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Wile E. Coyote
Author of 19 Stories |
Author’s Note: I do not own Ace Lightning, or any of the canon characters featured in it. I do own most of the fanfic characters in this fanfic. The character Snoflake is copyright to Scarab Dynasty. Ace Lightning is copyright to BBC. This fanfic is copyright to me. Anyone found copying my fic will be killed, but quick and painless since I am a nice guy…or slow and painful! Your choice! This chapter features multiple deaths and more violence and bloodshed. This is probably going to be the most exciting chapter of the series, so far. A couple of new characters will be introduced too.
The skeletal dog, drool dripping from his mouth and eyes glowing a bright red, stopped in his tracks and sniffed the air. His ears pricked up and his odd twisted tail wagged back and forth. He sniffed the air continuously and then noticed movement out of the corner of his eye. He turned fully, seeing two figures hiding in the shadows. Hellhound growled, barked twice and lunged at the closest figure. The figure gasped and then the second figure moved in front and a blast of lightning shot from his wrist can struck Hellhound on the side. The dog whelped and collapsed on the ground, smoke rising from his body. The two figures emerged from the shadows into the moonlight, revealing themselves to be Ace and Mark.
“Is he alright?” asked Mark.
“He’ll be fine, Mark,” said Ace in reply. “Come on, let’s find Random and get out of here.”
“Evening, Lightning…I never thought of you as a nocturnal person…” said a voice.
“Scrambler!” cried Ace, as Kilobyte’s brother appeared. “Where is Random?”
“He is locked up, around here somewhere,” said Scrambler, approaching the wounded dog before him and briefly examining his wound before rising up to face the Lightning Knights before him. “But tell me, Lightning. How far are you willing to go to rescue your friend?”
“What has that got to do anything?” snapped Ace, running out of patience.
“Everything!” cried Scrambler. “Kilobyte plans to trade Virus in return for your pieces of the Amulet, but knowing him, he will destroy both you and your friend when the deal is made.”
“Why are you telling me this?” asked Scrambler.
“To throw a wrench into Kilobyte’s plan,” said Scrambler. “There can only be one of us, and I know he plans to delete me somehow. But I will make sure he falls first!”
“So you’re telling me all of his plans so that I spare you?” asked Ace.
“Wrong,” said Scrambler. “I am telling you this so you can destroy Kilobyte. You hate him as much as I do, but I do not have enough power to do kill him. You killed him once, you can do it again.”
“I will not be used as your weapon!” cried Ace. “Now take me to Random!”
Scrambler stared at Ace, and then smirked peacefully.
“If you want me to take you to Virus,” said Scrambler, his six tentacles emerging from his back. “You must defeat in a battle!”
“I’ve done that once, I can do that again,” said Ace.
“That was mere luck and you had help from your friends,” said Scrambler. “This time it is just you and I!”
“Well this time,” said Ace, charging up his wrist cannons. “I’ll beat you down myself.”
Scrambler blinked and then his face turned into a smug grin, his tentacles wavering above his head.
“We shall see…” said Scrambler.
Episode 48: The Tower Zone
“Ace, you can’t take this guy on your own!” cried Mark in fear.
“Relax, Mark. Before I met you, I took on an army of hobgoblins before and won without a scratch!” said Ace with confidence.
“Against me, Lightning, hobgoblins are the least of your problems!” cried Scrambler.
“And what would be the biggest problem?” asked Ace, anger setting in.
“This!” cried Scrambler and he charged, a clenched fist flying at Ace’s face.
Ace pushed Mark out of harm’s way as Scrambler flew at him, fists flailing wildly. Scrambler practically danced with Ace, spinning continuously, his punches trying to intercept Ace arm shield that protected him face. Ace quickly lowered his arms to fire electricity from one of his wrist cannons, but Scrambler smashed his fist into it with amazing force, sending pieces of metal flying a small explosion of smoke flew out of the damaged weapon. Ace gasped but was then greeted by a rock hard blow to his face by one of Scrambler’s slimy tentacles, although it felt like Ace was being hit by titanium. He could only brace himself as another tentacle collided with his right cheek and sent him sprawling to the ground. Ace rapidly recovered from the blows, leapt to his feet and attempted to deliver his own punch, colliding with Scrambler’s chin. However, the hit didn’t even faze the villain, but it felt like Ace had just punched the shell of a Diamond Turtle. All it did was create rip holes in Ace’s sleeve and burst his other wrist cannon, leaving him generally weaponless.
“You are weak, Lightning,” said Scrambler. “But I see you have only witnessed by special ability. Allow me to give you a demonstration, up close and personal!”
Scrambler’s fist rocketed at Ace, smashing into his chest like a missile. Ace was thrown off his feet and sent flying, smashing into and through a carnival booth, reducing it to pieces. The loud noise woke a couple of dwellers. A light in Duff’s trailer flicked on and the burly carnival owner leapt out of the caravan, baseball bat in hand.
“What the Sam Hill is all this racket?!” cried Duff, then he noticed Scrambler and Mark. “Oh for the love of grass! I’ve only come back from Canada and already you guys are at it again! It’s late!”
“My apologies. I will quickly dispose of these pests so you can return to your sleep,” said Scrambler sarcastically, approaching Ace, who struggled to clamber out of the wreckage.
“Ace!” cried Mark, but he was unable to help as the wounded Hellhound had managed to gain enough strength to heave himself up and tackle Mark to the ground.
“Are you impressed? I have the ability to make my body invulnerable to harm,” explained Scrambler, standing over Ace. “Want to know how?”
“I already guessed…you channel all of your energy into your muscles and it then quickly goes around your body at an accelerated rate. With this speed, the energy and data are fused together and create a powerful substance that cannot be penetrated easily. This creates your power!” said Ace.
“Close enough,” said Scrambler. “Now, either you will help me destroy Kilobyte or I’ve found myself a punching bag. What will it be?”
“You can burn in the deepest pits of…White Hot Oblivion!” cried Ace, slowly getting to his knees. “You piece of leftover data!
“Wrong answer!” cried Scrambler.
He was about to strike Ace when Mark leapt in and fired a blast of electricity at Scrambler. Knowing it wouldn’t do any damage to him, it just bounced off. Ace stood up and tackled Scrambler to the ground, managing to punch him clear across the face.
“My forcefield!” cried Scrambler. “How?”
“I guessed that you have at least one weak point with this forcefield of yours. I’ve battled others who possessed similar abilities and their weak point was always their face!” laughed Ace triumphantly.
“Clever,” said Scrambler, slightly impressed.
“We’ll be leaving now, and we’ll be back to get Random later,” said Ace, walking away, Mark following.
“I don’t think so…” said Scrambler.
Ace heard his comment and pushed himself and Mark to the ground as a giant stone fist flew at them, barely missing their heads. Scrambler watched as Giant George, the enormous cowboy golem appeared. He grinned evilly and laughed.
“What’s your hurry, Geronimo?” asked Giant George, flexing his arms.
“To get away from this freakshow!” cried Ace.
Mark fired a lightning bolt at George, but it only simply made a hole in his arm. George yelled, despite the fact the blast only felt like a tickle to him. Ace rolled Mark and himself out of the way as George’s massive fist hammered down on the ground, leaving quite a lengthy hole in the ground. Scrambler, George, Hellhound and Duff watched as Ace and Mark departed.
“Pathetic,” said Scrambler.
Suddenly Hellhound whimpered and tumbled over, the pain in his wound returning. Duff panicked as the dog fell at his feet. George turned and kneeled before the dog, prodding Hellhound with a finger, causing the canine to howl even louder. A light flickered on within the haunted house and Lord Fear, in his clothes minus his hat and cloak, appeared looking rather disgruntled.
“Who is making this infernal racket? Can’t an overlord get a decent night’s sleep?” he cried.
Lord Fear stared briefly at the small crowd and then gasped when he saw Hellhound on the ground. Fear cried loudly and sprinted quite successfully over to his beloved dog, kneeling before him and petting his canine.
“Hellhound, what happened?” asked Lord Fear.
“It was that bloke Ace Lightning! That varmint tried to free his cyborg buddy but Scrambler here got in the way and hurt him, but the two guys fled!” explained Giant George quickly.
“Damn that costumed clod!” shouted Lord Fear, screaming up at the heavens. “Soon, Ace Lightning! I will finish you for good!”
…
It was sunny morning and yet it was another dreadful day at school for Mark and Chuck: Double science with Mr. Cheseborough. However, Cheseborough was ten minutes late to the lesson, looking rather frightened and perplexed.
“Sorry I am late students, I was held up…” said Cheseborough with a fake gruff voice. “Get on with your study of annelids before I turn you into some! Oh, and I need a quick chat with Mr. Hollander…”
Mark, who sat slumped in his seat almost half-asleep, bolted upright in alarm and quickly walked out of the room into the empty hallway, Cheseborough filing out after him. Chuck looked worried and glanced over to Kat who looked with concern on her face. Heather, who had recently joined the class, eyed them suspiciously.
As soon as Mr. Cheseborough closed to door, he rounded on Mark with a look of desperation.
“Mr. Hollander, the space aliens are after me again…” he whimpered.
“What?” asked Mark in alarm.
“I was on my way home from my alien support group when I was attacked by an alien!” cried Cheseborough quite loudly. “It threatened to kill me and then dropped this note as they departed.”
He looked about as if someone were to leap out at him and then handed a piece of crippled paper to Mark. Mark unfolded the piece of paper and read to small inscription on it.
Boss,
The Tower of Empty Memories has appeared on the outskirts of town. It looks like you can now steal the powers of Master Thunder after all. When is the attack?
From Dirty Rat
Mark looked up and raised an eyebrow in confusion. He had never heard of a “Master Zoar” before, but he must be an important person in Kilobyte’s scheme. He would have to tell Ace about this after school.
“Thanks for this, Mr. Cheseborough,” said Mark. “I’ll make sure that the aliens do not harm you.”
“Oh, thank you, Mr. Hollander!” cried Mr. Cheseborough.
The two then heard footsteps coming down the hall. It was Mrs. Kutcher, smiling sweetly, holding a pair of shopping bags. As she drew near the two, Mr. Cheseborough turned on Mark and shouted in his face.
“…And don’t let me catch you passing notes to your friends again, Mr. Hollander!” shouted Cheseborough, catching Mark by surprise. “Do I make myself clear?”
“Yes sir...” said Mark blatantly, catching on to the act.
“Good. Now get back into class!” shouted Cheseborough and Mark hauled his backside back into the class faster than Sparx leaping action.
“Why, Mr. Cheseborough! I haven’t seen you for a while!” cried Mrs. Kutcher with a cheerful grin, approaching her associate.
“Hello, Mrs. Kutcher. It has been a while,” Cheseborough replied tiredly. “These students are getting badder by the day – both in behaviour and intelligence.”
“You don’t mean that. I know for a fact you love your job,” said Mrs. Kutcher.
“Only when I am seeing the little termites suffer,” hissed Cheseborough, grabbing a football left on the floor and bursting it like he was crushing a human head.
“You’re just in a bad mood. Why don’t you come to the school kitchen at lunch? I’m making my special cookies…” said Mrs. Kutcher.
“I appreciate the offer Mrs. Kutcher…but…I’m on a diet,” said Cheseborough, making up an excuse, but Mrs. Kutcher was not buying it.
“Oh well, if you do get hungry, you know where I am,” she said and strolled off down the hall, the two bags swinging back and forth.
Mr. Cheseborough sighed deeply and headed back into his room, but stopped briefly and smiled at the thought of eating some of Mrs. Kutcher’s cookies.
“What were you looking at?” asked Lady Illusion.
“I just discovered that this dimension is actually bigger than I thought,” explained Ace. “This world is just one of many. My favourite currently is Venus…it reminds me of you.”
He handed Lady Illusion a book and she scanned a few sentences and smiled sweetly.
“Hot and deadly…you’re so sweet,” she said and gave Ace a peck on the cheek.
Lady Illusion strolled off and Ace smiled dreamily as she left. He then realised what she had said and snapped back into action. He followed after her quickly.
“No, wait! That’s not what I meant!” cried Ace, chasing after her.
“Hey…boss…the tower is that way!” cried Dirty Rat, quite out of breath.
He pointed towards a large forest in the distance and Kilobyte guided Fred in the direction. Candy wobbled about as the giant bug turned quite quickly. Dirty Rat trailed further back even more.
“Hey Rat!” called Candy. “If you can actually keep up with us, I’ll give you a kiss for you efforts!”
Dirty Rat nearly grinded to a halt in midair, his eyes crazed. Putting all of his reserved strength in his wings, he shot off after Fred, cackling like a nutcase.
Fred soon landed on a large hill, overlooking a clearing in the middle of the forest. Standing in the clearing was a large and ancient cathedral like structure, decorated with gargoyles and statues of unknown heroes and warriors. Kilobyte and Candy clambered off Fred and looked at the building in awe. Kilobyte, looking grimly as usual, formed a creepy smile on his pale face.
“The Tower of Empty Melodies!”
Dirty Rat landed clumsily, his vision a blur. He then flew up to who he believed to be Candy and placed a hand on her shoulder.
“So, what about that kiss, baby?” asked Dirty Rat, trying to sound seductively.
His vision came back to him, but he wish it hadn’t. Kilobyte stared at him with horror and punched him clear across the face, sending him flying into a tree. He slumped to the ground, groaning. Candy laughed loudly at the rat’s stupidity and then turned to see Kilobyte staring at her, unamused. He then turned back to face the ancient cathedral-like structure before him.
“The Day of Reckoning is drawing near. But how does that prophecy go?” said Kilobyte, clenching a fist in frustration.
“I was a student at Generic University for three years, Buster!” said Candy. “And learnt a lot about prophecies and such.”
“So you know about the one of which I speak of,” said Kilobyte.
“Duh!” said Candy, annoyed by Kilobyte’s lack of common sense.
“Well…” said Kilobyte, folding his arms expectantly.
Candy nodded and sat down on the grass, trying to remember the prophecy. She then looked up and smiled triumphantly.
“The Soul of Zoar, the artefact of power, combined are these to create the Key. The Key to darkness, power and destruction. With these, the Ultimate Evil, Bringer of Shadows, will gain untold powers and will be able to tear the stream of life in two and design a new realm, to its view of life. On the Night of the Autumn Sleep the darkness will rise and an army of shadows shall swallow an innocent earth, and the Ultimate Evil will appear. Then, on the final stroke of night, the evil shall ascend to the Twilight’s View and plunge into the darkness and fight against the Ultimate Light at The Brink of Despair where either one shall survive and conquer. If not, then thus light and shadows both be killed.”
“Say what?” asked Dirty Rat, staring blankly at Candy. Kilobyte looked equally perplexed.
“Basically it means that Kilobyte will use the Amulet to conquer the universe, reformat it to his liking and rule forever. On the last day of whenever, Kilobyte will battle the Lightning Knights in some void place and if he wins he will get to rule, but if neither are beaten, then the universe collapses on itself and everyone dies!” explained Candy. “But I don’t get why we came here?”
“In the tower lives Master Thunder, the strongest of the Lightning Knights,” explained Kilobyte. “If we capture him, the Lightning Knights will surely hand over their pieces of the Amulet. Then I can finish them off all at once!”
“Great plan, boss. When do we attack?” asked Dirty Rat.
“Not yet,” said Kilobyte, taking Dirty Rat by surprise. “We shall attack at night.”
Kilobyte and Candy got on Fred and departed, Dirty Rat following behind. Unbeknownst to them, they were being watched by Thunderfoot, who hid behind a tree. He looked rather worried.
“So that’s their little game. I better tell Ace…” said Thunderfoot, and then glaring at nobody, he ran off into the forest. “But…I wonder what happened to Random.”
“It’s been raining like this for ages now,” said Random out loud. “This city has been in ruins for years.”
“It was thanks to you and your friends!”
“I thought you were gone?” asked Random is annoyance.
“You know very well that shall never be gone! We are one, in case you have forgotten?”
“Shut up and stay in darkness!” shouted Random.
“You can’t keep me in forever. Soon, I shall be free!”
“I told you to shut up!” cried Random, enraged. “And even if you do become free, it will be a long time before I go down without a fight!”
“Hahahaha, we shall see…”
Random felt a sudden wave of darkness sweep over his mind and he clutched him head with his human hand, his eye flickering red for just a second before all went silent, except for the rain’s continuous splattering. Random breathed heavily then looked up towards the clouded sky.
“Why? Why am I cursed with this evil?” asked Random to the sky. “Why?!”
He then saw a faint glow of light from around a corner. Curious, Random manoeuvred himself down the alleyway and turned a corner. He entered a large round courtyard, which was illuminated by an eighteen-story high skyscraper. It was brightly coloured wit green, purple and orange neon lights.
“Memorial Skyscraper…” said Random. “Why is it all lit up for?”
Suddenly, Random saw movement out of the corner of his eye and saw a barrage of deformed purple creatures with eerie green eyes and large horns on their heads appearing out of the darkness. Random immediately turned to face them and raised his claw.
“The Stalkers!” cried Random in alarm, as a giant tidal wave of them swamped around him, like an army of purple blobs with eyes. “I thought I had seen the last of these freaks!”
The Stalkers closest to Random suddenly lunged at him, leaping high into the air like ninjas. Random swung his entire body around in a 360◦ degree spin, and slashed at the attacking Stalkers with his claw, slicing them all in two. More sprung at him automatically, and he quickly disposed of them in the same manner. More and more dashed at him, some springing from side to side like raptors and wildcats. One managed to leap onto Random’s back, but he grabbed its head between his claws and quite literally beheaded it, the rest of the body vanishing in a puff of smoke. One attempted to ram itself under Random’s caterpillar tracks, but ended up becoming sawed in two.
At once, all of the Stalkers sprung at Random. There was no way he could take them all on at once. He fired his wrist cannon at some, a blast of orange energy killing some. Suddenly, a cloaked figure jumped in out of no where and armed with a silver crossbow, fired a single electrical arrow into the sky. It exploded with a small boom and millions of electrical bolts reigned down from the sky, bombarding the field around Random, killing all of the Stalkers.
Random turned to face the cloaked figure who turned to him. Despite the man’s face was covered, Random could clearly recognise the face hidden underneath. The man wore a long, flowing blue cloak and in his hand he wielded a futuristic silver crossbow with an electrical arrow sparkling on top. The man stared gruffly at Random with a pair of green eyes, his jet black hair fluttering in the strong wind.
“What are you doing here, Virus?” asked the cloaked man suspiciously. “I thought you were in the Seventh Dimension?”
“I was, but then I blacked out and found myself here,” said Random in response, watching as more Stalkers emerge from the darkness, only these ones were covered in black armour. “But right now, I suggest we team up and defeat these creeps.”
The cloaked man sighed loudly and turned away, aiming his crossbow at the oncoming wave of shadows. Random rolled his eyes at the man’s movements.
“I don’t need your help,” said the man, only to be tackled to the ground by a Stalker from behind.
Random raced to his fallen acquaintance and picked up the Stalker by the back of the neck. Swinging his claw around, he spun and sent the Stalker flipping away into the sky and out of sight.
“It looks like you do to me,” said Random.
The armoured Stalkers leapt at the two all at once. Random fired up his wrist cannon and a jet blast of orange energy seared out of it and destroyed many Stalkers as they leapt through the air. The cloaked man backflipped and took out several Stalkers with a flying roundhouse kick. One leapt on the front of Random’s armour but soon fell off and was mowed down by Random’s wheels. The two allies were cut off from one another as the Stalkers spilt out around them, like a huge ocean of black and purple blobs.
While Random stayed mobile to the ground, his attacks strong and in one place, the cloaked man was leaping about wildly, laying the deathblow to any Stalker who dare approach him. Any who leapt at him got a punch or a kick in the head. One Stalker dashed at him and attempted to trip him up with a skid. However, the man seized the Stalker by the head and then kicked it full force with his left leg. It was sent high into the air. The man then fired a long javelin made from lightning high into the air. It pierced the Stalker right through its armoured chest, smashing the armour to pieces and reducing the Stalker to nothingness, the remainders of its body vanishing into a purple haze. Another Stalker dived at him from above and flew past his face, causing his hood to fly up and backwards, a long scythe-like weapon in its grip slashing deep into the man’s exposed cheek. The man cringed, yelled and fell to the ground, the Stalkers swarming around him like giant locust.
“Hey, are you alright?!” cried Random in alarm, beating the life out of a Stalker before ripping it in two.
The man struggled to get to his feet and looked over to Random. His face was revealed and exposed to the rain. Black hair ran across his face, covering his eyebrows and his left eye. He had emerald green eyes and a deep scar was now imbedded onto his right cheek. He breathed heavily and glared at the Stalkers around him. He picked up his crossbow and raised it above his head.
“Yeah…I’m having the time of my life!” he cried sarcastically and fired a round of arrows, destroying all of the Stalkers crowded around him.
The man suddenly placed the crossbow in the middle of his hands and it amazingly split in two, becoming two cannon-like devices that strapped around his arms – wrist cannons! Random flung another couple of Stalkers across the battlefield and watched as his friend powered up both of his wrist cannons, the electricity a sparkling blue in colour. The man then spun around, practically hovering in midair, before creating a powerful spinning electrical tornado, picking up all Stalkers in the area, ripping each one apart with bolts of lightning. Within seconds the battlefield was empty, apart from the man and a stunned Random.
“You’ve been training?” asked Random in surprise.
“Yep,” said the man in response.
A sudden boom of laughter echoed across the battlefield and the two Lightning Knights looked up towards the top of Memorial Skyscraper. On the very top, perfectly balancing on the edge was another figure. This one was in a long, flowing purple and black cloak with a hood that hid his entire face except for a pair of glowing green eyes. He wore violet-coloured clothes which were marked with strange symbols. In his hand was a long black broadsword, which looked quite heavy in his grip.
“Not bad, Lightning Knights!” cried the man with a chortle. “But you have only scratched the surface of the consuming darkness!”
“Necromancer!” cried the Lightning Knight in anger.
Random’s eyes widened and he stared up at the cloaked man on top of the skyscraper.
“Necromancer?” asked Random in astonishment. “I thought he had died!”
“You are dense, Random Virus!” laughed Necromancer. “No, I survived the Battle of Hastings III and became an almighty warlock!”
“Still full of yourself, I see,” said Random gruffly, and the cloaked Necromancer chuckled.
“Perhaps, but know this: The Day of Reckoning is coming!” said Necromancer. “I can feel it on the brink of darkness. Soon both the Sixth Dimension and the world of the mortals shall collapse upon eachother and evil shall conquer the universe!”
“Are you done rambling?” shouted the Lightning Knight.
“Rambling? I’m just telling you what will occur,” said Necromancer. “But if the Ultimate Evil fails, then I shall descend upon the mortal world and shine!”
“Not if we have anything to say about it!” shouted Random angrily, and was about to fire a blast of electricity up at Necromancer, when the warlock was encased in a purple mist and vanished.
Random and his ally cringed in annoyance. Random turned to his friend.
“I must get back to the mortal realm to help Ace,” said Random. “Do you know where I can find a portal?”
“There is one not far from here,” said the Lightning Knight. “It will take you to the Datastream and you can get back to Ace from there.”
Random turned in the direction of his friend’s extended finger and proceeded to set out. He stopped to see the man place his hood back on and walk away also.
“Thanks…Voltage,” he said.
Voltage turned briefly and nodded, a smile on his face. The two knights turned away from eachother and departed in the opposite directions.
“After Master Zoar, he was the strongest knight in existence,” explained Molto. “But we thought he had died at the end of the Great Crusade.”
“Looks like that old geezer survived after all,” groaned Sparx, sitting on a chair nearby, her arm in a cast.
“Sparx, that’s no way to speak about your elders,” said Chuck, wagging a finger at the angry Sparx.
“I bet Kilobyte and his bunch of freaks are planning to attack the Tower of Empty Melodies…” said Ace. “We’ve got to find it!”
“You don’t have to look,” said a voice. “I already know where it is.”
Everyone is the room turned. Leaning against the doorframe of the entrance stood Thunderfoot, arms folded and looking dully at the Lightning Knights.
“Thunderfoot!” cried Ace in joy, mindlessly dashing to his former sidekick and hugging him.
“Ack! Ace…can’t breathe!” gasped Thunderfoot, and had to literally pull Ace off of him.
“Oops! Hah, sorry…” said Ace in apology, releasing Thunderfoot who panted heavily.
“No problem. Anyway, that Kilobyte guy and his gang plan to attack the tower at sundown!” cried Thunderfoot.
“Thanks for the tip, Thunderfoot,” said Ace. “But I thought you had left to think things over.”
“I did and have approved of everything that’s happening,” said Thunderfoot. “From you having a mortal for a sidekick and even your relationship with the evil lady with roadkill hair.”
“What!” screeched Lady Illusion, as Sparx burst out laughing and fell over sideway in a frenzy of tears.
“Don’t insult her, she has a bad temper at times,” whispered Ace to Thunderfoot who acknowledged this with a loud gulp.
“Okay,” said Sparx, getting over her laughter. “When do we go to the tower?”
“We do, you don’t!” said Ace, causing Sparx to flinch.
“Excuse me!” cried Sparx. “Listen Ace, I’m telling you, Little Miss Pinky is going down!”
“You can’t fight with a sword when your fighting arm is broken,” said Ace. “Let alone fly the Lightning Flash.”
He pointed across the room where a busted up Lightning Flash sat. It was practically in pieces, one handle missing off the front and the entire back portion of the hovercraft looked like it was about ready to fall right off.
“It’s not fair!” cried Sparx in a bratty kind of way, causing Lady Illusion to snicker under her breathe.
“Well, actually…” said Thunderfoot. “I have nanogenes with me.”
“Nanogenes! Give me them!” cried Sparx eagerly.
“Wait a moment, I thought nanogenes repaired machinery, not lifeforms?” asked Molto.
“Mine do the opposite,” said Thunderfoot, and he pulled a small bottle out of a pocket. A strange blue liquid was inside the bottle.
Sparx took the bottle from Thunderfoot, through the lid over her shoulder and swallowed the liquid in one gulp. Mark, Chuck and Molto looked on in amazement as a blue light flew quickly across Sparx’s arm and instantly healed it. Ace smiled and hi-fived with Thunderfoot while Lady Illusion stared at the cadet as if she could crush him.
“Well then Lightning Knights! We’ve got a sanctuary to protect!” said Ace loudly. “So let’s…”
“Er…Ace…only you can fly…how are we meant to get to the tower?” asked Thunderfoot.
“Hey, I can fly!” cried Molto.
“Technically you only ‘fly’ by boosting the oxygen density in the air using your fire powers and continuously channelling around your body at an accelerated rate,” said Thunderfoot.
Molto just stared at him bewildered. Chuck turned to Mark with a large smile on his face.
“He’s good,” said Chuck.
“Moving back to your question, Chuckdude has a van thing outside that you can all hitch a ride in,” said Ace.
“What?!” cried Chuck, acknowledging that Ace had dragged him into it. “I thought I was the computer technician of this group, not the taxi driver!”
“You are Chuckdude, but you’re the only person here who can travel at fast speeds either than me, Sparx and Molto,” said Ace. “Can we have a ride?”
Chuck stared at them with an annoyed look, then straightened his glasses and smiled.
“Fine, but next time you can walk!” cried Chuck as he grabbed a pair of keys and headed out of the observatory, Sparx and Lady Illusion ominously following as did Mark.
Molto burst into flames and flew out of the roof, Ace shortly following after her. Thunderfoot stood alone for a moment, a look of concern on his face.
“Looks like I’m back in the gang!”
He suddenly heard the engine of the van started rumbling and Thunderfoot dashed out of the observatory.
“Today we shall finalise our victory and then when doomsday comes, I shall ascend upon this world…and shine!” shouted Kilobyte to the heavens, dark storm clouds gathering overhead.
With that notion, Giant George strode towards the tower’s doors, taking great steps as he went. However, before he could even get near the doors, a blast of energy hit him and stumbled backwards. Kilobyte watched, somewhat surprised as a glowing forcefield appeared over the tower and covered it completely.
“An energy barrier,” said Lord Fear. “That old fool knows we are here!”
“Do not be phased,” said Kilobyte calmly. “We will soon break down this shield.”
“And how pray do you plan to perform such an action?” asked Lord Fear impatiently.
“I have my ways,” said Kilobyte and he turned to Snoflake who flexed her neck.
“I love a challenge,” she said and ran at the tower, raising her arms.
The villains looked on in amazement as Snoflake summoned all the cold air from the sky above that she could muster and then with a sudden yell, she fired a tidal wave of icicles, snow and ice blasts at the forcefield. Giant George bombdived out of the way as the surge of ice flew by and slammed straight into the forcefield. Kilobyte grinned as the forcefield slowly but surely broke and faded away.
“And this is where I come in!” cried Giant George and charged head-on at the doors, smashing into them and sending them flying inwards.
Kilobyte laughed and led the villains towards the doors of the tower. As they drew nearer, Dirty Rat flew to Kilobyte’s side.
“Hey boss, what about the Lightning Knights?” he asked.
“I’ve already taken care of them,” Kilobyte replied sinisterly.
“What do we do now?” asked Thunderfoot, somewhat angered at what had just happened.
Sparx looked about around her and then spied a nearby motorbike store. Outside was a shiny silver motorcycle on display with a cart attached.
“Perfect!” she said and grabbed Thunderfoot, dragging him over to the vehicle.
Moments later, Sparx and Thunderfoot were careering at top speed down a road in search of Chuck’s van. Thunderfoot was holding for dear life, his skin practically rippling as Sparx sped down the road, cheering in excitement.
“I had no idea that the mortals had their own version of the Lightning Flash!” shouted Sparx. “Too bad it doesn’t fly!”
“Don’t say that!” screamed Thunderfoot. “It is worse when it is in flight!”
Suddenly, Fred appeared out of nowhere and struck the middle of the attached vehicles. Sparx saw the giant bug coming and swerved out of the way. The pincer came down upon the centre of the vehicles and the screw connecting the two vehicles fell out and the bike and cart became separated. Sparx lost sight of Thunderfoot as they went down separate roads, but she had to deal with Fred who shrieked and pursued her.
Thunderfoot, unfortunately, wasn’t having a very easy trip. At the accelerated speed he was going, he could crash and possibly die. However, what came at him next caused his eyes to boggle out of his head.
A very steep hill sped towards him, Thunderfoot screaming all the way. He practically flew off the road and soared down the hill, still screaming, tears streaming out of his eyes.
Sparx had managed to battle off Fred and she suddenly saw Thunderfoot whizzing by at lightning speed. Revving up the motorbike, Sparx took off after her friend as fast as she could go, steam flying out of the wheels.
“HOLY ZOAR!” screamed Thunderfoot as he headed straight for a brick wall.
Sparx suddenly appeared out of nowhere, seized Thunderfoot’s axe and held it above to two metal holes that were trying to line up as the two vehicles sped down the road. At the last second, the holes lined up, Sparx dropped the axe into the hole and swerved both vehicles to the right and down another road. Thunderfoot was as white as a sheet and whimpered.
“I am never riding with you again!” he cried and Sparx was forced to laugh.
“Zoar?” asked Kilobyte.
“This man killed by father…” said Lord Fear. “I never had the chance to kill him myself, but my brother did instead.”
Fear suddenly aimed Staff Head at the statue’s face and blasted it, smashing it to pieces. Kilobyte looked slightly amused as the skeleton’s rage boiled up inside. Of course, even though they were partners currently, Lord Fear would have to be eliminated when the Cyber Stalker obtained the Amulet. Kilobyte’s attention was drawn to the door opening and the icy form of Snoflake entered, leaving footprints of ice behind her as she approached.
“Well?” asked Kilobyte.
“It seems your playmates have not arrived yet, however, one cannot be too unwary,” said Snoflake. “I suggest we capture or kill this Master Thunder and depart as quickly as we can.”
“That would just spoil our fun,” said Staff Head. “Isn’t that right, milord?”
“Indeed, my loyal totem of terror,” said Lord Fear, his mood lightening. “As soon as the Lightning Knights arrive, the party shall begin.”
“Hey boss, the Lightning Knights are here!” cried Dirty Rat with glee, flying into the room.
“Excellent,” said Kilobyte with a smirk. “Snoflake, distract them for as long as you can. Myself, Fear and the rodent shall capture Master Thunder.”
“It will be done, with great pleasure,” said Snoflake and she quickly departed.
“Let’s get a move on, I’ve got a score to settle with this Extreme Lightning Knight!” cried Lord Fear, clutching Staff Head tightly and striding off towards the next set of doors. Kilobyte and Dirty Rat exchanged glances and followed.
“Yee-haw! Say ya prayers Geronimo!” laughed Giant George, raising a boot to squash Ace.
Ace rolled out of the way as Giant George’s foot stomped down on the ground where he had once been. Ace stood up and ran for the door, shooting lightning bolts up at Giant George, but they did little damage.
“Molto, hold these guys off! I must save Master Thunder!” cried Ace.
“I’m a bit outnumbered!” cried Molto, launching a fireball at Candy and Buzzbeast.
“Don’t worry, Sparx, Mark, Thunderfoot, Lady Illusion and Chuckdude will be here soon,” said Ace confidently as he disappeared into the tower.
“Oh, goody…” said Molto. “I have to wait!”
“You seem a little overheated, perhaps you should chill out!” cried a voice and a blast of ice caught of Molto off-guard, sending her tumbling to the ground.
Molto looked up to see her rival, Snoflake, approaching, the air going cold around them. Molto leapt up and hurled a ball of flames at Snoflake. She moved to the side and dodged it, the fireball sailing by. Snoflake ran forward, landing a rockhard punch into Molto’s face, sending her flying backwards into a tree. She slumped to the ground and struggled to get to her feet.
“Poor little firebug, but you’re about to be squished,” laughed Snoflake in a mocking voice.
Molto suddenly sprung up and hurled a pair of fireballs at Snoflake, scorching her pretty cold face. Snoflake glared as Molto charged and sent a wave of flames into her face. Believing this would be enough to melt away the icy freak again, Molto turned away, until a giant icicle shot by and gashed her should, blood spurting out. Molto cringed and fell to the ground in pain. She looked up as Snoflake towered over her, her face full of malice.
“You really have grown stronger, firebug…” said Snoflake. “But so have I!”
At that point, a powerful cold harsh wind blew around the two females and millions of snowflakes and icicles swarmed around Snoflake. Molto stared wide-eyed as Snoflake’s pretty form turned into a horrific icy demonic creature, totally covered in ice from head to toe, icicles spiking out everywhere. Her beautiful hair had shrivelled away, replaced by short icicles that resembled hair. Her beautiful emerald green eyes had frozen up, now an eerie yellow with pupils that had become thin slits. Snoflake formed an icicle sword in her palm and charged at Molto. Molto tossed every fireball she could muster at Snoflake, but they all seemed to bounce off the ice queen’s body.
“It’s a whole new game, firebug!” cried Snoflake and swung her blade at Molto multiple times, each time almost slicing Molto in two.
“The day my fate was decided…” said Lord Fear. “The Day of Silence or better knew as…the Tower Zone!”
“Really, enlighten me…” said Kilobyte, suddenly interested by this.
“It was when I was about only 150 years old,” began Lord Fear, Kilobyte and Dirty Rat staring quizzically at him. “I can’t remember when it happened but where it was will always stay in my memory, a distant rocky valley in the Wasteland of Non-Existence. My father, Lord Balthazar Fear, had caused an uprising against the early Lightning Knights and the leaders of the Lightning Knights, Master Zoar, Master Thunder and Mistress Blossom, went by themselves to bring in my father or possibly execute him.”
“Go on,” said Kilobyte.
“A great and some might say magnificent battle, between light and dark. Master Thunder broke his leg and hid in a pit to prevent further damage to his body. My father managed to summon the power of the demon Oblivion and killed Mistress Blossom by crushing her skull. Enraged beyond reasoning, Zoar leapt up and killed my father. Both of them were killed when Oblivion’s power exploded. A shockwave was sent across the land. My brother was only scarred, as for me…well you can actually tell.”
“You’re flesh was completely burned off…” said Kilobyte.
“Ouch! Heh, that’s got to hurt!” said Dirty Rat, only to be clobbered on the head by Staff Head.
“Kilobyte, leave Master Thunder to me. You can have his Nexus Core,” said Lord Fear angrily. “I just want the pleasure of destroying him!”
“Hmmm…very well. Just make sure you do it quickly,” said Kilobyte. “I shall take care of Ace Lightning.”
“Quickly? And ruin the fun of killing him?” laughed Lord Fear, as he headed for a final flight of stairs which led to the chamber of Master Thunder.
“Come with me, Rodent,” said Kilobyte. “We’re going to hunt down a Lightning Knight.”
Dirty Rat was about to go with Lord Fear, but a tentacle wrapped around him and dragged him away. Just as those two left, Ace flew in and looked about. He then noticed the open door leading to the next flight of stairs and a horrible thought grew in his mind.
“No!” he cried and flew towards the door.
“Damn it! I shouldn’t have left the Lightning Flash outside,” said Sparx. “It could take me ages to get to Master Thunder.”
“Well if you weren’t so stupid, you would have flown in,” said Lady Illusion mockingly, causing Sparx to grind to a halt. She then rammed Lady Illusion up against a wall, her sword against the lady’s throat.
“Listen here! I don’t what you’re problem is, Lady? But let’s get one thing straight,” snarled Sparx angrily.
Lady Illusion awaited with wide eyes, somewhat surprised by this outburst of rage.
“I have never, ever, ever liked Ace is the way you think I do!” shouted Sparx. “You got that! We’ve only been friends!”
“Well…” began Lady Illusion, but was cut off again by Sparx’s yelling.
“Now, if you don’t mind I’ve got a job to do,” said Sparx, releasing Lady Illusion and walking off down to the corridor.
“Awww! How sweet, the little girlies are talking about their crushes!” cried a taunting voice.
Sparx and Lady Illusion looked up to see Candy Floss perching on a gargoyle. A large smirk was on her face, and she quickly stood. Sparx gripped her sword and turned to Lady Illusion.
“Change of plan,” she said. “You go and help Ace, while I settle a score with Miss Pinky Pants here.”
Lady Illusion nodded in acknowledgement and teleported out of sight. Sparx turned back to face Candy, who leapt from the gargoyle and landed on the floor. The two stared at eachother, with deep hatred for the other. The two walked around in a circle, their weapons gripped firmly in their hands.
“Ready to take another beating?” asked Candy tauntingly.
“Shut up, this time I’ll kick your butt in fast forward!” cried Sparx.
“I would like to see you try!” laughed Candy and quick dashed to the left, leaping through the air and firing her new crystal upgrade at Sparx.
Sparx blocked them with her sword and lunged at Candy. She flipped herself through the air and kicked Candy is the chest, knocking her down. The two enemies landed and ran at eachother. Sparx watched as two single crystal knives appeared in each of Candy’s hand and she tossed them at her. Sparx slashed them aside as she ran. She then slammed her sword into a crack in the floor, balanced on it for a second and then hurled herself, feet first towards Candy. Candy was not ready for such an attack and could only brace herself for pain as the heels of Sparx’s boots slammed into her face.
Candy went flying backwards, rolling across the floor before colliding with a wall. As put a gloved hand to her head to feel the blood and large wound on her face. Tears filled into the eyes as she attempted to hold back the agony that consumed her body. She saw Sparx rising upwards.
“Wait…” said Candy, obviously frightened by the look in Sparx’s flaming eyes.
“No, no waiting this time!” cried Sparx angrily.
She seized Candy’s bow and one of her arrows, aiming directly between Candy’s eyes. She fired. Time seemed to slow down, as she flipped up her dropped sword and fired a lightning bolt, which chased after the arrow. It swirled around the arrow, eventually meeting with it and setting it aflame. Candy could only scream as the fiery arrow and lightning bolt flew at her.
BOOM!
An enormous explosion shook the tower and surrounding landscape. All heads turned outside as a downpour of rubble and blood flew everywhere. Some crashed down upon Snoflake, smashing her body to pieces and sending her back to the carnival. One hit Giant George, making a large hole in his chest. Hellhound leapt out of the way as rubble fell all around him. Thunderfoot, Molto and Chuck exchanged looks of worry. Mark had already run inside shortly after Sparx and Lady Illusion had. The three ran for the doors, Hellhound barking angrily and following.
“You…you…you fight well…” choked Candy.
Sparx watched as a strange black void overcame Candy’s body and swallowed it. Candy was gone, only a patch of dried blood was left behind. Sparx picked up her sword and got to her feet, sighing deeply.
“You didn’t need to do that,” said a voice.
Sparx turned and saw Mark standing further down the corridor, a cold look on his face.
“Don’t let it bother you kid, at least we’ve got one less villain to worry about,” said Sparx simply, shrugging off that fact she had possibly just killed someone.
“You should give even enemies a chance to beg for mercy,” said Mark angrily. “Even Kilobyte.”
“Oh, give me a break!” said Sparx and she walked off down another corridor.
Mark turned to the sound of the others approaching. Chuck looked exasperated, running and carrying his laptop at the same time was a tough job.
“I don’t understand it? Candy Floss’ signal has vanished!” cried Chuck. “What happened?”
Mark turned away and walked down the corridor after Sparx. He stopped and turned briefly, a look of sadness on his face.
“Sparx destroyed her,” he said. “But in my view, even people in the wrong crowds should be given a second chance…”
The others exchanged worried looks, but said nothing and followed Mark slowly down the hallway. As they left, Hellhound scampered around the corner. He sniffed the air, his ears pricked up and he followed after them, looking for his master, Lord Fear.
“Enter…” said an ancient voice from within the room.
Ace placed a handle on the metal door handle and pushed it down, the door opening. He entered a relatively small room, a large astrological map on the ceiling, and many bookshelves surrounded the outline of the room. A large table was in the middle. And by a window stood an elderly man in long robes with long silver hair and a beard. Master Thunder. Ace stood in the doorway and nobly bowed.
“Master Thunder,” greeted Ace.
“Ace Lightning,” said Master Thunder with a smile. “How good it is to see you again after all these years.”
“Are you alright?” asked Ace, approaching his respected sensei.
“Yes, but I sense a great evil approaching,” said Master Thunder sternly.
“That would be me!” cackled a familiar voice.
Standing in the doorway was Lord Fear, Staff Head aimed directly Master Thunder. Ace immediately stepped in between the two, his wrist cannons charged up to maximum voltage.
“Lord Fear,” said Master Thunder. “How kind of you to join us.”
“Don’t start with your bantering, Thunder!” snapped Lord Fear. “I shall eliminate you as a way to avenge my father. And once you fall, the rest of the Lightning Knights will surely go afterwards!”
“You will have to get past me first, Lord Fear,” snarled Ace.
“As you wish!” screamed Lord Fear as he fired an energy blast at Ace.
Ace grabbed Master Thunder and threw him to the floor as the blast sped overhead, smashing through the back window. Ace leapt up and fired a lightning bolt at Lord Fear. Lord Fear caught it on Staff Head’s wooden frame.
“Any last words?” asked Lord Fear.
“Well…if I am going to go down now,” said Ace. “I might as well go out with a bang!”
Lord Fear flinched suddenly as Lady Illusion leapt down from a hole in the ceiling, formed a fiery crystal ball and launched it at Lord Fear. Fear gasped as the bomb hit him. Flying down the stairs, Lord Fear’s bones cracked loudly as he rolled out of sight. Master Thunder stood, amazed at Lady Illusion.
“I thought she was a villain?” asked Master Thunder.
“She was once upon a time, but not anymore…” said Ace, and the lovingly entangled themselves in a kiss and hug.
“Oh…I see…” said Master Thunder. “Perhaps we should depart before Lord Fear comes back.”
Ace stopped the kiss and rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment.
“Right, yes sir. But how do we get out of here with Fear blocking the only way down?” asked Ace.
“Improvise!” cried Master Thunder, as he jumped out of the window.
Ace and Lady Illusion gasped and were sent reeling, running to the window and seeing Master Thunder landing elegantly on the ground below like a cat falling from a tree. Ace and Lady Illusion exchanged looks, then Lady Illusion leapt out of the window after Master Thunder. Ace retrieved his radio and spoke into it.
“Sparx, are you there?” he asked.
“Go for Sparx!” cried Sparx down the radio. “What’s up?”
“Get yourself and the others out of the tower, we’ve got Master Thunder,” said Ace. “We’ll take shelter back at the Thunder Tower.”
“Roger, over and out,” replied Sparx and the radio went to its fuzzy sound.
Ace put his radio away and hopped out of the window, seeing Lord Fear coming up the stairs again, only this time he was accompanied by Hellhound, who snarled hungrily. As Ace landed, he saw Giant George towering over him. Master Thunder stepped in front and held a large golden staff above his head. Surging electricity danced up its body to the tip and shot a blast of yellow lightning at George. The electricity blasted a hole right through his chest, exposing his Nexus Core. The blast severed its way through George’s left arm until it exploded and fell to pieces, falling to dust on the ground.
“Why, you little!” roared Giant George with anger, throwing his right fist out.
Master Thunder was not ready for such an attack. Ace was about to grab him when Hellhound landed on him and clamped his fangs into Ace’s arm, digging deep into Ace’s skin, the Lightning Knight letting out a yell in pain. Giant George’s fist collided with Master Thunder, splintering his staff and sending him flying through the air, smashing into the side of the building. Ace managed to throw Hellhound off, but was blasted by Lord Fear. Ace leapt up and tackled Lord Fear, pinning him to the ground. Grabbing Lord Fear’s extended neck and arms, Ace quickly wrapped them around Lord Fear like wrapping a parcel and eventually the villain was in a bundle of twisted knots.
Suddenly, Master Thunder let out a yell. Ace turned around and saw Kilobyte trapping Master Thunder, his tentacles wrapped around his throat and arms. Ace ran at Kilobyte, but the fourth tentacle lashed out like whip and smacked into Ace’s face, knocking him away. Lady Illusion was about to run in to help, only to have Ace collide with her. The two fell to the ground. Ace and Lord Fear could only watch with despair or anger as Kilobyte stabbed Master Thunder in the chest with his free tentacle and in seconds, absorbed Master Thunder’s Nexus Core.
“Kilobyte!” roared Ace with rage.
“You little piece of programming filth!” shrieked Lord Fear vengefully. “That was supposed to be for me to do!”
“First come, first serve,” said Kilobyte coldly. “Eliminate Lightning!”
Giant George laughed and prepared to stomp down Ace and Lady Illusion. Ace, however, leapt up and charged up his wrist cannons to full blast. Ace flew up like a crazed moth attracted to a light and launched incredibly bright lightning bolts into Giant George’s core. Time seemed to freeze as the bolts connected and in three seconds flat, the Nexus Core implode and then shot outwards in a flash of light, taking Giant George with it. The golem’s body fell to pieces, most of it becoming dust instantly. A large chunk of the torso fell, landing on Hellhound and crushing him, killing the poor dog. Lord Fear gasped in horror, Dirty Rat managing to help untangle him and had to push him into the Doom’s Wagon, which quickly flew into the sky. Ace landed, his eyes staring coldly at Kilobyte. Kilobyte frowned and latched his tentacles onto the passing Doom Wagon, hitching a ride, quickly vanishing out of sight.
Just then, Sparx and the others appeared. Ace knelt down beside Master Thunder, who despite having lost the will to live was still alive, but just barely. He looked up at Ace and smiled wearily.
“Well done, Ace Lightning. You have proven yourself to be a great warrior after all…I on the other hand,” said Master Thunder. “I should have died long ago, hanging onto the last threads of my life.”
“Sir, you shall live,” said Ace.
“I’m afraid not. My time has come…but do not mourn my departing. You and your allies will triumph over the Ultimate Evil and restore the Sixth Dimension to its former glory,” said Master Thunder, his body fading away. “In the meantime, follow the Code of the Lightning Knights…”
“Do right…” said Ace, Master Thunder smiling as he disappeared. “And fear not.”
And with that, Master Thunder died – but died a hero. The tower crumbled away into rubble and faded away. Returning to the Thunder Tower, the remains of Master Thunder cremated by the Lightning Knights.
“Tomorrow is when it is all over,” said Rick, shutting down his mainframe and grabbing his jacket, heading for the door.
“Programmer!” shouted a voice, causing Rick to freeze in his tracks.
He slowly turned to see Scrambler emerge from the shadows, his tentacles wriggling menacingly. Rick thought about making a break for it, but his legs felt like they had been cemented to the floor. Scrambler glared at Rick with those icy eyes of his, his mind telling him to crush the so-called Master Programmer then and there, but something prompted him to do something else. Scrambler took a step forward, causing Rick to flinch in fright.
“I have a proposition for you…” said Scrambler.
Rick was rather taken back about this, but it could involve sparing his own life. He looked down briefly at the floppy disk, and a familiar smile of triumph that had faded away long ago, appeared again. He looked up with gleaming eyes and a confident smile.
“Explain,” said Rick.
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