKENSTOAT: Yes! I spit at you, Epitome! He spits at EPITOME, but she flies back. BUCKY holds out a pair of handcuffs. BUCKY: We're hauling you in, Frankenstoat! FRANKENSTOAT: Not quite, Captain! He throws a vial of liquid to the floor, and smoke billows everywhere. DEADEYE tries to hold FRANKENSTOAT back, but when the smoke clears, he just finds himself wrestling with air. DEADEYE: He got away again! I hate it when he does that! SCENE NINE Outside the Righteous Indignation and Fireball XL6, Kinear As BUCKY and ANDREW get ready to leave, JENNY notices EPITOME signalling to her from behind the XL6. JENNY walks up to speak to her. JENNY: (Softly) Epitome, we really are grateful to what you've done to help us, and I'm sorry that Bodgers isn't the person you once knew. EPITOME: It's not that Jenny; it's something else. JENNY: How did you know my name? EPITOME slowly morphs into HANNAH, suit and all. JENNY: So that's why you were so good at magic! HANNAH: (Worried) Do you think the Sisterhood will ever forgive me? JENNY: For what? HANNAH: For letting me allow outsiders to see my powers. JENNY: Hannah, if the others think that you were Epitome and not Master Hannah of the 9th Order, then the Sisterhood will overlook such an incident. HANNAH: Thank you, Master Jenny! She runs up to the hatch on the XL6, where ANDREW is about to board. ANDREW: There you are, Hannah! Butch tells me you were sorting out that police problem. HANNAH: (Fingers crossed behind back) Yeah, they really need to sort themselves out! ANDREW: (Enters ship) I agree! The two vessels take off and leave the planet before venturing into the darkness of space. SCENE TEN Andrew's Apartment, Late at night The equally dark apartment houses a now-sleeping ANDREW who is out of his suit and is dreaming of times gone past. FLASHBACK, YEAR 2044, SOMEWHERE IN DERBYSHIRE, ENGLAND A younger, fitter ANDREW is wearing casual clothes and is walking with a blonde-haired, middle-aged MAN in a similar guise. MAN: (Scottish accent) What did you say that. G.I.R.L.S. stood for again? ANDREW: Guild of Incredibly Righteous and Loveable Superwomen. It's a new group out lately. I don't know who's in it yet though. From a set of rolling hills comes a sudden blast of black energy, which changes into a pale-skinned GIRL dressed in a grim-reaper-type cloak. GIRL: (Shouts) Behold, Saturnine! You pathetic mortals go about your oh-so-happy ways when you have yet to fear the worst! I hereby declare war on love and harmony! Soon, all will bow down before me! Having heard SATURNINE'S threat, ANDREW looks over to the MAN, who is now dressed in a dark-green suit with an enormous gold star on the chest. Inside the star is the capital letter "A" in black. MAN: Ready, Chuck Bodgers? ANDREW: When you are, Animan! He pulls back his own shirt to reveal his Chuck Bodgers suit inside. THE END