The Hunger Dogs are obediently grateful to Kanto, whom they believe to have ordered their rescue.
"Now the lowly of Armaghetto are my loyal army!" Kanto exclaims. "If I need trash picked up or heavy things moved slowly from this place to that, my empire is complete. But, of course, my ambitions are somewhat loftier than these poor unworthy can conceive."
"I mean to seize Darkseid's palace, within which are his Boom Tube projector as well as his advisor, the Grandmother Box which knows all things. With these, I can send my legions to any corner of illimitable space, and outwit any opponent! Only three worlds need fall before me ... that is, before US, the Earth-Thanagar-Apokolips Alliance, and then Apokolips is secured!"
"Or would my charming visitors prefer to secure their home worlds from invasion, first? That might be easier, as Darkseid's palace is the cynosure of all this planet's factions. Earth, alas, is vulnerable from three directions, and Thanagar from five."
"Near Earth are THE CITADEL, home of the expansionist Psion scientists and their Gordanian lizard-troops; APIR, the bee-world of Zazzala, the Queen Bee, and her many minions; and, of course, THANAGAR itself, 'pon which the Hawk Police have been riven, some supporting the dictatrix Hyathis, some coalescing behind the reluctant general Katar Hol. One, two or all three may already have commenced an invasion of Earth."
(Katar Hol is Hawkman, and Hawkgirl's father.)
"While adjacent to Thanagar are Earth, RANN, that sterile desert planet importing champions via its Zeta Beam; NEW MARS, where the Martian race struggles to establish itself in a barren wasteland of crystal mountains; TAMARAN, world of feline warriors; and BRAAL, the Magnetic World, whose inhabitants command mighty magnetic forces, so much so that they need no spaceships to voyage across the infinite and colonize their prey."
"Any of these can no doubt be accessed by Mother Box, whose Boom Tube generator is limited, but equal to these tasks."
"Whither shall we hie, deadly and capable ornaments in the firmament of the stars? Death or glory?"
Wednesday, July 26, 2017
No Bow!
MONKEY KING:
He does not bow, but does answer her last question. He says:
"I do. I stand in your way." he then immediately prepares to use his vast (but inferior to his father's) psychic powers to defend himself from her mind control pollen.
Starman and the Monkey King have both disobeyed the Queen Bee. She sweeps her translucent amber-colored wand from left to right, spraying BOTH heroes with mind pollen!
Or at least, trying to. Starman turns the head of his Gravity Rod parallel to the ground, and the pollen crashes to the pavement as though yanked down by the massive gravity of the Sun itself!
"Whew," says Starman under his breath. "I wasn't sure that was how that worked ... did Dad ever fight the Queen Bee? I don't remember that issue ..."
Meanwhile, the spray of nanorobotic mind-erasure engines splashes across the Monkey King, right up his nose to his brain.
Where it erases a section of his brain, which is immediately backed up by a segment of the Intellect Fortress, a mental defensive posture he learned from his father. Therefore, nothing is lost.
(A lot of father-given lifesaving going on here! I approve.)
The forms of xin ling fu, mind-way, teach that Intellect Fortress can be rolled into Amnesia Burst or Spear of Deflecting One's Aim (which makes the target devote his efforts to something other than his primary goal). If you wanted to use Ego Whip or Id Insinuation, however, you first have to assume the stance of Tower of Iron Will, which brings the emotions up into ready position.
THE SHADE:
From his concealed location in the shadows, The Shade, dark agent of justice, throws one of his father's famous Batarangs at the Bee Queen.
He then uses the shadows to slip away to a new spot before he is found.
QUEEN BEE:
"Uhhff!" she says as she's hit by a Batarang and knocked down.
ALL the Drone Soldiers immediately cluster about the Queen to protect her. So if she wanted to attack the Shade, or anyone, she'd have to shoot through her loyal minions.
Which she may be perfectly willing to do.
Overhead, the sky turns red and then darkens. A fat saucer with many golden pylons ranged parallel to its bulk cruises slowly overhead, firing energy rays which levitate it above the city. Crowds of lizards in golden spacesuits, wearing wings on their backs which have jet engines on the ends, leap from the ship and fly down, wielding golden staffs which crackle at both ends.
He does not bow, but does answer her last question. He says:
"I do. I stand in your way." he then immediately prepares to use his vast (but inferior to his father's) psychic powers to defend himself from her mind control pollen.
Starman and the Monkey King have both disobeyed the Queen Bee. She sweeps her translucent amber-colored wand from left to right, spraying BOTH heroes with mind pollen!
Or at least, trying to. Starman turns the head of his Gravity Rod parallel to the ground, and the pollen crashes to the pavement as though yanked down by the massive gravity of the Sun itself!
"Whew," says Starman under his breath. "I wasn't sure that was how that worked ... did Dad ever fight the Queen Bee? I don't remember that issue ..."
Meanwhile, the spray of nanorobotic mind-erasure engines splashes across the Monkey King, right up his nose to his brain.
Where it erases a section of his brain, which is immediately backed up by a segment of the Intellect Fortress, a mental defensive posture he learned from his father. Therefore, nothing is lost.
(A lot of father-given lifesaving going on here! I approve.)
The forms of xin ling fu, mind-way, teach that Intellect Fortress can be rolled into Amnesia Burst or Spear of Deflecting One's Aim (which makes the target devote his efforts to something other than his primary goal). If you wanted to use Ego Whip or Id Insinuation, however, you first have to assume the stance of Tower of Iron Will, which brings the emotions up into ready position.
THE SHADE:
From his concealed location in the shadows, The Shade, dark agent of justice, throws one of his father's famous Batarangs at the Bee Queen.
He then uses the shadows to slip away to a new spot before he is found.
QUEEN BEE:
"Uhhff!" she says as she's hit by a Batarang and knocked down.
ALL the Drone Soldiers immediately cluster about the Queen to protect her. So if she wanted to attack the Shade, or anyone, she'd have to shoot through her loyal minions.
Which she may be perfectly willing to do.
Overhead, the sky turns red and then darkens. A fat saucer with many golden pylons ranged parallel to its bulk cruises slowly overhead, firing energy rays which levitate it above the city. Crowds of lizards in golden spacesuits, wearing wings on their backs which have jet engines on the ends, leap from the ship and fly down, wielding golden staffs which crackle at both ends.
Sunday, July 16, 2017
Bow or no bow?
All the drone soldiers bow low before their queen.
Do you?
Starman says, "I don't want to be the ugly american, but you're on earth now, and we don't bow to royalty."
"This izz my world now," the Queen Bee buzzes, "and on my world, we do."
"So if I bow, I'm admitting you own the earth?" Star man exclaims. "Well, then, forget it!"
"The Drone Toxin izz most dizzappointING in its effect," says the Queen, aiming her honey colored wand at Starman.
Do you?
Starman says, "I don't want to be the ugly american, but you're on earth now, and we don't bow to royalty."
"This izz my world now," the Queen Bee buzzes, "and on my world, we do."
"So if I bow, I'm admitting you own the earth?" Star man exclaims. "Well, then, forget it!"
"The Drone Toxin izz most dizzappointING in its effect," says the Queen, aiming her honey colored wand at Starman.
Sunday, July 2, 2017
City of Honey and Wine
But Green Arrow does not, in fact, reveal where the Green Arrow is!
Because his will does not, in fact, forever dissolve away under the action of the Drone Toxin!
So the Drone Soldiers (now there are seven of them) just STAND THERE, waiting for him to speak!
Starman and the Monkey King are there, ready to fight, but there's no one to fight ...
... except Bizarro-Brainiac, who tackles Starman and tries to grab his copier-gun!
Starman shifts his Cosmic Rod to his left hand, holds the copier-gun out of Brainiac's reach with the right, and KICKS Brainiac right in the breadbasket with his right boot!
Brainiac falls to his knees, gasping.
"Two years of kung fu," gasps Starman. "But boy, am I out of shape ..."
Now, unfortunately, all seven Drone Soldiers turn to face Starman.
"Hey, wait ..." he pants out. "This guy's not on your side."
He indicates Brainiac with his foot.
"Is he?"
The seven Drone Soldiers raise their energy ripper discs.
"Oh, you can't be serious ..." Starman complains.
But then they all snap to rigid attention, their weapons raised over their heads, because the teleporter disc pulses one more time, and the Queen Bee steps lithely forth!
(The print medium has certain advantages, one of which being the lack of necessity of pronouncing "lithely forth" aloud.)
"My world lies in ruinzzzz," she purrs. "I claim yourzzz. Does any male wish to zzzay otherwizzze?"
She may be under the impression that the males here have been Droned into subservience, as indeed they should have been by now. But stuff got complicated.
Because his will does not, in fact, forever dissolve away under the action of the Drone Toxin!
So the Drone Soldiers (now there are seven of them) just STAND THERE, waiting for him to speak!
Starman and the Monkey King are there, ready to fight, but there's no one to fight ...
... except Bizarro-Brainiac, who tackles Starman and tries to grab his copier-gun!
Starman shifts his Cosmic Rod to his left hand, holds the copier-gun out of Brainiac's reach with the right, and KICKS Brainiac right in the breadbasket with his right boot!
Brainiac falls to his knees, gasping.
"Two years of kung fu," gasps Starman. "But boy, am I out of shape ..."
Now, unfortunately, all seven Drone Soldiers turn to face Starman.
"Hey, wait ..." he pants out. "This guy's not on your side."
He indicates Brainiac with his foot.
"Is he?"
The seven Drone Soldiers raise their energy ripper discs.
"Oh, you can't be serious ..." Starman complains.
But then they all snap to rigid attention, their weapons raised over their heads, because the teleporter disc pulses one more time, and the Queen Bee steps lithely forth!
(The print medium has certain advantages, one of which being the lack of necessity of pronouncing "lithely forth" aloud.)
"My world lies in ruinzzzz," she purrs. "I claim yourzzz. Does any male wish to zzzay otherwizzze?"
She may be under the impression that the males here have been Droned into subservience, as indeed they should have been by now. But stuff got complicated.
Saturday, July 1, 2017
The City Crumbles
Hawkgirl puts Bi-Clops in cuffs, so that he will be well and truly defeated.
"I suppose you'll have to take that up with my mom and dad, and I'm happy to help you defeat the monocled menace here, but what happens when the real boss gets back?" She has taken up a defensive position vs. the tree with a sword.
Swift gives Bi-Clops an apologetic look, but...no harm done.
What is Botanifex doing...and is there anything around like cable or rope?
Swift says, "No spoils necessary. Justice is its own reward."
Kanto says, "Is it? I hadn't noticed. Of course, justice is a rare bird around here."
Botanifex has finished growing a dozen small limbs and three very big ones, and is looking around, hefting his sword.
No cable or rope, but there certainly are chains, wrapped around each crumbling pastel-cement tenement.
Botanifex studies each of his three opponents, then nods gravely and closes his eyes. Massive blooms of small blue flowers, hundreds of them, break out along his head and back, and down his front, like a beard.
Hawkgirl, who was dressed in safari gear, pulls a raw silk scarf over her mouth, nose and ears. Hopefully she can convince the others to do likewise.
You know, there IS a distinctive floral scent ...
Swift will pick up a chain and try to wrap it around our tree menace at high speed.
If one side of the chain is attached to something...all tye better.
Swift will run out of the area each time she feels loke breathing.
KssshCHING!
Or whatever sound a chain makes going very fast. I'm sticking with kssshCHING!
Botanifex is chained up! He cannot escape. His floral scent is strong.
Thousands of insects, of different types, flock to his blooms. They also sting anyone in their path. Swift is in their path, but whoosh! then she's not.
Also, the tenement the chain was wrapped around starts sagging sideways, as though about to fall over.
Swift looks at the listing tenement. "That's not good!"
She grabs Hawkgirl and moves her out of the way of the stinging insects. As she does so, she points at the tenement and asks, "Any suggestions?"
Hawkgirl will also try to grab Kanto to get him out of the way. Because she's chivalrous. I guess. Is there anybody in that tenement?
Sure there are, hundreds of bleak Hunger Dogs.
So everyone, in turn, whisks everyone else out of the path of the insects. Because Kanto, you see, whirled his cloak to keep Hawkgirl safe from them while turning her vulnerable face away from them.
Thanagarians hunt with dogs sometimes, right? A dog is a medieval's best friend, I'm guessing. Well, a cat by rights should be. Plague and all. Hawkgirl has nothing against insects (unless she happened to bring bear spray along--because of the safari--and they don't make lion spray in America). But. dogs. She whistles for the bleak Hunger Dogs, to get them out of the soon-to-be-crashing tenement. For better or worse.
"I suppose you'll have to take that up with my mom and dad, and I'm happy to help you defeat the monocled menace here, but what happens when the real boss gets back?" She has taken up a defensive position vs. the tree with a sword.
Swift gives Bi-Clops an apologetic look, but...no harm done.
What is Botanifex doing...and is there anything around like cable or rope?
Swift says, "No spoils necessary. Justice is its own reward."
Kanto says, "Is it? I hadn't noticed. Of course, justice is a rare bird around here."
Botanifex has finished growing a dozen small limbs and three very big ones, and is looking around, hefting his sword.
No cable or rope, but there certainly are chains, wrapped around each crumbling pastel-cement tenement.
Botanifex studies each of his three opponents, then nods gravely and closes his eyes. Massive blooms of small blue flowers, hundreds of them, break out along his head and back, and down his front, like a beard.
Hawkgirl, who was dressed in safari gear, pulls a raw silk scarf over her mouth, nose and ears. Hopefully she can convince the others to do likewise.
You know, there IS a distinctive floral scent ...
Swift will pick up a chain and try to wrap it around our tree menace at high speed.
If one side of the chain is attached to something...all tye better.
Swift will run out of the area each time she feels loke breathing.
KssshCHING!
Or whatever sound a chain makes going very fast. I'm sticking with kssshCHING!
Botanifex is chained up! He cannot escape. His floral scent is strong.
Thousands of insects, of different types, flock to his blooms. They also sting anyone in their path. Swift is in their path, but whoosh! then she's not.
Also, the tenement the chain was wrapped around starts sagging sideways, as though about to fall over.
Swift looks at the listing tenement. "That's not good!"
She grabs Hawkgirl and moves her out of the way of the stinging insects. As she does so, she points at the tenement and asks, "Any suggestions?"
Hawkgirl will also try to grab Kanto to get him out of the way. Because she's chivalrous. I guess. Is there anybody in that tenement?
Sure there are, hundreds of bleak Hunger Dogs.
So everyone, in turn, whisks everyone else out of the path of the insects. Because Kanto, you see, whirled his cloak to keep Hawkgirl safe from them while turning her vulnerable face away from them.
Thanagarians hunt with dogs sometimes, right? A dog is a medieval's best friend, I'm guessing. Well, a cat by rights should be. Plague and all. Hawkgirl has nothing against insects (unless she happened to bring bear spray along--because of the safari--and they don't make lion spray in America). But. dogs. She whistles for the bleak Hunger Dogs, to get them out of the soon-to-be-crashing tenement. For better or worse.
Most of the Hunger Dogs come bursting out of their collapsing building as soon as someone whistles authoritatively. Not answering a summons is FAR more dangerous than being in a collapsing tenement!
They're actually people, not dogs. Though their features betray a crudity of aspect.
Kanto immediately steps up where they can see him.
"Hunger Dogs! The reign of the tyrant Vundabar is over! Strike now, against his battle-tree!"
They strike now, against his battle-tree. Immediately.
"Yes, great Kanto!" they shout, straining to be heard over the shouts of their fellows. "Loyal to Kanto we are! Live for Kanto! Die for Kanto!"
Kanto shrugs to his Earthian audience.
"They always say that," he advises.
Saturday, June 24, 2017
Bizarro-Brainiac Bounces Back! Boldly!
"Good! Wait -- good. No broken means broken. The antennas are broken," says Starman, reasoning his way cautiously through Bizarro World.
"And this," he says, displaying the multi-sphered ray gun, "is the copying gun, apparently. Which could have been worse."
"Okay, Bizarro-Brainiac, what now? Are you gonna put this robo-village back where you got it from?"
"ALWAYS!"
"Always means ... never. Aw crud. You're gonna do this the hard way, aren't you?"
Bizarro-Brainiac shakes his head fiercely, then runs away, back into the brass mechanical wind-up city.
The windup people shoot him just as resolutely as they have the heroes, but Bizarro-Brainiac runs on, trying to reach the big power station/cathedral/library/whatever in the center. You know, the one that has all the stolen electricity running to it.
But Green Arrow cut the power line, you say! And yes, he did.
But suddenly the mechanical beehive-like structure comes to brilliant electric life, whirling and flashing and emitting signals of green coherent light!
"Waaah! Gasp! Sob!" laughs Bizarro-Brainiac. "Me am in trouble now!"
Actually, he IS in trouble now.
Because a gold-and-copper disc ship drops down from the heavens, links up with the robot city in a visible rainbow of green energy data, and opens its rim. Mechanical bees flood forth, in torrential numbers, seizing and binding and lifting Bizarro-Brainiac, hanging him from a convenient gargoyle in a web of sticky golden wires.
The alien disc ship revolves, lands, and lights up. A teleporter cloud crackles into life, and out steps a blank-eyed War Drone with stinger cannon and web carbine, looking around dully at Opal/Robo City and its defenders.
(Though not the Shade. Can't see him!)
"You," buzzes the War Drone. "Human in green clothing with bow and arrow. Take me to the one called Green Arrow, or lose your will forever to the Drone Toxin."
He hefts his stinger cannon as additional War Drones begin materializing, one by one, from the disc ship.
Monkey King appears suddenly and punches the Bizarro-Brainiac. Assuming he is the oppose of the evil giant capture demon machine, he racks his brain for what Brainiac was good at.
Force fields! that's it!
he then says "okay super smart well-functioning maniacal marvel, how about you keep taking the buildings of this city and I will hit you again!"
Then he realizes that Brainiac has already lost and floats there looking foolish.
Ah, but has Brainiac lost? For the blow dealt by the Monkey King has torn the brass network holding him captive. He drops to the pavement, face first.
"Yay!" gasps Bizarro-Braniac as he goes down. But he bounds right up again, green fists clenched!
"Me am easy to clobber, because Brainiac no have glass jaw!"
"And now, me am use my copying ray pistol, which Starman has taken away!"
He doesn't. Instead, he lunges at Monkey King and tries to hit him with his green stony fist.
This has virtually NO chance of working ...
THE SHADE:
The Shade will quietly untie Green Arrow and slip away into the shadows...more.
But Green Arrow has not told the Drone Soldier where Green Arrow is, so the Drone Soldier shoots Green Arrow with Drone Toxin.
"Now your will is fluid, draining into the vast ocean of obedience which is the Hive," the Drone Soldier explains. "Now you must reveal where is the Green Arrow human being."
"And this," he says, displaying the multi-sphered ray gun, "is the copying gun, apparently. Which could have been worse."
"Okay, Bizarro-Brainiac, what now? Are you gonna put this robo-village back where you got it from?"
"ALWAYS!"
"Always means ... never. Aw crud. You're gonna do this the hard way, aren't you?"
Bizarro-Brainiac shakes his head fiercely, then runs away, back into the brass mechanical wind-up city.
The windup people shoot him just as resolutely as they have the heroes, but Bizarro-Brainiac runs on, trying to reach the big power station/cathedral/library/whatever in the center. You know, the one that has all the stolen electricity running to it.
But Green Arrow cut the power line, you say! And yes, he did.
But suddenly the mechanical beehive-like structure comes to brilliant electric life, whirling and flashing and emitting signals of green coherent light!
"Waaah! Gasp! Sob!" laughs Bizarro-Brainiac. "Me am in trouble now!"
Actually, he IS in trouble now.
Because a gold-and-copper disc ship drops down from the heavens, links up with the robot city in a visible rainbow of green energy data, and opens its rim. Mechanical bees flood forth, in torrential numbers, seizing and binding and lifting Bizarro-Brainiac, hanging him from a convenient gargoyle in a web of sticky golden wires.
The alien disc ship revolves, lands, and lights up. A teleporter cloud crackles into life, and out steps a blank-eyed War Drone with stinger cannon and web carbine, looking around dully at Opal/Robo City and its defenders.
(Though not the Shade. Can't see him!)
"You," buzzes the War Drone. "Human in green clothing with bow and arrow. Take me to the one called Green Arrow, or lose your will forever to the Drone Toxin."
He hefts his stinger cannon as additional War Drones begin materializing, one by one, from the disc ship.
Monkey King appears suddenly and punches the Bizarro-Brainiac. Assuming he is the oppose of the evil giant capture demon machine, he racks his brain for what Brainiac was good at.
Force fields! that's it!
he then says "okay super smart well-functioning maniacal marvel, how about you keep taking the buildings of this city and I will hit you again!"
Then he realizes that Brainiac has already lost and floats there looking foolish.
Ah, but has Brainiac lost? For the blow dealt by the Monkey King has torn the brass network holding him captive. He drops to the pavement, face first.
"Yay!" gasps Bizarro-Braniac as he goes down. But he bounds right up again, green fists clenched!
"Me am easy to clobber, because Brainiac no have glass jaw!"
"And now, me am use my copying ray pistol, which Starman has taken away!"
He doesn't. Instead, he lunges at Monkey King and tries to hit him with his green stony fist.
This has virtually NO chance of working ...
THE SHADE:
The Shade will quietly untie Green Arrow and slip away into the shadows...more.
But Green Arrow has not told the Drone Soldier where Green Arrow is, so the Drone Soldier shoots Green Arrow with Drone Toxin.
"Now your will is fluid, draining into the vast ocean of obedience which is the Hive," the Drone Soldier explains. "Now you must reveal where is the Green Arrow human being."
A Duel in Armaghetto
"Then I shall have to defeat it!" says Hawkgirl sunnily.
(Thwack!)
Bi-Clops staggers around, blind and crackling electric arcs all over everything.
"I, the most optically gifted of all cyclopes, bested! If only Verman Vunderbar is similarly defeated, so that he has not the power to punish my failure."
Moving at the speed of...well, even faster than that, Swift picks up some rocks, moves past the various baddies and lets go of the rocks.
Then, she circles back, watching. Whoever is affected by being beaned by a super-fast moving rock...great. Whoever is not...she'll start planning something more sophisticated.
Zip! Zip! Rocks bounce off Botanifex' wooden hide. He grows a few more limbs.
Ding! Ding! Rocks clang off Bi-Clops' armor, having passed harmlessly through his electrical defenses, because rocks.
"Ah! I am already defeated!" Bi-Clops insists.
Meanwhile, Kanto has disarmed Verman Vunderbar and slashed the monocle from his eye without hurting either the eye or, what is even more amazing, the monocle.
"Ladies!" he declares. "The living tree is yet our enemy, but his master lies at my feet! If we can but overcome the might of Botanifex, then Armaghetto is ours!"
He grins.
"Not the most triumphant of prizes, I'll grant you. But, the first step to bigger and better things? Does the Flash want a share of the eventual spoils, as well as Thanagar's Hawk Police?"
(Thwack!)
Bi-Clops staggers around, blind and crackling electric arcs all over everything.
"I, the most optically gifted of all cyclopes, bested! If only Verman Vunderbar is similarly defeated, so that he has not the power to punish my failure."
Moving at the speed of...well, even faster than that, Swift picks up some rocks, moves past the various baddies and lets go of the rocks.
Then, she circles back, watching. Whoever is affected by being beaned by a super-fast moving rock...great. Whoever is not...she'll start planning something more sophisticated.
Zip! Zip! Rocks bounce off Botanifex' wooden hide. He grows a few more limbs.
Ding! Ding! Rocks clang off Bi-Clops' armor, having passed harmlessly through his electrical defenses, because rocks.
"Ah! I am already defeated!" Bi-Clops insists.
Meanwhile, Kanto has disarmed Verman Vunderbar and slashed the monocle from his eye without hurting either the eye or, what is even more amazing, the monocle.
"Ladies!" he declares. "The living tree is yet our enemy, but his master lies at my feet! If we can but overcome the might of Botanifex, then Armaghetto is ours!"
He grins.
"Not the most triumphant of prizes, I'll grant you. But, the first step to bigger and better things? Does the Flash want a share of the eventual spoils, as well as Thanagar's Hawk Police?"
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)