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Description
Nightshock And The Breed
                                                                                                                                                       Thousand To One

                                            A short  story collaboration
                                             By Silent J and  The Scribe

     "It may not look like it, but I know what I'm doing" - Nightshock
Dramatis Personae-

Zachary Thomas / Nightshock - Breed Leader
Benjamin Banner / Ironcore - Breed Chief Commander
Madalyne Smythe / Shroud - Breed Alumnus
Casey O'Neill / Inferno - Breed Alumnus
Simon Dower  / Fusion - Part-time Breed Alumnus
Kill-Switch - Mutant Villain
Symmatrix - Mutant Villain
Gunshot - Mutant Neutral
Kalynn Narr / Kalnar - Bounty Hurter
Addonai Zandra / Raytheon - Mutant Villain
Ommnus - Inter-Dimensional Mutant Villain

  Prologue

At An Unknown Location...

It was dark in the control room. On consoles and screens scattered throughout the center, images and readouts flashed repeatedly. A  handful of people were seated at a few of the stations, with one seated in the center. "Status report Captain", he suddenly said. "Everything seems to be in place, my lord. We are ready to begin". "Excellent work. Begin the operation".

╟╓╫ Thousand To One ╫╖╢

The night air was warm, blowing a gentle breeze across his face, and fluttering his cape. He was crouched over the edge of the roof, looking down at the street.  Shroud and Inferno were investigating a disturbance below, while Nightshock and Ironcore were on look-out above them.

"So what did he do", inquired Ironcore in his deep voice. "He took a few thousand dollars worth of materials and electronics", answered Nightshock. "Well, why can't they catch him?" "He's going through buildings like a knife through butter." "Well then, who is he?" asked Ironcore. "Don't know, he just showed up in town, and chased after a girl. He lost her, and then he went looking for those stolen goods", Nightshock told him. "Maybe we should...""C.H.E.R.I.L. already tried looking him up.""Did she find anything?""Nada, apparently there's no file on him from either S.H.E.I.L.D. or the police. Looks like we'll have to do some good, old-fashioned leg work.""Yippee", Ironcore said sarcastically.

As they jumped off from the rooftops, they joined the pursuit below. Eventually, the four of them cornered him in an alley. "We got him now", Inferno shouted victoriously. But suddenly, he melted into the walls and disappeared. "He's gone, but how? People don't just disappear into thin air", Shroud said. Looking back at Nightshock, then she said, "Oh yeah, I forgot." "So, what now Dude?", asked Inferno. "We'll keep after him, and hopefully we'll get to the bottom of.....". Before he could even finish his sentence, both Nightshock and Ironcore disappeared into a shimmering beam of light. "Oh great, now they're gone", Inferno said, clearly more annoyed than worried. "I wonder where they went this time", asked a confused Shroud.

"......this?", Nightshock said, clearly puzzled. After being struck dumb for a good minute, he scientifically stated, "Wha' happen'?"It soon became clear that they were not in Kansas anymore. Then Ironcore said, "Since when have we ever been in Kansas?". Once they were done being angry at the writers of this little story, (what did We do?), they went back to investigating where they found themselves now.

They walked down a narrow pathway for about five minutes, following signs in a strange language. They came to a large lobby of some sort, which was filled with a large number of other people, doubtless wondering why they were here too. "Uh, they look angry", Ironcore said. "They were probably teleported angry", Nightshock said back. On the far wall was a large screen, which suddenly went blank, and then a face appeared on it. "Friends", he spoke, "and fellow beings alike, it is a truly sad day on which I have teleported you here", he said breathlessly. "I come before you today with a desperate plea, and I pray that will listen. You are probably asking yourselves, 'why did I teleport you here?'. I assure you that my reasons are all but noble, and true. For you see, I am dying, very soon, and I have no heirs, or trustworthy persons, with which to leave my dimension to." Many in the large group were shocked, and some started nodding and muttering among themselves, hoping now to finally get something for their trouble. "So, I have decreed that one of you will receive control of my dominion." The group started buzzing with excitement. Some could be heard saying "My own dimension? I wonder what I could do with it?". Even Nightshock started thinking about it. Ironcore asked him, "Can you believe this guy? I mean seriously, what would you do with a whole dimension?" "I'd put everyone I didn't like in there, maybe some food, maybe some water" Nightshock answered. "You could probably build a timeshare there too." "What, with all the kooks?" "Oh, yeah, I forgot." Ironcore said sheepishly. Then, one guy just up and shouted, "So how are you gonna decide, man? With like a lottery or somethin?" "No", the man on the screen said, "Nothing like that." "It will be done with a contest. A contest of strength and will. Of intelligence and stamina. Of heart and determination." "So then Mr. High, Mighty, and dying. When will this contest start?", another guy suddenly said. "It begins NOW ", the man ominously said.

Later, they found themselves in preparation rooms, getting ready for the battle. "This is nuts!", Nightshock said loudly. "Well, without knowing exactly where we are, how we got here, or how to get back, what choice do we have?" Ironcore said. "But, I'll start working on a plan anyway. It couldn't hurt, right?" "Is that the famous whine of Nightshock that I hear?" a voice behind them asked. "Fusion? How did you get here?" Ironcore asked, confused. "More like, what's he doing here", Nightshock said, equally confused. "I guess I won the mail-in drawing. You know, like the sweeping house thing? Where you win money, and crap like that?", Fusion joked. "I was minding my own business, Y'know? Then a light grabbed me, and I wound up here", he explained. Suddenly, on a screen on the wall, a face appeared, different from the first one. And the face on the screen said, "It is time to begin. All combatants report to the arena." Throughout the prep area, people rose, and made their way to the huge doors leading to the arena. As they were approaching the doors, Fusion bumped into a combatant who was visibly muttering: "I REALLY need to get out of this job. It's just not worth it anymore." They ran into each other, and suddenly, Fusion found himself looking down the barrel of what looked like a phase pistol. "Uhhh....oh dude, I am so sorry. If you can understand me, I am so soooorrrryyyy! Please don't hurt me", Fusion pleaded. "Sorry, friend", Nightshock said, stepping in. "You know what happens when let pets off their leash. They run around getting into trouble." The man just looked at him and said, "Just don't let it happen again", and holstered his weapon. As he walked away, Fusion finally calmed down and said, "Thanks pal. I couda been killed Y'know?". Nightshock turned to him, and said: "He's right. Don't, let, it, happen, again; Got it?""Got it", Fusion said in a small voice, looking like he was ready to wet his pants.

After the group entered through the doors, the combatants walked into a large, war-torn like, battlefield. When Nightshock and Ironcore stepped onto the field, they shared the same reaction, complete shock. The scene was gruesome and depressing. Old, rusted vehicles littered the area, and massive, toppled buildings, laid in ruins. There may have been evidence of a civilization here once, but no trace of it remained. Among the other people they passed as they walked through the doors, Nightshock noticed that a variety of beings were here. Not just humans, but many alien species too. One species in particular, that looked like giant, walking transformed vehicles, stood out. He could barely hear one of them saying: "Today, we will be recognized my brother. For all of our hardships, we will finally have our day." Nightshock used his telepathy to quickly read their minds, and got a jumble of strange images. "Find anything interesting?", Ironcore asked. "Sort of", Nightshock answered. "The really tall metal-looking guys over there?" "Yeah?", Ironcore inquired. "I kept getting strange thoughts from them", he said. "What about?", Ironcore asked. "Domination, revenge, you know, normal dreams of grandeur", Nightshock said, nonchalantly. "What about RED over there?", Fusion asked. "Her name is Raytheon; and besides her name, the only thing I know is that she's on the run." he answered. "Running from who?" "From our friend we met earlier. Apparently, he is a bounty hunter, and he has a ruthless reputation", Nightshock replied. "He doesn't  look like any bounty hunter that I've ever seen before. Like a cowboy samurai or something", Ironcore remarked.

The three kept walking until everyone reached the middle of the  area, and waited for something to happen. Simultaneously, monitors of varying shapes and sizes floated down from the sky, and settled in a large circle around the group. "Did anybody notice that this guy never gave us his name?" , Nightshock inquired suddenly. Ironcore looked over at him, and gave Nightshock a crosswise look that all but said: "Duh." Just then, the monitors turned on, and the ominous face reappeared. "Now my friends", he said, "WE BEGIN!!!!!! ".

As the screens started to count down, a brave man spoke up and said arrogantly: "Don't feel bad for yourselves everyone, for when I win today, as I undoubtedly will, you lesser personage will have to accept that I am better then you all, superior, really." Before the count down ended though, most of them agreed, "we take HIM  out first!". Once the buzzers went off, the battle royale was on. In no more than fifteen seconds, thirty fists converged on the poor man's soul, knocking him unconscious. Feeling some pity for the man, Ironcore asked: "Who was that poor unfortunate soul?" "Apparently, he was called Gunshot. Just another spoiled rich kid with mutant powers", Nightshock replied.

On the battlefield, everything was going crazy. Left and right, groups of two, three, or even four were engaged in their own small skirmishes. Blasts of energy shot through the air, leaving it thick with smoke. Multiple fists swung in every direction, shaking the ground, and stirring up a huge cloud of dust. Ironcore and Nightshock were back to back fighting off multiple targets. While Nightshock blasted and smashed the ground, sending enemies flying into the air, Ironcore leaped skyward, and brought them back down with a powerful slam. Ironcore then grabbed Nightshock's hands, and stretching his arms to length, swung Ironcore around like a giant mace. Any who stood in their path were swept away by the wrecking ball of pain, that no one could deter. When Nightshock released Ironcore, he sent him flying like a bullet. He flew for a few feet until he landed. The impact was so hard that it created a six foot deep crater in the ground.

A little distance from them, the bounty hunter had his own hands full with hostiles. Blasting enemies left and right, he quickly cut them down. The only thing on his mind, was Raytheon. Before they were teleported, he was hunting her down, a wanted criminal with a huge bounty on her head. But as he was taking her in, they were transported, and separated. As the battle ensued, he had to find her again.

On the other side of the field, the two Transformer-like creatures were fighting like their lives depended on it. "Symmatrix , on your six" said the one. "Blast him Kill-switch, NOW!!", the other called out.  Demolishing all opponents in their way, the two brothers were on the warpath to victory. As the extra-dimensional fight went on, the number of contestants started to dwindle. It went from 1000 to 300, and kept going down. "Finally, my plan is coming to fruition" said the 'seemingly' ailing being. "Sir, the reports are coming in", said an intel officer. "And???" "The machine is working at 100%, the transference process is primed and ready for use, and the fight is finishing up as scheduled". "And about those defeated?", he asked. "They are being fitted for the adaption chips; none have shown resistance to the procedure thus far". "Excellent, and the other fighters?" "They suspect nothing", he said. "Good. Now, I must prepare for my next meet with them, its only a matter of time until there is one remaining", he said as he left the control room.

Back on the field, no one had a clue what was happening, but only that the number was down to 10 now, and there was only room for six combatants in the final round. Then, all of a sudden, what happened next could only be described as "BOOM!". A huge explosion shook the ground violently, nearly knocking the ten to the ground. As the dust cleared, only six remained standing. After the  four were carried off the field by med drones, then the  mysterious man appeared on a giant floating screen. "My friends, I see that you have survived the massive skirmish", the man said, still under the pretense of near death. "Survived?" Nightshock quickly asked. "Survived is merely a term, the fallen are being taken care of as we speak", the man answered. "But now, prepare yourselves for the last tournament". Despite everything that was going on, the facts were clear, the final round had begun. It was a grudge match between: Nightshock, Ironcore, Kill-switch, Fusion, The Bounty Hunter, and Raytheon.

It was moments before anybody made a move; trying to predict the others actions. Finally, they attacked. The first one out was Fusion; he tripped on a rock and got sat on by Kill-switch. Not the best way to go out. Then it was down to five, and everyone was antsy. The only thing on their minds: "Who's next?" While Kill-switch took on Nightshock and Ironcore, the bounty hunter had his sights on Raytheon. She came at him with all that she had, but it proved futile. It was like he knew what she was going do before she did it. In the end though, the bounty hunter took her out with a swift punch, thus eliminating her. Once that was done, he started to shoot at the others. He shot Ironcore in the face, distracting him long enough for Kill-switch to land a hay-maker on him, knocking him O-U-T!  Even before the bounty hunter could react, Kill-switch was already on top of him (figuratively speaking), delivering a bone-shattering blow to his jaw.

It was now between Kill-switch and Nightshock. Though Kill-switch put up a valiant effort, but it was all for naught. Upon seeing the damage he did to Ironcore, he invoked Nightshock's wrath; not a very smart thing to do. As Kill-switch came charging at him, Nightshock hit him with a very special punch. The force of the punch reverberated down his arm, and seemed to gain great momentum. Then that force shot right back up his arm, straight into Kill-switch's face, and shot him clear into the sky, and never saw him come back down.

"Well done my boy", the man said, on the field in a hover-chair. "You have done it, you won the tournament." "I won huh?" Nightshock asked. "Yes, you have", he answered. "I want to see my friends, to see how they are doing" "They are in the infirmary, you can see them later", the man answered him. "I want to see then NOW!!" "I am sure you don't want to........." "This is my dimension now, I can have things as I see fit. And I want to see them, NOW!!!" The man looked at him for a second, and suddenly, his whole demeanor changed.  He stood, and said in a deep ominous voice: "As you wish." As Nightshock looked down the field, he could see the vast horde of fallen combatants swiftly approaching him. "And I think they're 'happy' to see you", the man said. "What have you done to them?" Nightshock inquired. "Adaption chips, wonderful little things aren't they; they're completely obedient, and do anything I say. "he proudly said. "Why did you do this?" "Because of you", he answered. "you see, this tournament was a fake, a ruse, a trap to lure you here", he told him. "I knew of your great power and abilities, and wanted it for myself", he continued. "And what about the others?" Nightshock asked. "They are of no use to you" "Well, I  could always use an army, for whatever needs I may have", he retorted. Nightshock then gave him a look and said: "Who are you?" And to that he answered:"I am Ommnus, Lord of this dimension, ruler of Tal'ven V, and you will do as I command." "Now" he said, "if you would be so kind as to step into the chamber...." "What chamber?" Nightshock said. Just then, a cylindrical chamber materialized in front of them, the door opened, and the man gestured to go inside. "And if I refuse?" he asked. "Well, I have an army on my side, and the odds don't favor you my friend", Ommnus said to him. "A 1000 to 1, huh?" Nightshock said. "those are the best odds I've had all day." Then Ommnus gave the horde a signal to attack, and they all lunged at him. Nightshock's body started to charge up  with a glowing, light-blue energy, anticipating the coming onslaught. They were right on top of him, and then he released the built-up energy, knocking everyone  back on impact. He then dropped into a fighting stance, claws emerged, ready to fend off anybody who came at him.

Wave after wave of enemies kept coming at him, fighting them off the best he could, trying not to harm them, even his friends. They kept pouring on barrage after barrage, trying to wear him down for their master's plan. Nightshock then let out a burst of energy, seemingly missing everyone but  Ironcore and The Bounty Hunter, destroying their chips. Now free, they start to gain back their consciousness, seeing what was happening around them. "Are you guys OK?", Nightshock asked them, bruised and tired. "What happened?", they answered. "Its a long story, and we don't have that kind of time, but right now we need to stop this madman and free the others", he said to them. "What do you need us to do?", The Bounty Hunter asked him. "Just keep the 'influenced' occupied, and I'll take care of the machine and the fraud", he answered back. So, while Ironcore and the bounty hunter fought off those ones still under Ommnus's control, Nightshock was going to destroy the power transference machine and take care of Ommnus. Just as Nightshock was punching his way through the crowds of the "adapted", Ommnus leaped out from the crowd, lunging at him with a furious force. "What do you think you're doing?" screaming at the top of his lungs. "Did you really think that I would just let you destroy my machine?" punching him as he shouted. "Did you... really think... it would be... that... easy...?" "You forget, this is my world, my domain. I decide whose right, and whose wrong; who wins, and who loses." He picked him up from the ground, and whispered to him: "And guess what the cards say?" After he said that, Ommnus then punched him into a mountain, which caused the face to crack. A hush fell over the field, the combatants were stunned and amazed at what had happened. But just as Ommnus started walking away, the mountain started to tremble. A dust cloud emerged from the hole where Nightshock went through. Then the mountain itself started to crumble as a loud deep voice boomed from inside saying: "YOUR TIME OF RECKONING … IS AT HAND!!! " The last thing seen coming from the mountain was a beam of light shooting out, blasting Ommnus across the field, through the machine, and into the control room, destroying the controls and the adaption chips, freeing everyone who was under its control.

As the rest of everyone was getting back to normal, Nightshock was insuring that Ommnus would send everyone home, and brokered a treaty with him, so that he would never do something like this ever again. After seeing everyone else off, Nightshock saw the Bounty Hunter escorting Raytheon to a teleport pad. "It was honor fighting by you", Nightshock told him. "Hopefully we will meet again, um...." "Kalnar, its Kalnar", he answered. "It was nice meeting you Kalnar", he said to him. "Same".  As he teleported away, Nightshock and his friends started walking towards teleportation pads. "You know, I had strange feeling that while we were fighting, somebody was watching us", Nightshock said. "Maybe its the planet", Fusion said. "Maybe, I just don't know".

Somewhere Underground....

"I, have failed you my lord", Ommnus said to a screen in front of him. "I could not defeat him; he was too powerful". "DEFEATING HIM WAS NOT THE POINT ", said a man who appeared on the screen. "IT'S WAS ALL PART OF MY PLAN YOU SEE, TO LURE HIM INTO SOMETHING MUCH BIGGER ", he continued. "TO LURE HIM TO HIS....",  for some reason he couldn't finish the sentence. After belching uncontrollably for a full minute or two, he screamed: " Domo!!!!! Domo, where in the name of ME! are you?" Suddenly, a man appeared next him saying: "You inquired for me your Sliminess?" "Where's my antacid? My stomach is bubbling, and not in a good way!!!!" "Here   you go, your Putrescence", he answered him. "BUUUUURRRRRPPPPPP!!!!!!!!" "Ah, that's soooo refreshing", he said seemingly pleased with himself. "So tell me Domo, what do the ratings say?" Domo looked up at the massive ratings board, scanning for this week's show. When he found it he announced: "It seems that 'Revenge of Terror World – Part 65 has the number one spot on the board." "YES!!!! yes yes yes yes, yes!!! We have the top rating in the cosmos...." But before he could finish gloating, he got some terrible news. "I'm sorry to report that something else has taken the top spot, your Repugnance", Domo stated. "WHHHHAAATTTTTT!!!!!! I can't believe... how did... what tha... who?... Well, WHO TOOK IT!?!? " "It seems to a program emanating from one of the planet earths", he said. "Its called 'American Ideal', your Foulness." "I am sorry my lord, we did not gain the top rating", Ommnus said. "Its OK boys, you only have yourselves to blame. But this isn't the end, for next week we shall have the ratings, we shall have the top spot, and I Mojo will have the best new hit in the Mojoverse. And you may just keep your jobs, and your lives." They silently groaned at the "prospect" of next week.


FIN

Description
Nightshock And The Breed
                                                                                                                                                       Thousand To One

                                            A short  story collaboration
                                             By Silent J and  The Scribe

     "It may not look like it, but I know what I'm doing" - Nightshock
Dramatis Personae-

Zachary Thomas / Nightshock - Breed Leader
Benjamin Banner / Ironcore - Breed Chief Commander
Madalyne Smythe / Shroud - Breed Alumnus
Casey O'Neill / Inferno - Breed Alumnus
Simon Dower  / Fusion - Part-time Breed Alumnus
Kill-Switch - Mutant Villain
Symmatrix - Mutant Villain
Gunshot - Mutant Neutral
Kalynn Narr / Kalnar - Bounty Hurter
Addonai Zandra / Raytheon - Mutant Villain
Ommnus - Inter-Dimensional Mutant Villain

  Prologue

At An Unknown Location...

It was dark in the control room. On consoles and screens scattered throughout the center, images and readouts flashed repeatedly. A  handful of people were seated at a few of the stations, with one seated in the center. "Status report Captain", he suddenly said. "Everything seems to be in place, my lord. We are ready to begin". "Excellent work. Begin the operation".

╟╓╫ Thousand To One ╫╖╢

The night air was warm, blowing a gentle breeze across his face, and fluttering his cape. He was crouched over the edge of the roof, looking down at the street.  Shroud and Inferno were investigating a disturbance below, while Nightshock and Ironcore were on look-out above them.

"So what did he do", inquired Ironcore in his deep voice. "He took a few thousand dollars worth of materials and electronics", answered Nightshock. "Well, why can't they catch him?" "He's going through buildings like a knife through butter." "Well then, who is he?" asked Ironcore. "Don't know, he just showed up in town, and chased after a girl. He lost her, and then he went looking for those stolen goods", Nightshock told him. "Maybe we should...""C.H.E.R.I.L. already tried looking him up.""Did she find anything?""Nada, apparently there's no file on him from either S.H.E.I.L.D. or the police. Looks like we'll have to do some good, old-fashioned leg work.""Yippee", Ironcore said sarcastically.

As they jumped off from the rooftops, they joined the pursuit below. Eventually, the four of them cornered him in an alley. "We got him now", Inferno shouted victoriously. But suddenly, he melted into the walls and disappeared. "He's gone, but how? People don't just disappear into thin air", Shroud said. Looking back at Nightshock, then she said, "Oh yeah, I forgot." "So, what now Dude?", asked Inferno. "We'll keep after him, and hopefully we'll get to the bottom of.....". Before he could even finish his sentence, both Nightshock and Ironcore disappeared into a shimmering beam of light. "Oh great, now they're gone", Inferno said, clearly more annoyed than worried. "I wonder where they went this time", asked a confused Shroud.

"......this?", Nightshock said, clearly puzzled. After being struck dumb for a good minute, he scientifically stated, "Wha' happen'?"It soon became clear that they were not in Kansas anymore. Then Ironcore said, "Since when have we ever been in Kansas?". Once they were done being angry at the writers of this little story, (what did We do?), they went back to investigating where they found themselves now.

They walked down a narrow pathway for about five minutes, following signs in a strange language. They came to a large lobby of some sort, which was filled with a large number of other people, doubtless wondering why they were here too. "Uh, they look angry", Ironcore said. "They were probably teleported angry", Nightshock said back. On the far wall was a large screen, which suddenly went blank, and then a face appeared on it. "Friends", he spoke, "and fellow beings alike, it is a truly sad day on which I have teleported you here", he said breathlessly. "I come before you today with a desperate plea, and I pray that will listen. You are probably asking yourselves, 'why did I teleport you here?'. I assure you that my reasons are all but noble, and true. For you see, I am dying, very soon, and I have no heirs, or trustworthy persons, with which to leave my dimension to." Many in the large group were shocked, and some started nodding and muttering among themselves, hoping now to finally get something for their trouble. "So, I have decreed that one of you will receive control of my dominion." The group started buzzing with excitement. Some could be heard saying "My own dimension? I wonder what I could do with it?". Even Nightshock started thinking about it. Ironcore asked him, "Can you believe this guy? I mean seriously, what would you do with a whole dimension?" "I'd put everyone I didn't like in there, maybe some food, maybe some water" Nightshock answered. "You could probably build a timeshare there too." "What, with all the kooks?" "Oh, yeah, I forgot." Ironcore said sheepishly. Then, one guy just up and shouted, "So how are you gonna decide, man? With like a lottery or somethin?" "No", the man on the screen said, "Nothing like that." "It will be done with a contest. A contest of strength and will. Of intelligence and stamina. Of heart and determination." "So then Mr. High, Mighty, and dying. When will this contest start?", another guy suddenly said. "It begins NOW ", the man ominously said.

Later, they found themselves in preparation rooms, getting ready for the battle. "This is nuts!", Nightshock said loudly. "Well, without knowing exactly where we are, how we got here, or how to get back, what choice do we have?" Ironcore said. "But, I'll start working on a plan anyway. It couldn't hurt, right?" "Is that the famous whine of Nightshock that I hear?" a voice behind them asked. "Fusion? How did you get here?" Ironcore asked, confused. "More like, what's he doing here", Nightshock said, equally confused. "I guess I won the mail-in drawing. You know, like the sweeping house thing? Where you win money, and crap like that?", Fusion joked. "I was minding my own business, Y'know? Then a light grabbed me, and I wound up here", he explained. Suddenly, on a screen on the wall, a face appeared, different from the first one. And the face on the screen said, "It is time to begin. All combatants report to the arena." Throughout the prep area, people rose, and made their way to the huge doors leading to the arena. As they were approaching the doors, Fusion bumped into a combatant who was visibly muttering: "I REALLY need to get out of this job. It's just not worth it anymore." They ran into each other, and suddenly, Fusion found himself looking down the barrel of what looked like a phase pistol. "Uhhh....oh dude, I am so sorry. If you can understand me, I am so soooorrrryyyy! Please don't hurt me", Fusion pleaded. "Sorry, friend", Nightshock said, stepping in. "You know what happens when let pets off their leash. They run around getting into trouble." The man just looked at him and said, "Just don't let it happen again", and holstered his weapon. As he walked away, Fusion finally calmed down and said, "Thanks pal. I couda been killed Y'know?". Nightshock turned to him, and said: "He's right. Don't, let, it, happen, again; Got it?""Got it", Fusion said in a small voice, looking like he was ready to wet his pants.

After the group entered through the doors, the combatants walked into a large, war-torn like, battlefield. When Nightshock and Ironcore stepped onto the field, they shared the same reaction, complete shock. The scene was gruesome and depressing. Old, rusted vehicles littered the area, and massive, toppled buildings, laid in ruins. There may have been evidence of a civilization here once, but no trace of it remained. Among the other people they passed as they walked through the doors, Nightshock noticed that a variety of beings were here. Not just humans, but many alien species too. One species in particular, that looked like giant, walking transformed vehicles, stood out. He could barely hear one of them saying: "Today, we will be recognized my brother. For all of our hardships, we will finally have our day." Nightshock used his telepathy to quickly read their minds, and got a jumble of strange images. "Find anything interesting?", Ironcore asked. "Sort of", Nightshock answered. "The really tall metal-looking guys over there?" "Yeah?", Ironcore inquired. "I kept getting strange thoughts from them", he said. "What about?", Ironcore asked. "Domination, revenge, you know, normal dreams of grandeur", Nightshock said, nonchalantly. "What about RED over there?", Fusion asked. "Her name is Raytheon; and besides her name, the only thing I know is that she's on the run." he answered. "Running from who?" "From our friend we met earlier. Apparently, he is a bounty hunter, and he has a ruthless reputation", Nightshock replied. "He doesn't  look like any bounty hunter that I've ever seen before. Like a cowboy samurai or something", Ironcore remarked.

The three kept walking until everyone reached the middle of the  area, and waited for something to happen. Simultaneously, monitors of varying shapes and sizes floated down from the sky, and settled in a large circle around the group. "Did anybody notice that this guy never gave us his name?" , Nightshock inquired suddenly. Ironcore looked over at him, and gave Nightshock a crosswise look that all but said: "Duh." Just then, the monitors turned on, and the ominous face reappeared. "Now my friends", he said, "WE BEGIN!!!!!! ".

As the screens started to count down, a brave man spoke up and said arrogantly: "Don't feel bad for yourselves everyone, for when I win today, as I undoubtedly will, you lesser personage will have to accept that I am better then you all, superior, really." Before the count down ended though, most of them agreed, "we take HIM  out first!". Once the buzzers went off, the battle royale was on. In no more than fifteen seconds, thirty fists converged on the poor man's soul, knocking him unconscious. Feeling some pity for the man, Ironcore asked: "Who was that poor unfortunate soul?" "Apparently, he was called Gunshot. Just another spoiled rich kid with mutant powers", Nightshock replied.

On the battlefield, everything was going crazy. Left and right, groups of two, three, or even four were engaged in their own small skirmishes. Blasts of energy shot through the air, leaving it thick with smoke. Multiple fists swung in every direction, shaking the ground, and stirring up a huge cloud of dust. Ironcore and Nightshock were back to back fighting off multiple targets. While Nightshock blasted and smashed the ground, sending enemies flying into the air, Ironcore leaped skyward, and brought them back down with a powerful slam. Ironcore then grabbed Nightshock's hands, and stretching his arms to length, swung Ironcore around like a giant mace. Any who stood in their path were swept away by the wrecking ball of pain, that no one could deter. When Nightshock released Ironcore, he sent him flying like a bullet. He flew for a few feet until he landed. The impact was so hard that it created a six foot deep crater in the ground.

A little distance from them, the bounty hunter had his own hands full with hostiles. Blasting enemies left and right, he quickly cut them down. The only thing on his mind, was Raytheon. Before they were teleported, he was hunting her down, a wanted criminal with a huge bounty on her head. But as he was taking her in, they were transported, and separated. As the battle ensued, he had to find her again.

On the other side of the field, the two Transformer-like creatures were fighting like their lives depended on it. "Symmatrix , on your six" said the one. "Blast him Kill-switch, NOW!!", the other called out.  Demolishing all opponents in their way, the two brothers were on the warpath to victory. As the extra-dimensional fight went on, the number of contestants started to dwindle. It went from 1000 to 300, and kept going down. "Finally, my plan is coming to fruition" said the 'seemingly' ailing being. "Sir, the reports are coming in", said an intel officer. "And???" "The machine is working at 100%, the transference process is primed and ready for use, and the fight is finishing up as scheduled". "And about those defeated?", he asked. "They are being fitted for the adaption chips; none have shown resistance to the procedure thus far". "Excellent, and the other fighters?" "They suspect nothing", he said. "Good. Now, I must prepare for my next meet with them, its only a matter of time until there is one remaining", he said as he left the control room.

Back on the field, no one had a clue what was happening, but only that the number was down to 10 now, and there was only room for six combatants in the final round. Then, all of a sudden, what happened next could only be described as "BOOM!". A huge explosion shook the ground violently, nearly knocking the ten to the ground. As the dust cleared, only six remained standing. After the  four were carried off the field by med drones, then the  mysterious man appeared on a giant floating screen. "My friends, I see that you have survived the massive skirmish", the man said, still under the pretense of near death. "Survived?" Nightshock quickly asked. "Survived is merely a term, the fallen are being taken care of as we speak", the man answered. "But now, prepare yourselves for the last tournament". Despite everything that was going on, the facts were clear, the final round had begun. It was a grudge match between: Nightshock, Ironcore, Kill-switch, Fusion, The Bounty Hunter, and Raytheon.

It was moments before anybody made a move; trying to predict the others actions. Finally, they attacked. The first one out was Fusion; he tripped on a rock and got sat on by Kill-switch. Not the best way to go out. Then it was down to five, and everyone was antsy. The only thing on their minds: "Who's next?" While Kill-switch took on Nightshock and Ironcore, the bounty hunter had his sights on Raytheon. She came at him with all that she had, but it proved futile. It was like he knew what she was going do before she did it. In the end though, the bounty hunter took her out with a swift punch, thus eliminating her. Once that was done, he started to shoot at the others. He shot Ironcore in the face, distracting him long enough for Kill-switch to land a hay-maker on him, knocking him O-U-T!  Even before the bounty hunter could react, Kill-switch was already on top of him (figuratively speaking), delivering a bone-shattering blow to his jaw.

It was now between Kill-switch and Nightshock. Though Kill-switch put up a valiant effort, but it was all for naught. Upon seeing the damage he did to Ironcore, he invoked Nightshock's wrath; not a very smart thing to do. As Kill-switch came charging at him, Nightshock hit him with a very special punch. The force of the punch reverberated down his arm, and seemed to gain great momentum. Then that force shot right back up his arm, straight into Kill-switch's face, and shot him clear into the sky, and never saw him come back down.

"Well done my boy", the man said, on the field in a hover-chair. "You have done it, you won the tournament." "I won huh?" Nightshock asked. "Yes, you have", he answered. "I want to see my friends, to see how they are doing" "They are in the infirmary, you can see them later", the man answered him. "I want to see then NOW!!" "I am sure you don't want to........." "This is my dimension now, I can have things as I see fit. And I want to see them, NOW!!!" The man looked at him for a second, and suddenly, his whole demeanor changed.  He stood, and said in a deep ominous voice: "As you wish." As Nightshock looked down the field, he could see the vast horde of fallen combatants swiftly approaching him. "And I think they're 'happy' to see you", the man said. "What have you done to them?" Nightshock inquired. "Adaption chips, wonderful little things aren't they; they're completely obedient, and do anything I say. "he proudly said. "Why did you do this?" "Because of you", he answered. "you see, this tournament was a fake, a ruse, a trap to lure you here", he told him. "I knew of your great power and abilities, and wanted it for myself", he continued. "And what about the others?" Nightshock asked. "They are of no use to you" "Well, I  could always use an army, for whatever needs I may have", he retorted. Nightshock then gave him a look and said: "Who are you?" And to that he answered:"I am Ommnus, Lord of this dimension, ruler of Tal'ven V, and you will do as I command." "Now" he said, "if you would be so kind as to step into the chamber...." "What chamber?" Nightshock said. Just then, a cylindrical chamber materialized in front of them, the door opened, and the man gestured to go inside. "And if I refuse?" he asked. "Well, I have an army on my side, and the odds don't favor you my friend", Ommnus said to him. "A 1000 to 1, huh?" Nightshock said. "those are the best odds I've had all day." Then Ommnus gave the horde a signal to attack, and they all lunged at him. Nightshock's body started to charge up  with a glowing, light-blue energy, anticipating the coming onslaught. They were right on top of him, and then he released the built-up energy, knocking everyone  back on impact. He then dropped into a fighting stance, claws emerged, ready to fend off anybody who came at him.

Wave after wave of enemies kept coming at him, fighting them off the best he could, trying not to harm them, even his friends. They kept pouring on barrage after barrage, trying to wear him down for their master's plan. Nightshock then let out a burst of energy, seemingly missing everyone but  Ironcore and The Bounty Hunter, destroying their chips. Now free, they start to gain back their consciousness, seeing what was happening around them. "Are you guys OK?", Nightshock asked them, bruised and tired. "What happened?", they answered. "Its a long story, and we don't have that kind of time, but right now we need to stop this madman and free the others", he said to them. "What do you need us to do?", The Bounty Hunter asked him. "Just keep the 'influenced' occupied, and I'll take care of the machine and the fraud", he answered back. So, while Ironcore and the bounty hunter fought off those ones still under Ommnus's control, Nightshock was going to destroy the power transference machine and take care of Ommnus. Just as Nightshock was punching his way through the crowds of the "adapted", Ommnus leaped out from the crowd, lunging at him with a furious force. "What do you think you're doing?" screaming at the top of his lungs. "Did you really think that I would just let you destroy my machine?" punching him as he shouted. "Did you... really think... it would be... that... easy...?" "You forget, this is my world, my domain. I decide whose right, and whose wrong; who wins, and who loses." He picked him up from the ground, and whispered to him: "And guess what the cards say?" After he said that, Ommnus then punched him into a mountain, which caused the face to crack. A hush fell over the field, the combatants were stunned and amazed at what had happened. But just as Ommnus started walking away, the mountain started to tremble. A dust cloud emerged from the hole where Nightshock went through. Then the mountain itself started to crumble as a loud deep voice boomed from inside saying: "YOUR TIME OF RECKONING … IS AT HAND!!! " The last thing seen coming from the mountain was a beam of light shooting out, blasting Ommnus across the field, through the machine, and into the control room, destroying the controls and the adaption chips, freeing everyone who was under its control.

As the rest of everyone was getting back to normal, Nightshock was insuring that Ommnus would send everyone home, and brokered a treaty with him, so that he would never do something like this ever again. After seeing everyone else off, Nightshock saw the Bounty Hunter escorting Raytheon to a teleport pad. "It was honor fighting by you", Nightshock told him. "Hopefully we will meet again, um...." "Kalnar, its Kalnar", he answered. "It was nice meeting you Kalnar", he said to him. "Same".  As he teleported away, Nightshock and his friends started walking towards teleportation pads. "You know, I had strange feeling that while we were fighting, somebody was watching us", Nightshock said. "Maybe its the planet", Fusion said. "Maybe, I just don't know".

Somewhere Underground....

"I, have failed you my lord", Ommnus said to a screen in front of him. "I could not defeat him; he was too powerful". "DEFEATING HIM WAS NOT THE POINT ", said a man who appeared on the screen. "IT'S WAS ALL PART OF MY PLAN YOU SEE, TO LURE HIM INTO SOMETHING MUCH BIGGER ", he continued. "TO LURE HIM TO HIS....",  for some reason he couldn't finish the sentence. After belching uncontrollably for a full minute or two, he screamed: " Domo!!!!! Domo, where in the name of ME! are you?" Suddenly, a man appeared next him saying: "You inquired for me your Sliminess?" "Where's my antacid? My stomach is bubbling, and not in a good way!!!!" "Here   you go, your Putrescence", he answered him. "BUUUUURRRRRPPPPPP!!!!!!!!" "Ah, that's soooo refreshing", he said seemingly pleased with himself. "So tell me Domo, what do the ratings say?" Domo looked up at the massive ratings board, scanning for this week's show. When he found it he announced: "It seems that 'Revenge of Terror World – Part 65 has the number one spot on the board." "YES!!!! yes yes yes yes, yes!!! We have the top rating in the cosmos...." But before he could finish gloating, he got some terrible news. "I'm sorry to report that something else has taken the top spot, your Repugnance", Domo stated. "WHHHHAAATTTTTT!!!!!! I can't believe... how did... what tha... who?... Well, WHO TOOK IT!?!? " "It seems to a program emanating from one of the planet earths", he said. "Its called 'American Ideal', your Foulness." "I am sorry my lord, we did not gain the top rating", Ommnus said. "Its OK boys, you only have yourselves to blame. But this isn't the end, for next week we shall have the ratings, we shall have the top spot, and I Mojo will have the best new hit in the Mojoverse. And you may just keep your jobs, and your lives." They silently groaned at the "prospect" of next week.


FIN