Comics by Shaenon II

[Professor_Tinker]

I watch as they get up, feeling my usual good cheer well up inside of me, *with* the madness now.
It worked! YES!

Now with them fighting alongside me, I redouble my efforts, using the Notebook to cut swathes through the army.
As I call upon Murphy's Law of Results a tractor falls apart! The Rule of Working Machinery and a platoon's weapons simultaneously malfunction!

I laugh as Fredric swoops around me, claws tearing through metal like it was tinfoil, certain that this-
(LOOK UP, YOU FOOL!)

I do so, tapping my glasses to magnify the sky.

Oh. Oh no. A cluster of bombs.
All centered on me, it would seem.

Time slows, and I feel almost casual as I grab Fredric by a hind leg and throw him to where Miss Chic and Wallace are, before he can notice the threat.
He would just end up getting killed. . . . I'm glad Chic and wallace are out of the way.
I wouldn't want them to get hurt.

I have a half a minute before the bombs will hit. Not enough time to move. But then, that's hardly effective, is is?

I grab the alien Ray gun and set it up to maximum power, pointing it away from the fray, invoking the Principal of the Lucky Shot as I do so.
The kick sends me flying back, with any luck sending me just far enough to not get hit by the brunt of the blow and-

"F@#$!!!!!"

Oh.
Oh, that *really* hurts.
Hmm. When did I hit the ground?
I feel pretty bruised up.

And is it just me, or is everything sort of going . . . black?

Fredric leapt forward in the air slightly, eyes wide as Professor Tinker's head slumped back onto the ground, barely breathing. He looked so small, lying on the ground.
His hands loosened, The notebook falling to the ground.
Not that, if he had been awake, he would have minded.
It was useless to anyone else.

"Da? DAAA!! Those bastards! THEY HIT HIM!"

[That Guy]

With a loud thud the sealed fortress of a room that That Guy was in fell over and onto its top.

That Guy fell from the bed which was now on the ceiling. "Grrrr," he said. "Note to self: Make next bunker gravity proof." "Well at least my sniffles are gone," he thought as he drew in a breath."

Looking around at the completely destroyed room, "That won't stop me from destroying the people who woke me up though."

Banging open the door of the room and drawing an unnaturally large gun, as he entered the fray. In an unnaturally loud voice he yelled:

"What the heck's going on out here."

[Professor Zobot]

The fourth was born.
The eight was born.
The sixteenth, then the thirty-first,
then the sixty-fourth, then...
Aw, screw the weird foreshadowing:
Lets just say that a lot of things are
coming into being...heh heh heh.

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Huh, you know, it is quiet around here when the earth isn't getting invaded by Martians or attacked by space ninjas or anything. Thus far, the ice cream store has done pretty well, The grand opening has met with incredible sales, although for some reason no one's taken me up on the "Action Science" aspect of my new business.

You know, I get the distinct feeling that I'm missing out on something big. Oh well, I'm sure it's nothing important in the slightest. Back to ice cream!

[Desius]

~Desius

With a firm kick, the grate crashed outward, and Des landed heavily next to Guy and fell over.

"Hello," he grinned, eye twitching. "I'm Des. I'm sort of what going on here, well not really. Yet, at least."
"I'm not actually Des, you know," he pondered. " I'm sort of... not him, but I'm really good at being like him?"
"This isn't going... as good as I had thought, well instincted I guess would be a better word. Now," he grinned, his voice taking on a strange tone. "Help me up."
Guy's hand moved of it's own accord, as Des was pulled gingerly to his feet.
"How did you do that?" Guy asked, shaking his hand as he watched Des carefully.
"Instinct, really. Voices we hear and know, but we always follow. I just let them out." Des frowned, "Its actually kind of hard to... well, explain."
"I'm not... communicating well am I? I've kinda gone Mad, at the moment at least."
"Would you like to be too?" he asked eyes wide.
"NoNOno! d-don't answer that," he interrupted, placing his hand over Guy's mouth. "bad thought, was kind of stray, anyways we don't-aren't aware of the time we have."
"What?" questioned Guy, his well-tuned henchman instincts ringing. He started to inch down the hall.
"I- no, We- no you need to come with me. I know, I mean I really know what needs to happen next. Plus- plus- plus you get a bonus this way. With me. That way, well. Well." He paused, closing his eyes, mouth mumbling quickly to himself. "Oh yes, well, you get a bonus too, but you don't get much use out of it. You know Death leave and all."
"Not that you stay dead mind you, but- but- Well I'm not supposed to tell you that. Ruins the suprise and all."
Des wandered down the hallway humming to himself. He looked back, "You coming?"

[chicgeek]

It all happens so fast. Wally and I are gleefully kicking the crap out of the yokels, when Fredric comes hurtling towards us. When the bombs go off.
Fredric is screaming. Tinker is sprawled upon the ground. He looks so still.
No.
Oh,please, no.
Our eyes meet for one horrified moment.. Then Wally's grabbed me like a sack of potatos, and leaping forward.
Fredric's hovering in front of Tinker's face.
"DA! Wake up,da!"
He's breathing. But he doesn't look good.
"Wally-keep it clear around us! Fredric-don't move him just yet. Not until we stabilise him! I kneel beside him, digging through my pockets, and aha! there it is! I pull out what looks like a small square of flexible circuit board, and peel off the wrapper,exposing the sticky side.
"Wassat?! Wassat?" Fredric chatters frantically.
"A jump start, if you will." I reply absently, opening Tinker's shirt. "This will stimulate adrenaline production, steady his heart rate, a few other things...." I'm deliberately vague. The theory is sound, but it hasn't been tested. I wouldn't use it for anything less than life or death. And Tinker...doesn't look good.
Fredric needs a distraction, something to keep him from hysterics."Look though his coat and backpack-see if there's anything on him you know will help, okay?"
"Right,right,I'm onnit!"
I hear Wally slicing through something, cursing. I take my time-I have to position this exactly."Fredric, this is going to hurt,he may yell-don't panic if he does. We need you to keep a clear head,okay?" The last thing I need is a crazed vorpal bunny at my throat.
And...there! Tinker's eyes fly open, he's gasping for breath."Huuh...huuh..."
His whole body gives a convulsive shudder. One last gasp....and his labored breathing settles into a more natural rhythm. He blinks, and I see his eyes start to focus again. The rabbit has dug up a familiar looking thermos. I help him sit up, and hold the coffee to his lips.
"Drink up, this'll help you feel better."

"Now where have I heard that before?", Tinker murmurs, giving us a weak grin.
"Just drink the nice coffee, you can have a cookie later."

Fredric is chattering so fast I can't understand him.

Now that I can spare the concentration, I look around-and understand the background noise I'd been but barely aware of.

"What a pile of bodies! My, you do know how to impress a girl. But we need a more defensible spot. It's safe to move Tinker now."

"I *am* right here listening, you know," Tinker sighs.

Fredric grabs the professor, Wally swoops me up, and we're off!

[Wallycaine]

Wally soars through the air, glad yet again that he can jump like this. Beyond the fact that it gives him a chance to hold onto Chicgeek, the moments in the air are some of the best thinking time he gets. Of course, stress can sometimes make him think the strangest things, but it all works out. After all, the lesbian pirate monkeys already knocked out Professor Tinker, so he needs to find a place to keep him safe until the ninja doctors get back. Luckily, it looks like his subconsious kicked in and picked a local paper factory to jump to. He should be able to hold them off at the doors with his guns, and then they'll figure something else to do.

[Professor_Tinker]

Awake.
With a feeling not unlike getting kicked in the chest, but awake.
With Fredric chattering away in that particular style that only a adrenaline-fueled Bunny who learned to talk from watching the BBC can manage, flying through the air.

"Anddon;t youevereventhinkofthatit'sntlikebombscan- Da! Da! The Notebook! We left it!" Fredric suddenly exclaims, landing on Wallace's shoulder.

Chic looks worried for a second, but I shake my head.
"Oh, calm down you two. There's nothing special about it. Just the Story. Words, words, words." I say softly, smiling as they both scold me for talking when I should be resting.

I saved their lives, and they have saved mine.
How appropriate.

As we land, I look around.

Hm. The local paper mill.

I grin, looking around.

"How can you be so cheerful? You just almost died!" say Chic, more curiously than annoyedly .
I put my arms in my trouser pockets, one hand curling around my spare pen.

"How can I not? I'm alive. With two fine young colleges, and we just landed in a warehouse of ammo."[/i]

[chicgeek]

"Well, try not to do it again," I scold him crossly."It's redundant to have too many hairbreath escapes from death in one chapter!"

Tinker gives me a strange look. "Oh, I practically grew up in the library," I say, striving for a light tone. "once a bookworm, always a bookworm. You should see my library sometime."

My smile fades slightly as my thoughts flash back, unbidden. Too different, too smart to be smart enough to play dumb. The nerds that should have been my peer group resentful-I shouldn't have been pretty.
The abuse was mostly verbal...mostly...
My eyes meet his, suddenly realizing he knows all about books being a refuge.

A slightly different story, he would have been the best friend.

Where did that thought come from? I shake my head to clear it.
Wally sees me, and shoots me a worried glance.
"Oh, I'm fine" I reply testily."Just regrouping-it's been so hectic, part of this day is just a blur."

Why is Tinker smiling? Heh, I might as well ask why the sun comes up in the east. It's infectious-I suprise myself by giving him a quick hug.

"You," I say firmly, are coming over for coffee when this winds down. If the mood strikes me, I can make a mean biscotti."

I turn to Wally, and join him in scanning the horizon. "It won't take them too long to discover where we are. Let's go do some looting-I'm itching to get at the machinery here. I suppose," I sigh, this is not the best place to summon lightning."

Why is he grinning? Silly boy.

[SoItBegins]

I've finally caught up with the large mob threatening (for want of a better word) my colleagues. It seems they've run out of targets to fight, chicgeek, Wally, and Prof Tinker having bowed out. This has led to a sort of on-the-spot celebration.

Perfect.

I throw the small glass sphere, taking care that my respirator is firmly in place as I run away. In seconds after the ball shatters, the effects are visible. The mob starts to speed up, their time senses (and entire bodies) speeded up immensely. However, most bodily muscles weren't designed to cope with fast speeds, and soon the entire mob is twitching on the ground.

When this stuff wears off, the non-Latents should have burned through any Virus they have in them.

The Latents in this mob, however, will still be a problem. For that, I'll probably have to get cover. And more supplies.

My eye falls on the doorway to Professor Tinker's lab nearby. I charge in there, dodging around corners and rubble.

Now, what to do next?

[Jane Narbon]

I'm here outside Professor Tinker's lair. There's what appears to be a mob of rednecks twitching on the floor here. I run past them and into the building, searching for Desius.

Ah, here he-- WHAM.

This is what you get for not looking where you're going. Me and SoItBegins just bumped into each other. Literally. Hard. I go down, the case flying into a corner. The stuff inside'll be all right, but as for me...

I look up, and something strange happens. It's not from the impact-- I'm sure it wasn't enough to cause trouble, but I feel just a little bit... light-headed. No, that's not right. Floaty.

I apologize to SIB, grab the case, then streak off down the hall.

~

I find Desius, That Guy in tow, heading for the general area of the battle. Let's see here.

"Desius, Professor Tinker sent me to find you. And he said to bring this."

I open the case and hold up the vial.

[Professor Zobot]

With the opening of Toboz's Action Science/Ice Cream shop being such a success, none could have predicted the calamity that it would bring. While it is true that the absorption of the wonderment radiated by children (as well as adults of considerably reduced sanity) has no negative impact on the people radiating such waves, no one said ANYTHING about the possible side effects of eating food produced from such a bizarre sort of power. The Creamy-Iceomatic drew its power, and produced its goods from the natural awe and whimsy innate to all children of certain ages, and that came with it a unique sort of radiation innate to all it created. And with the battle between mad scientists and moderately mad rednecks being fought only a few miles away, wonderment levels were at an all time high. The machine churned faster and faster with the infusion of power, operating at greater levels of efficiency than its maker would have ever thought possible.

The first child that left with an ice cream cone was fated to become an accountant in Chicago until he gave his treat its first lick. From that point on, he was destined to become a spaceman, living on the moon in a tiny red rocket ship and defending the earth from all forms of weirdness.

The second person walked away with a bowl of sherbet. As a spoonful touched her lips, a future formed where she would run around at night in skimpy outfits, chasing and capturing ghosts while trying to win the heart of the quiet, brooding boy sitting in the front of her class.

The third person who tasted a frozen treat became destined to become a stripper in LA. There's no accounting for people's taste.

Due to an oversight in how his machine worked, David Toboz had created something that people had joked about and wished for for centuries. Something more terrible than people ever believed it to be. He had inadvertently created a device capable of making people's dreams come true.

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"Yup...nothing important happening at all these days." David flipped the sign on his door to "Closed" and began sweeping up. He planned on using the profits from his first day to buy a particle accelerator. Somehow it just seemed like the right thing to do.

Abruptly, one of the red necked semi-mads crashed through one of his windows, falling on the floor in a mess of glass and blood. "Umm...hello!" David waved to the man bleeding to death on his floor. It was only polite. "If I may ask, what seems to be happening outside? Please speak up! Don't you just bleed on my floor!" Sighing, he unlocked the front door and stepped outside, to see what all the fuss was about.

[Professor_Tinker]

"I would be delighted to! I'll bring over one of the plants I get my coffee beans. Mother made them grow at a perfect medium roast, you know."
I say, following them.
It's funny, but for a minute I find myself wishing that we had gone to high-school together. I can almost se how nice it would have been. . .
I mean, literally, can *see* it.
A slightly different Story. . . . oh, well.

I put my hands on my hips, striking a sort of 'Peter Pan'ish pose,wobbling slightly due to the effects of having recently almost Died.

"Lightning, no, but just take a look out where the battle was!" I say happily, walking over to Chic to take a telescope out of one of the pockets of my coat (which she is still wearing).

Hand it to her, which she looks through only after having examined the design- old-school copper, for the symbolism. I suspect she approves.

"What the- They're all on the floor!" She exclaims, handing the telescope over to Wally.

He scans the battlefield.
"It looks like they're moving faster than usual." he finally says, handing the telescope to Fredric.

"Indeed! Which suggests that they have been forced to, either biologically or quantinumly, experience time faster! Which seems designed to wear off the temporary Madness. Someone else- likely So It Begins he has a talent in biology copied the Narbon Cross-gender mint, you know- must have caused this. Which means we only have to worry about the small percentage of people who were latent!" I explain cheerfully, before having to take a deep breath.

Oof. Exposition always takes a lot out of me.

"Oh yeh, the mints! I remember that. . . turned Da inna a Girly for a whole week, yanno." Fredric says cheerfully, earning me a wince from Wallace and a sudden explosion of giggles from Chic.

"Professor, do you *ever* have an adventure that *isn't ridiculous?" asks Wallace.
"Oh, good heavens, I hope not. They're much more fun than the serious ones."[/i]

[chicgeek]

I quickly take off Tinker's lab coat and give it back to him. Funny, I don't remember why I'm wearing it. No matter.
He's still a little wobbly.
"For goodness sakes, will you sit down before you fall down?" I give an exasperated sigh.

"And you're not going to let yourself get left behind, are you?" I sigh again, shaking my head for good measure."Boys..."

I catch Wally and Tinker exchanging a wink. They don't even have the grace to look embarassed. "Hmmf."
Drat. Did I just toss my head and go "Hmmf!"? Egad, next thing you know I'll be stomping my foot.
It's time to go shoot something.

"Would you at least like a little armor or a force shield or something before we go? With all the raw material here, it shouldn't take too terribly long to whip something simple up. I have a feeling we'll be running into willie-boy again."

My voice turns ugly. "And if he isn't missing a few parts after being lightning struck, I'll need to see to it personally." I remember his threats. And he hurt my friends...
I flex my hands, brass struts gleaming. "I don't mind getting my hands dirty in a good cause."

Why are they just standing still? We've got work to do.

[Desius]

~Desius

"Right on time, well, you're actually early. I need more of it, and well, I have to umm... improvise?" Des paused, scratching his head. "Time I mean," he smiles hopefully. "I need some more, so you see you're early."
"And I'm... well," he said watching her give him a look, "I guess... on time? I think..."
"Miss Narbon" Des spoke calmly, his voice taking on a weird tone reminding her of nothing more than her father for some reason, "Would you kindly put that away and sit down?"
"We.. well I, I should say, need to talk to... well you I guess." he giggled, lapsing back into his broken monolouge. She caught herself moving as she realized had already put the vial away, and with a force of effort, stopped herself from sitting down.
"Voices," Des explained smiling, "we know them and listen, I read them, let them out."
"You're a liar," He said bluntly, giving a small shrug, the grin neither judging or condeming, "veeerrry good at it. So sad, Training or birth, hard to read. Tells very hard, otherwise... would you like to know her last thoughts of you? You know, as she burned?"
"NoNOno," he stuttered rapidly covering his ears, "Stray thought, bad thought."
"We... No, I... need you to... no you aren't, are you." He shook his head sadly.
"Guy," he said in that strange tone that forced obedience, "Stun her, if you would be so kind."
"And then," he continued, turning away as Guy raised his oversized gun, a look of panic on his face. "Bring her, I need her there to duplicate the Cure."
He pondered as Guy fired, "We... no I, have a world... to Cure."

~Willie

"Ack!" Willie choked as he spasmed. he gritted his teeth and flailed for the two way.
His arm whipped faster than he thought, a blur slamming into the dash, as he chocked off a yell. Careful, he thought, careful, slowly, slowly as he tried again, fighting down the spasms, and grabbed ahold of the receiver.
"Doasdf!!" he tried to speak, his tongue and mouth moving faster than he thought.
"Come again?" Dan asked.
"DPOSKPWAJIOPW!!" He sputtered.
"Somethings wrong!" he heard in the background of the receiver.
"Don't go down yet," spoke a firmer voice, probally Great Uncle Dan, Willie thought as he twitched. "It might be a trap. Someone get me a pair of binocu- thank you. Let me... Oh by the great Dan."
Willie lay back, and focused on not swallowing his tongue. He had done his duty.

[Professor_Tinker]

Ihappily shrug my jacketon, pitching n with dismatling the surrounding machinery from a sitting position.
I have Fredric bring me parts, figuring that Miss Chi- well, I suppose I could just call her Chic by now - that Chic is serious about not letting me stand.

A slight beeping noise alerts me, and I pull a small square box out of my jacket.
"Hmm. The House Security is alerting me to unauthorized Personell Plotting upon the property. That won;t do." I say absently, hitting a button that will remotely activate the security.



[/img]

[Professor Zobot]

I followed the sounds of battle, not entirely sure where they'd lead me... then I heard a familiar voice.

"We... no I, have a world... to Cure."

At that point, I blinked. "Desius?" It's true, the voice was considerably less tinny, but as I rounded the corner, my suspicious were confirmed. He looked a lot younger, and a lot less metallic, but that's to be expected. His face is what shows it: The hands over the ears, the slight twitch of the skin just below the right eye, all of it clearly indicates something to me: Something's definately wrong. I step forward. "I don't think it's the world that needs curing. What the crap is going on here?"

Looking over, I see That Guy, Tinker's associate, standing there as alive as ever. "How is he still alive? Is that Jane Narbon lying there?" That Guy's holding a stun gun, I need to make sure I'm not the next target. Jane Narbon is evil, so I think stunning her might be a good thing, but at the same time, Desius looks all creepy and sinister-ie. I think I need to assume that he's the bad guy here. "You know what, I'm pretty sure I'm not going to get any answers outta you like this. You've lost it, Desius!"

Ok, now I've got his full attention...lucky me. He's clearly somewhat confused. "H-how..."

I wave my hand dismissively "Future history that never happened. I try not to think about it, it'd probably just drive me crazy. Anyways..." I try to look intimidating. "I don't know what's going on, but this ends here! Whatever you're planning...I'm gonna stop it right here, right now! Prepare yourself, Desius and Guy-I-met-once-that-is-supposed-to-work-for-Tinker-I-Think?" Conflict is inevitable.

[chicgeek]

"Damn! Just let me finish this last rivit...there."
I've been working frantically, with all four arms. Well, the exoskeletal armor ones I mainly used to hold things steady, or grab tools. I don't have the concentration yet to use them like I would my own-how does Wally ever coordinate three?
I wince at the crude welds. I hate doing sloppy work. I'm sweaty and grimy and I just know there's a smudge of axle grease on my face.
"Tinker, you first." I hold out what looks like as very loosely woven vest, made of wires, with random bits of circuit board and small bits of metal woven in."Yes, I know what it looks like. Put it on under your jacket,please.'
He does, with a bemused expression on his face.
"It's a very crude force field.It won't hold up to anything stronger than an antitank missile, I'm afraid,but it will *have* to do." I sigh. "And put these in your pocket,please.'
"....Coffee beans?..."
"You've never had my coffee, have you? If you're feeling shaky, each one of these is good for about a six hour burst of energy. You'll crash later, but you could take four doses of this in a row-not at at once!-without it doing you any harm."

That's well below my tolerance level-I used these around the clock for a week when I was finishing up my lair-but better safe than sorry.

"IF we meet our redneck willie wonka-" my face twists in a sneer-"this might help. I've added another setting to the deathray. A ray that causes metal to turn into rust almost instantaneously. Since mechanical contraptions seem to be his forte...well, it's the best I can come up with on short notice."

I pick up two matching pieces. Metal triangles, welded together, and folded."Could one of you help me attach them to my shoulders?"
Wally picks up the necessary tools, and works while I talk.The compact gliders attach swiftly.
" It'll help if Wally-okay, I *know* you won't drop me, but if I'm knocked out of your grip, or fall off a roof or something, they'll unfold and I should be able to glide to the ground. No actual flight capability, that'll have to wait until this is over. It'll be interesting to see how they test out, "I add absently.

I turn to Wally-"I don't have any time left to make you anything...sorry."
I give him a big smile, and wait to see if he and Tinker have anything to add before we leave.

[Professor_Tinker]

I take one of the coffee beans out and pop it into my mouth, chewing thoughtfully as I stand up.
"Well, between Fredric and I, I think we may have gotten something together." I say, picking up two small objects from the floor.

They're small, marble sized balls carefully folded out of paper, each with a small red button on the outside.
I hand one to Wallace and Chic.

"If something is coming towards you, hit the button. The balls will unfold at an exponential rate, giving you a good fifteen-foot radius shield. Hit the button again and it will fold back up." I explain, as Fredric brings the other Invention.

Both Wallace and Chic look confused, and I can't honestly blame them.
"Professor. . . . It's a box." Says Wallace, clearly waiting for the other shoe to drop.

"Exactly!" I chirp happily, admiring the neat little box in my hands.

"It's what's in the box that is so brilliant. It's a fast growing sort of vine- except It's not really a *vine*, as It;s made out of wires, But I sort of *convinced* it that it's a vine, so It will act like one. Most things will do what you need them to if you ask them nicely enough." I say happily, causing Fredric to roll his eyes.

"Yeh, Da. Like anyone *else* is *that* Bloody Nice, yanno."

"Quiet you. Anyway, once it's exposed to light, It should grow at an enormous rate and tangle up everything in it's path! Not to *mention* provide a supply of mechanical parts. "

"Like what?" Says Chic, now fascinated with the box.

"Oh, it will bloom light-bulbs and machine buttons! Grow gears and widgets, and have mighty stalks of joints and piping! It might even put down hydraulic roots!" I prattle happily, my eyes shining slightly as the images swirl through my mind.[/b]

[chicgeek]

"Wow." I say softly. I can't quit staring at the vine. And to think I was proud of what I was able to cobble together here outside my lab.

THAT'S a scientist.

Oh.Wow.

[Desius]

~Desius

Des winced.
Another mad[access point]. *The network grows.*
ERROR! Memory protection fault.
Static increases. Assign role: Super-Ego.
Almost there//balance.
Assume role Primary: Id
"....ssssssssssssssssss" Des caught himself hissing as he processed himself.
"Da...vid TobozZZzobot," he stuttered, linking up with his personality. "We're... evil? No,wearemad. NO, we are-are-are Mad. Everyone.... has gone m-mad? We... no I, am fixing... the world. You, no, we are going to f-fix it. What is the distance... between my thought and yours? A matter... of Persp...ective. Hard to... know you. You aren't you... are you? Where did y-you go Z-z-zobot?"
Des ran his fingers through his hair, trying to listen to a song known only by it's absence.

[Wallycaine]

"Well, I managed to whip some things up, so we all should have fun." Wally gestures to a small chain and pendant. "That's for Fluffy. It's an idea I've had for a bit now about Lagos, as she's starting to run out of interior area for improvements. Anyways, what it'll do is project small force fields on command. It's not really useful on a defensive front unless you get really lucky, but it'll let you protect your paws and shoot it out for a short distance."

Wally turns to a small pile of wires and switches. "This ones for you, Chicgeek. I remember when I was first working my third arm, I had a lot of trouble. One of the things I used to help early on was something similar to this. It basically acts as a temporary memory for your spare arms. You can do two things with it. It allows you to set up a backlog of what you plan to do and go back to concentrate on your main arms. You can use the same function to set up a loop, if you want to have the arms lay down cover fire or something. The other main thing you can do is set up conditions for your arms to act on. What they do and when they do it is up to you, but it can really be anything you can possibly imagine, as it comes from your head. I hope you find it useful." Wally finished, as he helped attach it to her harness.

"Professor, here you go." Wally handed Tinker a pair small patches. "These go on your throat, and allow you to talk to both of us no matter what's going on. That, and if you ever find yourself in trouble, say rhubarb and you'll activate it. I'm not exactly sure what'll happen, as it kinda involves some quantumness, so only use in an emergency."

[Professor Zobot]

As Desius was speaking, David Toboz reached down into a pocket and removed the ACTION-SCIENCE MAIL-ORDER BAD GUY CHECKLIST (Available for $4.99 plus shipping!) and checked the second box on the list:

2. Speech drawing similarities between suspected antagonist and holder of this checklist.

Then he puts it back in his pocket and looks back up. For some reason, he felt a headache coming on. "I'm not me? What does that mean? And "Zobot?" That's just my last name spelled backwards! It's not original, or even clever! There is no such person. Listen to yourself, you're not even making sense, Desius!" His fleshy hand went to his head, which was pounding. He tried to ignore it, as he made one last attempt at diplomacy.

"Look, I'll admit I haven't been in the ice cream dispersal/action science business long, but I've gotten far enough in my mail order heroics classes to know that nothing good ever comes of saying phrases like 'we're going to fix the world.' Invariably it always means you make a bigger mess of things than they were before you started." There was a tangible tension in his voice that wasn't there before. He felt like he was standing at the brink of a precipice but he couldn't jump off. He closed his eyes. "Look, I'm me and you're you, alright? I don't understand why it has to be any deeper than that. Let's just all settle down and go someplace quiet, and allow whatever is going on to resolve itself...please?"

The ache in his head grew stronger, becoming a deep buzzing sensation in his thoughts, like thousands of angry hornets within his psyche. Clenching his teeth, he looked back up. "Wait. It's not that I don't understand you...its that...I...can't?" The buzzing hornets merged into a single, unified voice. "You are not the drink, you are merely the residue left in the cup. But it is not for him to wash you away." He could not jump from the precipice. The voice that existed only within his mind became the only sound he could hear. "The last cup should be drained before a new drink is poured. See to that. 'Shou.'"

David Toboz jerked his head up, and his eye twitched. He yanked Tinker's borrowed laser pointer out of his pocket and shined it in the eyes of the enemy behind him holding the tazer, blinding him momentarily. Then, he rushed forward to exterminate the enemy running his hands through his hair, a titanium-alloy enhanced fist swinging at his foe's skull.

[chicgeek]

My face lights up."I'd originally built them primarily for armor and strenght, and to always have a weapon on me. The separate mobility was secondary, something new to try.
But this....Wallace Caine, it's the nicest present I've ever had."

Tinker is gently clearing his throat behind me. I collect myself.

"Right! Let's get going!"

"Woohoo!" shouts fluffy."Tallyho!"
Oh, the mayhem we'll unleash.
They're not going to know what hit them.

[Professor_Tinker]

I chuckle (the closest to a menacing laugh I get, really) and straighten my cravat, firing off the jet-pack whilst Fredric whoops himself into another frenzy.

I wonder . . . .
"Fredric!" I say kindly, flicking one of the coffee-beans Chic gave me into the air.
"Catch."
He does so, swooping it out of the air and crunching loudly until. . . .

There is a *literal* booming noise as he whirls into the air, a whitish-blur in the air around us.

"Now, THAT is interesting,Shall we then?" I say mildly, grinning.

[Wallycaine]

"Whoo hoo, speedy bunny!" Wally clears his throat and calms himself a bit. "I mean, does anybody have any idea what to expect out there?"

"Not a clue." Tinker says, matter of factly.

"Well, then, lets get going." Wally swings open the doors to a mostly empty field with a bunch of spasmodically twitching rednecks in one area.

"Didn't see that coming." Chicgeek deadpans.

[Desius]

"Sto-" Des tried to say, his voice taking on that eerie tone. Zobot's hand knocked him backward, slamming him into the wall. He felt it buckle and he crashed through to the other side. Debris fell around him as he choked out a dusty gasp, tasting metal as flecks of blood peppered the air. Zobot stepped through, kicking out parts of the wall in order to fit.
Des tried to speak, hacking as he felt the bile rise. he gargled, choking as Zobot stood over him raising his hand. He felt the connection fading, as he desperatly tried to hold it. A flicker on the edge of his awareness told him Miss Narbon was awake again, as he frantically assigned her as Ego. Would he have enough proximity to force her to help him? Would she still do it even if he couldn't? He watched the arm fall, bracing for the impact

[Professor_Tinker]

Tinker couldn;t help it, he burts into a fit of laughter as Fredric zoomed out for Recon.

He recovered after a second, wiping his eyes.
"So s-sorry, I just- hee hee! Long day, and well. . . twitching rednecks." I explain, which gets a good ten seconds of snickering from my compaitriots.

Fluffy speeds by, all but unitelligable at this level of exitment

"Itlookslike it'sALLCLEARDA!"

[Jane Narbon]

I grab the case, jerking myself upright. While almost everybody here is, well, Mad, it seems as if Professor Zobot's gone completely crazy. I do know one maneuver that can, for sure, bring him out of this in a hurry, but...

I run forward, bringing my foot up in a kick. Zobot's arm stops in mid-swing, as he yells, crumples a bit, and grabs the *ahem* affected area with one arm. Unfortunately, the other arm, the metal one, comes around in a flying punch.

Well, if it's going to be like that, then it's just as well I trained in unarmed combat. I duck the arm. A simple leg sweep and down goes the Professor!

I drag Desius into a nearby storage room, and stick a lock patch on the door. It'll hold for about 5 minutes, which is enough time for the Cure to activate. Especially considering that I... modified this vial a little bit.

I take the slim tube out of the case, then take the cap off and stick the sharp end into Desius's carotid artery. Then, I say "Vial, activate and discharge. Authentication: Jane Narbon," pressing my forefinger to the flat plate on top of the tube. The autoinjector gives a small beep, then the contents drain. Desius, who's been protesting a bit, goes limp.

I start my watch timer as the hypnotic I mixed in with the Cure becomes active. I've got three minutes before the Cure overwhelms everything else, then the speaking-in-tongues bit starts. Now, let me see:

"Desius, pay attention. You will not remember this conversation, though you will follow all instructions I give in it.

First, you will never harm me under any circumstances.

Second, you will recognize me as your new authority figure. However, you will not act upon it, or upon my commands, except under one of these circumstances:

1. If I show you, or am wearing, this necklace."

I hold up a necklace with a small golden beaker charm on a silver chain.

"2. If I speak the exact phrase, 'Blue, orange, 51904'.

3. If I am in life-threatening danger.

At all other times, you will behave as you would otherwise without this conversation having taken place.

Third, once one of the aforementioned circumstances has taken place, you will continue to act upon my commands until I tell you otherwise."

My watch is beeping. Better wrap this up.

"Finally, if you ever become a Mad Scientist, or otherwise have no authority figure above you, you will never, ever, ever try to double-cross, mislead, or betray me."

My watch's beeping sound changes to a steady tone, as The Cure takes hold. I pull the vial from Desius's neck a split second before he jerks upright, as if he were sleepwalking. I mentally run over the phases in my head.

OK. Phase Two in 4... 3... 2... 1... now.

[Professor Zobot]

Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! *Thunk!* Urk! Pain! Blinding, white hot pain!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As Jane Narbon kicks him between the legs, David does what any male would do under the circumstances: fall over, non-metal hand gently covering his nether regions, and wince in pain. Everything else is forgotten.

Several minutes pass as Jane Narbon does something with Desius, but he is in no condition to pay attention to what exactly it is. Plus, he fell over with his head turned away from them, and wasn't about to turn around. Eventually, he recovers, putting his fleshy hand on his head as he sits up. "Ugh...woah, what exactly just happened?" The past twenty or so minutes are a blur to him. He shakes his head and sits up, looking around.

[chicgeek]

Chic grabs Wally by the arm.
"Just let me know if you see Lord Dave sticking his nose in here. There's something I want to try-"
She whispers briefly to him before they head inside, savoring the irony.

Wallace's eyebrows raise.

* * * * *